State & Federal Update – January 8, 2025

It’s Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The 2025 Colorado General Assembly kicks off today. 

These updates are curated from multiple news sources and designed to be a “choose-your-own-adventure.” Please read any coverage of interest and skip anything you deem to be irrelevant. Hyperlinks are provided to add additional context. With the 24/7 news-cycle I hope to keep us all in the loop on items we may want to know about or better understand. Please feel free to share if you think someone outside FGMC needs to be aware of this information.

Disclaimer – The news and articles contained within this update do not represent any political positions or policy opinions of Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP. This update is designed for informational purposes only.

Welcome to the 2025 Colorado legislative session! I’ve already been down to the State Capitol this morning, and things are up and running.

Colorado’s 100 lawmakers gather today to begin their annual 120-day legislative session. Over the next four months, they will tackle issues ranging from immigration and healthcare to housing and the state’s tight budget. Opening day is marked by ceremony, with lawmakers sworn into office surrounded by family and loved ones. Legislative leaders will outline their priorities, and on Thursday, Governor Jared Polis will deliver his State of the State address, outlining his own agenda for the session.

A few key items as we head into the work:

• Democrats maintain control of both legislative chambers, though their majority has narrowed in the House to 43-22, following Republican gains in the recent election. The Senate remains at 23 Democrats to 12 Republicans, although two seats changed hands. These shifts leave Democrats just short of a supermajority in both chambers.
• The reshuffling of the chambers continued into opening day, with three senators resigning late last year and vacancy committees selecting replacements over the weekend. Republican John Carson, Democratic Rep. Iman Jodeh, and Democrat Matt Ball, policy director for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, were appointed to fill the vacancies.
• Incoming Senate President James Coleman emphasized that his party remains committed to making Colorado more affordable and safer. He also stated that Democratic lawmakers are prepared to confront challenges from the incoming Trump administration, ensuring the protection of Colorado’s freedoms and values.
• Immigration is poised to become a major issue in Colorado, with tension between state and federal policies. The U.S. House recently passed a bill prioritizing the deportation of undocumented immigrants arrested for lower-level crimes, while Colorado law prohibits local law enforcement from collaborating with immigration authorities.
• Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez emphasized the need for the state to be ready to respond quickly, given the uncertainty surrounding potential mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration.
• On the legislative agenda, Republican leaders are calling for a rollback of business regulations and consumer fees, arguing that Coloradans are frustrated with rising costs.
• House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese sees an opportunity this session to implement policies that can reduce financial burdens on residents.
• However, the state faces a significant challenge in managing a $700 million budget shortfall, which will make it difficult to pass new, costly policies.
• Democratic Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie acknowledged that balancing priorities will be tough.
• Republicans, including Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, blame new Democratic programs and the use of one-time federal COVID relief funds for contributing to the state’s looming structural deficit.
• Addressing this budget gap will be a major challenge for lawmakers in the 2025 session.

And with that – we are off to the races! Happy legislating!

Today’s Big Three Things-To-Know:

1. Will Denver crack down on gas stations? A proposed bill in Denver aims to reduce available space for new gas stations in order to prioritize land for affordable housing development. Approved by a Denver City Council committee on Tuesday, the bill seeks to limit the establishment of new gas stations within a quarter-mile of existing ones, near rail transit stations, or within 300 feet of certain residential areas, including single-unit zoning districts. Larger retail spaces, such as grocery stores, are exempt. Supporters, including Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, argue that vacant land currently allocated for gas stations should be repurposed for housing, especially as Denver faces a pressing need for affordable homes. Sawyer emphasized that the city does not lack gas stations. However, the bill has faced opposition, with at least 123 public comments, 35% of which raised concerns about property rights and competition. If passed, the bill would concentrate fueling stations near interstate highways and in neighborhoods like Northeast Park Hill, Central Park, and Green Valley Ranch. The full Denver City Council is expected to vote on the bill on February 18.

1. Another vacancy filled. Matthew Ball was selected by a Democratic vacancy committee to represent Senate District 31 in central Denver, defeating Rep. Steven Woodrow in five rounds of voting on Tuesday night. Ball, a policy director for Denver, received 61 votes, while Woodrow earned 37. Seven candidates competed in the race, including Rep.-elect Sean Camacho and several others with diverse backgrounds, such as a filmmaker and small business owners. The committee had 107 members present, with a required 54 votes to win. The candidates discussed various issues, including the state’s $1 billion budget shortfall, climate change, and how to work across the aisle with Republicans. Ball emphasized his experience with Denver’s Roads to Recovery initiative and called for a “strategic conversation” around the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), advocating for a progressive income tax targeting the top earners. Woodrow focused on tax credits for the wealthy and large corporations and stressed the importance of bipartisan efforts, despite disagreements on issues like abortion and climate change. The candidates also addressed how to engage blue-collar and Hispanic voters, noting the growing disconnect between voters’ lived experiences and political messaging. Ball emphasized the importance of talking to people about “kitchen table issues,” while Camacho advocated for more Latino representation in the Senate. Ball’s victory leaves only one vacancy to be filled in House District 41, following Rep. Iman Jodeh’s appointment to succeed Sen. Janet Buckner. Matt is a friend from my time with the Johnston Administration and I look forward to working with him under the Gold Dome this year.

1. U.S. House takes on immigration. House Republicans turned their focus to border security with their first bill of the year, passing legislation named in honor of slain Georgia student Laken Riley. The bill, which mandates the detention of migrants arrested for theft, passed the House with a 264-159 vote. Forty-eight Democrats joined all Republicans in supporting the measure. The Senate is expected to consider the bill this week. Called the Laken Riley Act, the legislation honors Riley, who was killed by a Venezuelan migrant arrested for shoplifting before the attack and later released on parole in the U.S. Riley’s birthday would have been Friday, coinciding with the Senate’s potential consideration of the bill. This marks the second time in a year that the House has passed the legislation. In March, Republicans and a small group of Democrats supported the bill, but it stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. With Republicans now holding majorities in both chambers and President-elect Trump set to take office later this month, GOP lawmakers are once again pushing to pass the measure. “We’ve been very focused on border security. The Laken Riley Act sends a clear message: if you’re committing crimes in America, it won’t be tolerated,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday. “Now, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) planning to bring it up this week, we’re hopeful that we can get this bill signed into law.”

***Bonus Story – Colorado bill to ease union formation set to be major debate in upcoming session. Republicans in the Colorado Legislature are expected to oppose a proposed bill that seeks to reform union formation laws, particularly the state’s 80-year-old Labor Peace Act. Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen (R-Monument) cautioned against disrupting the balance established by the Act, which requires a second vote to approve union security, allowing unions to collect representation fees from all workers. The bill, announced by a group of Democratic lawmakers late last year, seeks to repeal part of the Act. Proponents argue that the dual vote system hinders unions’ ability to negotiate effectively on behalf of workers. While many Democrats support the bill, including House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon and Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, Governor Jared Polis has expressed skepticism and vetoed similar bills in the past. The business community, represented by groups like the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Competitive Council,  and the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, argue that the Labor Peace Act has successfully maintained a balance between labor and business interests for decades, positioning Colorado as a modified “right-to-work” state.

***Bonus, Bonus Story – Gov. Jared Polis walks a tightrope in approaching Trump. Deportations are likely to become a significant challenge for Colorado. And Governor Jared Polis is being cautious. Polis, sporting safety glasses, took hold of an electric saw and guided its buzzing blade through a pile of printed-out executive orders spanning decades. His pre-Christmas press conference aimed to showcase his efforts to eliminate outdated regulations, drawing attention from a high-profile Republican figure—the kind of person the Democratic governor’s party has come to loathe. Vivek Ramaswamy, the outspoken MAGA ally whom President-elect Donald Trump appointed to cut government spending, wrote on the social media platform X, “Nice work!” He added, “Send that shredder over to the Department of Government Efficiency next month!” Polis retweeted Ramaswamy’s message and continued their exchange, even joking about closing a federal cheese facility in Missouri. This was just the latest example of Polis, known for his unconventional independence, navigating a tricky relationship with the incoming administration. While Democratic governors across the nation, like New York’s Kathy Hochul, are seeking to find common ground with Trump, and California’s Gavin Newsom prepares for legal battles, Polis stands apart.

And now, more news…

From Denver…Denver approves rezoning along busy thoroughfares in southeast.

Via DBJ, multiple properties on busy roads in southeast Denver were rezoned by the Denver City Council on Monday night.

The rezoning, adopted through a 11-0 vote, changes the rules for the future development of properties located along busy thoroughfares like Colorado Boulevard, Evans Avenue and Leetsdale Drive to create “more welcoming and pedestrian-friendly” development closer to the street. The changes impact properties between Alameda and Yale avenues, between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street, and to the city boundary to the east, city staff said.

You can read more from DBJ here.

More from the city…Denver considers restricting new gas station locations

As reported by Axios, gas stations could have significantly less space for new locations in Denver under a bill intended to reserve more land for housing.

Supporters of the measure — approved Tuesday by a Denver City Council committee — say reducing space available for gas stations will allow for affordable housing development and encourage new mixed-use complexes near transit corridors. Denver desperately needs more affordable housing. The bill would bar a new gas station within a quarter-mile of an existing one, a quarter-mile of a rail transit station and 300 feet of certain residential districts, including those with single-unit zoning.

Exceptions include retail spaces larger than 20,000 square feet, such as grocery stores. Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, who co-sponsored the bill, said during the meeting that vacant land currently available for these stations “can and should be used for housing.” “We are not short [on] gas stations in the city,” Sawyer said.

You can read more from Axios here.

One more from Denver…Denver officials spent 2024 welcoming immigrants — but with less fanfare, police arrested some of them for low-level crimes and prostitution.

According to CPR, for two years, Denver welcomed thousands of new immigrants from Central and South America, housing and clothing the new arrivals mostly coming off of buses from Texas — much of it at taxpayer expense. But in that time, the city’s police department has doubled down on municipal tickets exposing some of those newcomers to expedited deportation by cracking down on low-level municipal crimes ranging from window washing to prostitution.

“The real issue is disproportionately ticketing people for these low-level, quality-of-life crimes,” said Hans Meyer, an immigration lawyer whose firm has represented dozens of undocumented clients facing municipal charges through a contract with the city’s public defender’s office. His office also helped with 55 court appearances for undocumented immigrants in part of 2023 and 180 court appearances for the same period last year.

You can read more from CPR here.

Around the metro…Will Broncos build new stadium? Inside the what, where and when that guides team decision-making.

Via The Denver Post, when 75,000 people descend from all points of the Front Range and beyond for Denver’s regular-season finale against Kansas City on Sunday, they will congregate in the only spot professional football in Colorado has ever known.

The building’s changed, but the Broncos have played at the same dot on the map since joining the AFL in 1960.

The question of whether the Broncos remain at Empower Field at Mile High beyond the next few years remains an open one. The franchise is moving steadily toward an inflection point — the end of its lease with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District, which runs through 2030 — and the decision of whether to stay and renovate, stay and rebuild or move elsewhere in the Denver area is one that takes years to unravel.

The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group has been actively exploring that question and taking steps toward answering it since purchasing the franchise in August 2022. They’ve toured numerous stadiums and entertainment districts around the country, put about $100 million in upgrades into Empower Field, studied the renovation possibilities and solicited considerable fan feedback. They’ve paused any forward movement on a development plan with the MFSD.

You can read more from The Denver Post here.

Another vacancy filled – by a city staffer…Matthew Ball chosen to represent Colorado’s Senate District 31 after five rounds of voting.

According to Colorado Politics, a Democratic vacancy committee for Senate District 31 chose Matthew Ball, a Mayor Johnston appointee, to represent the central Denver district after five rounds of voting Tuesday night.

Ball won with 61 votes over Rep. Steven Woodrow of House District 2, who finished with 37. Seven candidates squared off in an hour-long candidates forum before the vacancy committee got down to the business of voting. The committee had 107 members present out of 109 total members. To win with the required 50% plus one of the vote, candidates had to get 54 votes as long as all 107 voted.

You can read more from Colorado Politics here and Colorado Newsline here.

From the Gold Dome…Colorado General Assembly is back in session today.

As reported by Colorado Politics, the 2025 Colorado General Assembly session begins today with ceremonies at 10 AM, where lawmakers will be sworn in. The session will feature new leadership and a significant turnover, with 21 new members in the House and 11 in the Senate, alongside key leadership changes.

Key issues this session include:

• Union Debate: A proposed change to union laws could reduce the barriers to requiring non-union members to pay union fees, which businesses support but unions oppose.
• Local Control: A proposal would limit local courts from imposing harsher sentences than state courts, a move likely opposed by municipalities like Aurora.
• Online Gaming: A proposal for online casino-style gaming could impact tribal casinos and college funding from gaming taxes.
• State Budget: With a $1 billion shortfall in the general fund, crafting the state budget will be a major challenge.
• Business Competitiveness: Concerns over Colorado’s declining business competitiveness are driving discussions on balancing regulation and improving livability. Lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, are focused on addressing the rising cost of living through fees like the grocery bag fee.

The session is set to be marked by tough negotiations and debates over these critical issues.

You can read more from CoPo here.

More from the Gold Dome…Colorado’s 2025 legislative session begins today. Here’s what you need to know to participate.

Via The Colorado Sun, Colorado’s 2025 legislative session begins on Wednesday with 100 lawmakers starting their 120-day term to debate bills. Here’s a quick guide to navigating the process:

• Know Your Representatives: Each Coloradan has one state representative and one senator. You can find out who represents you by entering your address on the official website.
• Tracking Bills and Committees: Every bill must go through at least one committee hearing where the public can testify. The legislature’s schedule is subject to change, so it’s important to stay updated on daily activities. Bills can be found and tracked by keywords or topics through an official link.
• Attending Sessions: The Colorado Capitol is open to the public, and you can observe the proceedings from the gallery or attend committee meetings and testify. Sessions are streamed online, and audio feeds of committee meetings are available.
• For more details, citizens can explore the Capitol Sunlight guide for a comprehensive understanding of the legislature, including the lawmaking process and how to contact lawmakers. The Colorado Channel on YouTube broadcasts House and Senate floor sessions, while committee hearings are available through audio feeds.

You can read more from The Colorado Sun here.

Even more from the State Capitol…Colorado’s 2025 legislative session begins today.

This one from CPR, Colorado’s 100 lawmakers convene at the state capitol today for the start of their annual legislative session. Over the next four months, they will debate and discuss everything from immigration and health care, to housing and the tight state budget.

Opening day traditionally involves a lot of pomp and ceremony. Surrounded by their families and loved ones, lawmakers will be officially sworn into office and legislative leaders will lay out their priorities in speeches. On Thursday Gov. Jared Polis gets a chance to highlight his own priorities for the session in his annual State of the State address. Democrats retain control of state government and both legislative chambers, though the party holds a slightly smaller, 43-22, majority in the House, after Republicans managed to flip three seats in the recent election. The split in the Senate remains 23 Democrats to 12 Republicans, although two seats changed hands. Those margins leave Democrats just shy of a legislative supermajority in both chambers.

The reshuffling of each chamber went almost all the way up to opening day. Three senators resigned their posts for various reasons late last year, requiring vacancy committees to fill their positions.

Over the weekend, a Republican vacancy committee selected former CU regent John Carson for one of those seats. Democratic Rep. Iman Jodeh of Aurora was picked for another, and late Tuesday night, Matt Ball, policy director for Denver mayor Mike Johnson, won the third.

You can read more from CPR here.

Also from the Colorado Capitol…Colorado House rejects Republican lawmakers’ challenge of election results based on passwords leak.

Via The Denver Post, the House and Senate are officially back at work for the 2025 session.

After the early pomp and circumstance, plus a land acknowledgement from a Ute Mountain Ute tribal leader, the House began the session with two Republican lawmakers — Reps. Scott Bottoms and Ken DeGraaf — essentially challenging the results of the 2024 election. They both argued, without evidence, that the inadvertent posting of some election passwords by the Secretary of State’s Office undermined the results. Two investigations — one by a law firm and another by the Denver District Attorney’s Office — both determined the posting of the passwords was a mistake and found no criminal or election integrity concerns. A lawsuit against the Secretary of State’s Office by the Libertarian Party of Colorado was also rejected, with a judge determining that there was no evidence of an election breach or an intentional posting of the passwords.

The passwords were not, on their own, sufficient to change any votes, despite claims by Bottoms. A second set of passwords, plus physical access to secure elections equipment in individual clerks’ offices, would’ve also been required to alter the systems. There is no evidence that any equipment was improperly accessed or that any results were altered. The chamber overwhelmingly voted to reject the challenge, but six of the House’s 22 Republicans voted against accepting the results of the election in which they participated and won. Bottoms and DeGraaf were joined by Reps. Stephanie Luck, Ron Weinberg and Brandi Bradley and Rep.-elect Larry Suckla in voting no.

House Democratic officials said that as far as they knew, this was the first time lawmakers have made a motion opposing certification of election results. The same certification vote sailed through in the Senate a few minutes ago. Had the House vote failed, the legislature would not have been able to convene.

You can read more from The Denver Post here.

Even more legislative news…How to be involved with the Colorado Legislature during session.

According to Colorado Newsline, the Colorado General Assembly starts its regular session today. The legislative session is 120 days long and will end on May 8. During those four months, the Senate and House of Representatives will introduce, debate and vote on bills that will become state laws.

There are 65 representatives and 35 senators, each representing a district from around the state. Each Coloradan is represented by one representative and one senator. The General Assembly website has a tool for constituents to find their lawmakers by entering their residential address. Lawmakers work on behalf of Coloradans to create laws and fund services like public education, Medicaid and other crucial programs. Constituents, who vote them into office, are their representatives’ bosses. Every legislator has a web page that lists their Capitol phone number, mailing address and email for constituents to contact them. That web page also lists a legislator’s committee assignments and sponsored legislation.

You can read more from Colorado Newsline here.

From the Governor’s Office…Gov. Jared Polis walks a tightrope in approaching Trump. Deportations are likely to be the first test.

As reported by The Denver Post, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis donned safety glasses and seized the handle of the electric saw, guiding the buzzing blade down through a stack of printed-out executive orders dating back decades.

Polis’ pre-Christmas news conference was designed to highlight how he was repealing unnecessary regulations, and it caught the eye of a prominent Republican — one the Democratic governor’s party has grown to despise.

“Nice work,” wrote Vivek Ramaswamy, the brash MAGA-disciple who President-elect Donald Trump tapped to help slash government spending, on the social media site X. “Send that shredder over to (the Department of Government Efficiency) next month!” Polis reposted Ramaswamy’s message and continued to banter with him on the site about closing a federal cheese facility in Missouri. It was only the latest example of how Polis, who prides himself on his quirky independence, is walking a difficult line with the incoming administration. As Democratic governors across the country adapt to Trump’s victory — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, for instance, reached out to Trump to find common ground while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has prepared for legal battles — Polis stands out.

You can read more from The Denver Post here.

On leadership…James Coleman becomes key dealmaker as Colorado Senate president.

Via Axios, when the General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday, Denver’s James Coleman will become the second-ever Black state Senate president and arguably its most powerful lawmaker.

The 37-year-old’s pragmatic political views stand apart from his more ideological Democratic colleagues and position him as a dealmaker in the increasingly liberal Legislature. Coleman tells Axios Denver his priority this session is steering Colorado away from what’s happening in Washington, D.C., both in terms of protecting vulnerable populations from the incoming Trump administration and the Legislature’s culture from becoming too polarized. He says his goal is to “help us pass high-quality legislation that’s going to ultimately be implemented — not just passed, but implemented.”

You can read more from Axios here.

On major issues…Colorado bill to ease union formation set to be major debate in upcoming session.

According to Colorado Newsline, Republicans in the Colorado Legislature are unlikely to support a bill this year that would reform union formation laws in the state.

“We should think twice before we upend an 80-year balance,” Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, said during a legislative preview panel hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. The chamber is opposed to the legislation and will prioritize arguing against it this year, CEO J.J. Ament told the gathered lawmakers, lobbyists and business leaders.

A group of Democrats announced the bill late last year to repeal Colorado’s Labor Peace Act of 1943. That law requires a second vote — following a successful simple majority union formation vote — of 75% of eligible workers for negotiations to begin over whether all employees should be required to pay representation fees to the union regardless of membership. That requirement is known as union security. Proponents of the anticipated bill argue that Colorado’s dual election system is an onerous barrier to achieving a strong union with proper negotiation power over working conditions and safety.

The bill has the backing of many Democratic lawmakers and state officials, though not Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who vetoed a pair of labor-related bills last year and expressed skepticism of this new proposal. The bill will be sponsored by House Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon of Denver, Rep. Javier Mabrey of Denver, Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez of Denver and Sen. Jessie Danielson of Wheat Ridge.

The business community, however, characterizes the Labor Peace Act as a proven compromise between labor and business interests that has served Colorado well as a modified “right-to-work” state for eight decades.

You can read more from Colorado Newsline here.

In regulation…Colorado regulators seeking steep increases in permitting fees for air pollutants.

Via The Sum & Substance, Colorado regulators want to raise fees by as much as 67% on air-pollutant emissions and the permits that are required for them — a price hike that industry leaders hope will result in faster permitting.

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted last month to set an April rulemaking hearing to consider the fee increases and new rules around the reporting of emissions. If approved, four separate fee hikes — meant to cover the costs of permitting, monitoring and enforcement — would go into place between June 2025 and early 2026.

These increases will be debated as part of a trio of hearings in the new year focused on increasing regulations around air toxic contaminants, as prescribed in a 2022 law. The AQCC will identify five air toxins next week that will be subject to increasing rules, will seek the new reporting rules and fee increases in April and then will hold a third hearing in September to set health-based standards for the newly identified pollutants.

While business leaders have concerns about each step in that process — including the belief that ramping regulations on some identified air toxins could harm targeted industries like medical device-making — the idea to increase fees has led more to questions. Primary among them: Will asking emitting companies to pay $6.6 million in additional permit-related fees to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment produce a more efficient permitting process than the one that can run beyond a year now?

You can read more from TS&S here.

From the Trump Administration…Trump’s foreign policy threats produce worry and pushback overseas.

As reported by The New York Times, when Donald J. Trump won a return to the White House, many countries thought they knew what to expect and how to prepare for what was coming.

Diplomats in world capitals said they would zero in on what his administration does, rather than what Trump says. Bigger nations developed plans to soften or counter his threat of punitive tariffs. Smaller countries hoped they could simply hide from four more years of gale-force America First.

But it’s getting harder for the world to keep calm and carry on. At Tuesday’s news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump declined to rule out the use of force in a potential land grab for Greenland and the Panama Canal. He vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” He also said he could use “economic force” to turn Canada into the 51st state as a matter of American national security.

For those eager to parse substance from bluster, it looked like another performance of scattershot bravado: Trump II, the sequel, more unrestrained. Even before taking office, Trump, with his surprising wish list, has stirred up “here we go again” commentary from across the globe. Beyond the chatter, however, are serious stakes. As the world prepares for Trump’s return, the parallels between his preoccupations and the distant age of American imperialism in the late 19th century are becoming more relevant.

Trump has already championed the era for its protectionism, claiming that the United States in the 1890s “was probably the wealthiest it ever was because it was a system of tariffs.” Now, he seems to be adding the 19th and early 20th century’s focus on territorial control. What both epochs share is a fear of shaky geopolitics, and the threat of being locked out of territory with great economic and military importance. As Daniel Immerwahr, an American historian at Northwestern University, put it: “We are seeing a reversion to a more grabby world.”

You can read more from NYT here.

From Congress…House passes immigration measure named after Laken Riley.

Via The Hill, House Republicans focused their attention on the border with their first bill of the year, passing legislation named after the slain Georgia student Laken Riley that would require detention of migrants arrested for theft.

The legislation cleared the chamber in a 264-159 vote, with 48 Democrats joining all Republicans in support. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation this week. Dubbed the Laken Riley Act, the legislation honors the woman killed by a Venezuelan migrant who was arrested for shoplifting ahead of the attack and paroled in the country. Riley’s birthday would have been Friday, which is the same day the Senate may take up the bill.

Tuesday’s vote marked the second time in a year that the House cleared the legislation. Republicans and a small group of Democrats approved the bill in March, but it languished amid opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate. With Republicans now holding majorities in both chambers, and President-elect Trump set to be sworn in to the White House later this month, GOP lawmakers are making another attempt at moving the measure.

You can read more from The Hill here.

On the Senate side…Sen. Mark Kelly is latest Democrat to back GOP immigration bill.

As reported by Politico, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly will vote for the Laken Riley Act, a spokesperson told POLITICO. He is joining fellow Democratic Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.) and Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) in indicating support for the immigration bill.

More Democrats are expected to support the measure when it goes to a initial procedural vote on Friday. Eight Democrats will need to join all 52 Republicans in order to advance the bill. “Senator Kelly will vote for the Laken Riley Act and looks forward to working with Republicans and Democrats on it and other solutions to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system,” said the spokesperson, Jacob Peters.

You can read more from Politico here.

Also in the Senate…Senate Republicans prepare blitzkrieg on Biden regulations.

Via The Hill, Senate Republicans, waiting for their House counterparts to figure out their strategy on border security and tax reform, are planning to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to wage a lightning war on regulations implemented by the Biden administration over the past six months.

Senate GOP leaders say their first priority will be to confirm President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees but then they will move quickly to passing CRA resolutions to overturn an array of the Biden-era regulations. But they need to act quickly on the deregulatory front, because a joint resolution disapproving of Biden-era rules needs to be introduced under strict time requirements.

Republican lawmakers introduced 67 resolutions of disapproval to roll back regulations implemented under President Obama during Trump’s first year in office in 2017. Trump signed 16 of those resolutions of disapproval into law that year.

You can read more from The Hill here.

And around the country…California officials scramble to fight fires with strained resources.

According to The New York Times, out-of-control wildfires in the Los Angeles area raged for a second day, with a diminishing water supply and ferocious winds complicating firefighting efforts. Officials cautioned that the fires that have already reduced more than 1,000 buildings to ash were far from being contained.

The fires have killed at least two people and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Though winds that have reached hurricane levels were expected to drop by mid- to late morning, even weakened winds will remain hazardous into the evening hours, with extreme wildfire weather conditions likely to continue into the afternoon.

“This is going to be devastating, a devastating loss, for all of Los Angeles,” said Traci Park, the Los Angeles city councilwoman whose district includes Pacific Palisades, the site of the biggest fire. That blaze, named the Palisades fire, began on Tuesday morning in the affluent neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles, and had exploded to nearly 3,000 acres by night, burning with a volatility that astonished fire officials.

You can read more from NYT here.

That’s all for today! Have a great Wednesday!

Best,

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