Good Morning, Colorado, you’re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Thursday December 10th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you.

Today, we’re focused on students in Colorado who are engaging with the legislative process. And how more and more they’re seeing their ideas reflected in results.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we’re going back to December 10th, 1941, three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Former governor of Colorado, Ralph L Carr expressed his pride in Coloradans for the manner in which they received the news. Carr went on to become one of Colorado’s most respected governors.

Now, our feature story.

Driven by issues impacting their daily lives and aided by the legislative process itself, Colorado’s youth -- whose activism filled the streets last spring -- have stepped up their engagement. While The police reform protests prodded lawmakers into some quick, incremental action, young people across the state have been learning other ways to make their voices heard. Elected officials seem increasingly inclined to listen.

Colorado Sun reporter Kevin Simpson joins us today to tell us more.

Kevin, thanks so much for giving us some more insight into what’s happening. So, with youth all over the country raising their voices on a variety of issues. Can you tell us how is this playing out in Colorado specifically?

And what does this look like in terms of legislation? Can you talk more about some examples?

So, other than an interest in the system. What else is driving these young people?

And why are lawmakers listening now?

In 1982, the heartwarming story of youth involvement in Colorado politics featureda Thornton elementary school urging lawmakers to designate the stegosaurusas the state fossil. And then in 2018, the legislature passed a bill creating an interim committee of five lawmakers and five youth representatives charged with generating policy proposals that could result in as many as three actual bills being introduced -- bills that would not count against any legislator’s five-bill personal limit.

That committee, advanced by Loveland Republican Rep. Hugh McKean, didn’t offer any bills in that first year because the ideas exceeded the scope of the legislature’s authority -- or its ability to pay for them. But it started students along the learning curve of lawmaking.

They met once in the 2020 session cut short by the pandemic. But once the pandemic subsides, this mechanism promises to put more young people’s ideas front and center in 2021. Not just as pie-in-the-sky concepts, but as actual bills. 

Finally, here are a few stories you should know about today:

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is coming to Colorado. Sort of. The California aerospace firm was among the winners in the $9.2 billion federal broadband auction aimed at ending the digital divide in rural America. 

A leading independent bookstore, the Colorado-based Tattered Cover, has been sold to a group of investors and will become the country’s largest Black-led bookseller.

COVID outbreaks at Colorado K through 12 schools nearly doubled in November, reflecting the challenge of keeping the virus at bay in classrooms when cases are surging in the community.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, you&rsquo;re listening to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Thursday December 10th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you.
Today, we&rsquo;re focused on students in Colorado who are engaging with the legislative process. And how more and more they&rsquo;re seeing their ideas reflected in results.
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we&rsquo;re going back to December 10th, 1941, three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Former governor of Colorado, Ralph L Carr expressed his pride in Coloradans for the manner in which they received the news. Carr went on to become one of Colorado&rsquo;s most respected governors.
Now, our feature story.
Driven by issues impacting their daily lives and aided by the legislative process itself, Colorado&rsquo;s youth -- whose activism filled the streets last spring -- have stepped up their engagement. While The police reform protests prodded lawmakers into some quick, incremental action, young people across the state have been learning other ways to make their voices heard. Elected officials seem increasingly inclined to listen.
Colorado Sun reporter Kevin Simpson joins us today to tell us more.
Kevin, thanks so much for giving us some more insight into what&rsquo;s happening. So, with youth all over the country raising their voices on a variety of issues. Can you tell us how is this playing out in Colorado specifically?
And what does this look like in terms of legislation? Can you talk more about some examples?
So, other than an interest in the system. What else is driving these young people?
And why are lawmakers listening now?
In 1982, the heartwarming story of youth involvement in Colorado politics featured<a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0211/021156.html"> a Thornton elementary school urging lawmakers to designate the stegosaurus</a> as the state fossil. And then in 2018, the legislature passed a bill creating an interim committee of five lawmakers and five youth representatives charged with generating policy proposals that could result in as many as three actual bills being introduced -- bills that would not count against any legislator&rsquo;s five-bill personal limit.
That committee, advanced by Loveland Republican Rep. Hugh McKean, didn&rsquo;t offer any bills in that first year because the ideas exceeded the scope of the legislature&rsquo;s authority -- or its ability to pay for them. But it started students along the learning curve of lawmaking.
They met once in the 2020 session cut short by the pandemic. But once the pandemic subsides, this mechanism promises to put more young people&rsquo;s ideas front and center in 2021. Not just as pie-in-the-sky concepts, but as actual bills.&nbsp;
Finally, here are a few stories you should know about today:
Elon Musk&rsquo;s SpaceX is coming to Colorado. Sort of. The California aerospace firm was among the winners in the $9.2 billion federal broadband auction aimed at ending the digital divide in rural America.&nbsp;
A leading independent bookstore, the Colorado-based Tattered Cover, has been sold to a group of investors and will become the country&rsquo;s largest Black-led bookseller.
COVID outbreaks at Colorado K through 12 schools nearly doubled in November, reflecting the challenge of keeping the virus at bay in classrooms when cases are surging in the community.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. Now, a quick message from our editor.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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