Defend Colorado Now (DCN) was a ballot initiative introduced in January 2006 to amend the constitution of Colorado to deny non-emergency public services that are not required by federal law to illegal immigrants in Colorado. In Political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a Petition signed by a certain The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country It was similar to the recently approved Arizona Proposition 200 (2004), which denied public services to illegal aliens and California Proposition 187 (1994) which was declared unconstitutional by the Federal Appeals Court. Proposition 200, an Arizona state Initiative passed in November 2004 with 56% of the vote requires individuals to produce Proof of citizenship California Proposition 187 was a 1994 ballot initiative designed to deny Illegal immigrants social services health care and Public education.
Had DCN supporters collected the required number of petition signatures, the proposed amendment would be placed on the ballot for voter approval in November 2006. In Colorado, approximately 68,000 valid petition signatures are required to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America.
The current registered agent for the Defend Colorado Now initiative is former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm, and its director is Fred Elbel, head of Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform. Governors The region that would become Colorado was obtained in three parts by the United States first in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 then the Mexican Cession Richard Douglas "Dick" Lamm is an American politician and Lawyer. Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR is an Immigration reduction organization based in Lakewood Colorado.
Ballot Title of the Defend Colorado Now Initiative
The language of the ballot initiative is as follows:
"[Shall there be] an amendment to the Colorado constitution concerning the restriction of non-emergency government services to certain persons who are lawfully present in the United States, and, in connection therewith, restricting the provision of non-emergency services by the State and local governments to United States citizens and aliens lawfully present in the United States, except as mandated by federal law; and providing for the implementation and enforcement of this restriction?"
U. S. Rep. Tom Tancredo first proposed the initiative in 2003 but was unable to get on the ballot due to a court challenge which limited the time needed to gather signatures. Thomas Gerard Tancredo (born December 20 1945) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado [1]
In response to the initiative, Keep Colorado Safe was formed to oppose the amendment, arguing that: 1) the amendment would do nothing to stem the flow of illegal immigration and 2) the proponents of the amendment have overstated the cost of providing such services.
Current Status
On June 12, 2006, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling on the DCN initiative stating that the initiative was not a single subject. This made the initiative ineligible for the November 2006 ballot.
Petitions for rehearing were filed by Defend Colorado Now and by the Colorado Attorney General under the direction of Governor Bill Owens. On June 26, 2006, the Colorado Supreme Court denied the petitions for rehearing.
On June 29, 2006, Governor Owens called a special legislative session to convene on July 6, 2006. Owens requested an emergency legislative session in order to vote on referring the initiative to the voters or pass a legistative bill similar to the DCN initiative.
On July 11, 2006, the Colorado state legislature passed HB 1023, which limits state services to illegal aliens in Colorado. The bill embodies the essence of the DCN initiative.
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