Colorado: David Balmer

An ethics committee recommended Wednesday that a lobbyist who interfered in a House leadership race be formally admonished.

Erik Groves, who lobbied for the Colorado Chiropractic Association, issued a statement afterward that said he was "pleased that by cooperating with the committee I was able to help them understand" that he had made an "honest mistake."

Groves had earlier testified before the three-member committee that he was unaware of legislative rules that prevented lobbyists from getting involved in leadership races. In December he asked Rep.-elect Cindy Acree, R-Aurora, if he could talk to her about the race.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the legislature's executive committee, which has the final say-so

Final Report

on what will happen to Groves.

A Democratic-led committee shot down a key pro-union bill Wednesday, leading some in organized labor to question whether some Democrats are turning their backs on workers.

Meanwhile, another pro- union measure could meet the same fate today.

Two Democrats joined with five Republicans on the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee to kill a bill that would require state contractors to pay prevailing wages on any public works project.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. John Soper, D-Thornton, said as Colorado launches road and energy projects, it must ensure that workers are paid enough to stimulate the economy.

Several witnesses, including Colorado State University-Pueblo business professor Kevin Duncan, said surveys show that states with such laws do not see a marked increase in project costs, mainly because higher-priced workers are more efficient.

Suddenly it makes sense that state Rep. David Balmer didn’t have any e-mails to turn over to the House Ethics Committee last month. Now, if they’d only asked for edicts and proclamations. …

In an accent best described as mid-Monty Python, the Centennial Republican on Monday gave members of the Colorado House the respect House Speaker Terrance Carroll recently demanded, and then some.

“Mr. Speaker. Your Excellency, the most High Speaker, Protector of the This Chamber, Protector of Our Most Sovereign State of Colorado and Defender of the Faith,” Balmer began, reading his own version of a standard procedural motion. “My Lords and My Ladies, I pray, Lend me Thine Ears.

A legislative ethics panel on Wednesday ended a probe into allegations of wrongdoing by state Rep. David Balmer as he sought a House Republican leadership post.

After Balmer turned over a week's worth of phone records and other documents, the panel decided it did not have probable cause to pursue formal hearings.

Panel members were examining whether Balmer encouraged a chiropractor association lobbyist to inappropriately campaign for him in caucus leadership elections.

In a voice mail, lobbyist Erik Groves allegedly asked a freshman lawmaker to discuss the election and mentioned campaign contributions. He faces a separate and ongoing investigation.

A relieved Balmer broke his media silence Wednesday.