PAYBACK: Colorado Republicans Vote To Defund Civil Rights Commission That Ruled Against Anti-Gay Baker

The Denver Post reports:

Republican members of a powerful budget committee in the legislature on Thursday voted to withhold funding for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a move that could be revisited but which quickly stoked political outcry from Democrats and the LGBT community.

State Sen. Kevin Lundberg, a Berthoud Republican who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, which held up the funding, said he voted to withhold money for the commission — which operates under the the Colorado Civil Rights Division — because he is waiting to see if lawmakers vote to renew the law to authorize the commission’s existence (which is coming this session).

“This is the commission who ruled against Masterpiece Cake, and now the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing that decision,” Lundberg said in a Facebook post. “My argument against approving their funding today is we need to wait and see what the legislature does with the renewal of the law authorizing the commission, which is up for sunset review in this session.”

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)