Before they can get to the fun stuff -- passing laws and debating policy -- Colorado's legislators spend the start of each session sitting through hours (and hours, and hours) of presentations from all the departments and agencies they oversee, going into exhaustive detail on the work they do.

A lot of times, these hearings are long on slide decks and short on answers. but lawmakers say, when done right, they can be a powerful tool for transparency and accountability.

Hosts Bente Birkeland from CPR News and Lucas Brady Woods from KUNC explore how these hearings got started, and what it takes for them to live up to their full potential.

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

This episode of Purplish was edited by Jo Erickson and Megan Verlee and produced by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music was composed by Brad Turner.

From cute kids and ceremonial photos to the peaceful democratic transfer of power, the opening weeks of the 119th Congress have managed to avoid the drama that marked the start of the 117th and the 118th. But that's not to say there's not a lot going on. Colorado has three new congressmen trying to settle in, at the same time one of its congresswomen is working to change how the House operates.

Host Bente Birkeland talks with CPR News' D.C. reporter Caitlyn Kim about what she's seen and heard around the Capitol as the new Congress gets to work.

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

This episode of Purplish was edited by Jo Erickson and Megan Verlee and produced by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music was composed by Brad Turner.

Before state lawmakers hit the gas on their new session, we look over its opening days. In the House, strains of national politics wove themselves into long-standing traditions in new ways, while in the Senate, the first few bills illuminate an ambitious Democratic agenda on guns and voting. Plus, why some Democrats left the State of the State address upset with Gov. Jared Polis.

Hosts Bente Birkeland, of CPR News, and KUNC's state capital reporter Lucas Brady Woods are your guides through all the dramatic moments as the session gets underway.

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

This episode of Purplish was edited by Jo Erickson and Megan Verlee and produced by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music was composed by Brad Turner.

Colorado's General Assembly gavels in on Jan. 8 with one big issue hanging over its head: the state budget. With painful cuts looming, lawmakers have some hard choices to make. They'll also be navigating the start of the second Trump administration as "an island of blue in a sea of red."

The new legislature also marks a new beginning for Purplish. Joining Bente Birkeland in the studio is KUNC state capital reporter Lucas Brady Woods. CPR and KUNC, along with the Colorado Sun and Rocky Mountain PBS, are partnering to form the Capitol News Alliance with the goal of deepening coverage of Colorado's lawmakers and state government. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Going forward you'll see Purplish in your podcast feed weekly, and encounter new voices and stories from the Alliance on the show.

This episode of Purplish was edited by Jo Erickson and Megan Verlee and produced by Shane Rumsey. Our theme music was composed by Brad Turner.

Election night has come and gone, but when we went to the mics, there was still one race too close to call. Hosts Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim talk about what happened there, plus what the results in Lauren Boebert's districts -- old and new -- say about the future of Republican representation in the state.

Plus, editor Megan Verlee joins to go through all the ballot measures (she couldn't stay away!) and news fellow Kiara DeMare takes us to the 'bittersweet and boozy' Democratic Party's party.

This episode was produced by Shane Rumsey and edited by Jo Erickson and Megan Verlee.

On the eve of the election, hosts Bente Birkeland and Caitlyn Kim discuss what they've heard from voters, volunteers and campaigns about the top races on Coloradans' ballots. From Pueblo County to Mesa and Weld, we look at how voters' feelings about the presidential race mirror, and diverge from some of the state's most consequential congressional contests.

This episode was edited and produced by Jo Erickson, Shane Rumsey and Megan Verlee.

Once again, conspiracy theories about voting fraud are front and center ahead of a presidential election. Led by their nominee, Republican voters in particular are worried about things like non-citizens voting en masse and bad actors rigging voting machines.

Hosts Caitlyn Kim and Bente Birkeland -- with special guest, news fellow Kiara DeMare -- walk through the safeguards in place that keep those things from happening. The tools are as simple as database searches and double-checking results, but the implications are profound for trust in our democracy.

This episode was produced by Shane Rumsey and edited by Megan Verlee.

Grab your ballot and follow along as hosts Bente Birkeland and Megan Verlee introduce you to the dozen-plus questions on the state ballot this fall. From protecting abortion and school choice to banning big cat hunting and taxing guns, they'll provide essential context on all the measures, big and small.

If you're left with any questions, more information awaits you at our voter guide: www.cpr.org/voterguide2024

This episode was produced by Shane Rumsey and Jo Erickson.