Colorado’s legislative session officially began as the Second Regular Session and Seventy-Third General Assembly convened at the state capitol on Jan. 12.
The session will run through May 11 of this year. The Colorado State government is composed of 100 lawmakers, with 65 state representatives and 35 state senators. Heading into this year’s session, Democrats hold a strong majority, controlling the State House with a 45-24 margin and the State Senate with a 20-15 margin, as well as the governor’s office, currently occupied by Governor Jared Polis who is seeking re-election this November.
To many, this legislative session looks familiar: the Democratic party is in the driver’s seat and COVID-19 continues to be a noticeably persistent issue. However, this year’s session features what perhaps seems to be an uncommon headline; both Democrats and Republicans have begun the new legislative session with bipartisan agreement. Both parties agreed to what the biggest issues facing the state are: the rise in crime, cost-of-living and education reform.
In speaking on the upcoming legislative session, Governor Polis acknowledged the challenges of last year and spoke on directing the state’s focus toward “saving Coloradans money, increasing affordability, decreasing costs, [and] protecting communities.” He added that to achieve these goals, it would “take all of us,” referring to the legislature and his administration, as well as key partners and stakeholders.
Despite both parties seemingly convening with the same fundamental agenda for the state, as well as laying out a strong bipartisan foundation to begin the new year, Republicans accused the democrats of “copying” their playbook.
In a press conference proceeding the beginning of the new legislative session, Republican Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert said, “Democrats have created such a political mess for themselves that they are now copying and pasting the same priorities that we republicans announced in August. We were mocked then and told that there were more important issues… Yet six months later, Democrats appear to be on board with our three major issues.”
State Senator Holbert is referring to the “Commitment to Colorado” agenda, which Republicans unveiled during the Summer of 2021. Democratic leaders, however, signaled to Republican lawmakers that they are open to Republican proposals on these issues.
In his opening-day remarks, House Speaker and Denver Democrat Alec Garnett said the democratic strategy this session will be to stay “laser-focused” on the party’s priorities of education, public safety and affordability, emphasizing that his number one priority will be to “bring down the cost of living in Colorado.”
“We will not go back to the failed policies of the past of overpopulated prisons, wasted taxpayer dollars that have left us with high recidivism and not nearly enough rehabilitation… Instead, it’s time to make Colorado safer and forge a more compassionate and more effective criminal justice system,” Garnett said.
In his opening-day speech, Senate President and Pueblo Democrat Leroy Garcia said that all Coloradans deserve a “safe, reliable place to lay your head to rest. A stable income that allows you to provide for yourself and your family. A life free from violence and discrimination.”
Among the first bills introduced in the Senate were Democratic projects designed to increase police funding, provide sales tax relief to small businesses and support children’s literacy. During this session, Democrats also plan to invest greater funding into wildfire mitigation and resiliency programs, in a response to the recent wildfires that have ravaged the state, as well as increase spending to finance the expedited development of affordable housing units and delay the implementation of a two-cent per gallon gasoline fee passed in 2021.
While Democrats appear to be “laser-focused” on their agenda, some Republican lawmakers express concerns with their approach to this year’s legislative session.
“I don’t feel as though myself or others in the caucus are on the same page as leadership, and especially as it relates to the press conference they had put together today,” said State Representative Dave Williams, a Colorado Springs Republican.
With definitive bipartisan efforts, a 4% increase to the budget and looming midterm elections, 2022 will certainly shape up to be a challenging year for Colorado’s lawmakers and a transformational year for Coloradans.
