★ THE MOTHER LODE ★
A short, sweet, and rich summary of what’s happened at the Capitol
The second regular session of the 74th Colorado General Assembly convened on Wednesday January 10th, and if you are reading this on Friday the 12th that means 117 days remaining until Sine Die on May 8th. Despite a few protesters making their way through the chamber galleries, the first day back to school was business as usual. Leadership in the Senate and the House talked more about respecting decorum than policy in their opening speeches. The focus on decorum does not come as a surprise with two first year representatives resigning prior to the start of session. This means that 29 out of 100 members of the General Assembly will have been appointed to their seats by vacancy committees.
The State Senate has new leadership with the exit of Sen. Dominick Moreno who joined the newly elected Denver Mayor’s office. Sen. Robert Rodriguez now holds the title of majority leader and kicked the session off by rearranging committee assignments to remove some key swing votes on several committees.
In addition to opening speeches, the first slew of bills have been introduced covering a range of topics from youth mental health to rural workforce issues. While nothing too controversial has been introduced as of now, we know the topic of housing affordability and property tax reform will be at the forefront, carrying over from last session and the special session we had after the Governor’s property tax initiative failed. It is clear that the need for more housing is something both sides of the aisle can agree on, time will tell if a consensus can be reached on just how to do that.
★ CAPITOL CHATTER ★
Press releases, news articles, and more
TRANSCRIPT – JAN 11, 2024
Governor Jared Polis’s State of the State Address
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ALSO WORTH READING:Republican’s response to the Governor’s State of the State Address, brought to you by Marianne Goodland of Colorado Politics.
ALSO WORTH READING: Bente Birkeland and Paolo Zialcita’s (Colorado Public Radio) analysis of the Governor’s speech.
NEWS STORY – COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE – JAN 11, 2024
Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Colorado House on first day of session
“The Colorado General Assembly immediately got off to a troubled start on Wednesday, when multiple groups of pro-Palestinian protesters shouted from the House gallery, bringing the chamber’s business to a brief halt.”
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PRESS RELEASE – JAN 10, 2024
House Democrats Introduce First Ten Bills
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ALSO WORTH READING:Marianne Goodland’s (Gazette/Colorado Politics) first look at the 86 bills that the House introduced this week.
PRESS RELEASE – JAN 10, 2024
Colorado Senate Democrats Unveil First Five Bills of 2024 Legislative Session
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ALSO WORTH READING: Nick Coltrain and Seth Klamann’s (Denver Post) analysis of the first bills of the legislative session.
TRANSCRIPT – JAN 10, 2024
Senate President Steve Fenberg’s Opening Day Remarks
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ALSO WORTH READING: Brian Eason and Jesse Paul’s (Colorado Sun) look at the focus on civility and decorum in legislative leaders’ opening day speeches.
TRANSCRIPT – JAN 10, 2024
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen’s Opening Day Remarks
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TRANSCRIPT – JAN 10, 2024
House Speaker Julie McCluskie’s Opening Day Remarks
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TRANSCRIPT – JAN 10, 2024
House Minority Leader Mike Lynch’s Opening Day Remarks
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NEWS STORY – COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO – JAN 9, 2024
State Republicans talk challenges and opportunities heading into 2024 legislative session
“Republicans, vastly outnumbered in both houses of the Colorado Legislature, say Democrats muscled them out of almost every meaningful debate last year. GOP leaders say they hope for better treatment in the legislative session that opens Wednesday.”
CLICK HERE TO READ STORY
