Republican Gov. Bill Owens is scheduled to meet with legislative leaders Wednesday to discuss calling lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session on immigration.
Owens first threatened a special session last week unless the Colorado Supreme Court reverses a ruling that bans a citizen-sponsored November ballot measure to eliminate state services to illegal immigrants.
Democrats countered two days later saying they were considering calling legislators back on their terms. If Owens calls the session, he also dictates the rules of engagement.
And while Owens has agreed to talk with Democrats, that doesn’t mean he’s willing to compromise on what the call for a special session will say, said spokesman Dan Hopkins.
“Despite their rhetoric, it’s very unlikely the Legislature will have the votes to call itself back into session,” Hopkins said.
That’s because the Democratic leadership needs two-thirds of the lawmakers to agree, and Republican lawmakers are following Owens’ lead.
Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said he has a draft of a Democratic call that he will release today.
And while he would not release the details Monday, both he and Democratic Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said they would like to consider beefing up enforcement of current law.
Federal law, they argue, already prohibits states from providing most services to illegal immigrants.
“If illegal immigrants are getting welfare now, somebody in the administration is not doing his or her job,” Romanoff said.
There seem to be, Romanoff said, two issues at play: “How do we teach the Supreme Court a lesson?” and “How do we solve this problem of illegal immigration as a state?” He said he’s trying to address the latter.
Owens and Senate Republican Leader Andy McElhany have said they want to ensure that voters have the chance to weigh in on the ballot question come November.
To that end, Republican Attorney General John Suthers announced Monday that he formally asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.
Also Monday, the campaign promoting domestic partnerships said a special session should include banning common-law marriages for children.
The call came after a recent Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that opens the door to valid common-law marriages for girls as young as 12 and boys as young as 14.
Chris Frates can be reached at cfrates@denverpost.com or 303-820-1633.
