Senate Democrats on Friday warded off a rare daylong Republican filibuster and endorsed controversial changes to the state’s Labor Peace Act.
The chamber initially approved the measure on a straight party-line vote of 19-13. A final vote is scheduled Monday.
The Senate is the final legislative stop for House Bill 1072, which would make it easier for labor to create all-union shops.
Then the pressure will be on Gov. Bill Ritter, who won his race against Republican Bob Beauprez in part because he campaigned as a pro-business, moderate Democrat. Although the governor during his campaign said he would sign a bill modifying the Labor Peace Act, he has declined to comment directly on the proposal moving through the legislature.
“The fact of the matter is this thing has not gotten to my desk,” the governor said. “We do not know how it looks. It has not gotten though the second house yet. And that’s as much as I can say about it.”
On Friday, the Colorado Contractors Association sent Ritter a letter reminding him it was the first major business association to endorse him, and urging him to exert his leadership to reach a compromise.
“CCA members are deeply disappointed that the very prospect many in the business community most feared prior to the election – a de facto one-party monopoly of state government rising up to labor’s bidding … is being realized,” the letter said.
Friday’s Senate debate began shortly before 10 a.m., with the GOP minority offering 36 amendments to the proposals.
Democratic leaders allowed consideration of those but decided to invoke a rule to cut off introduction of any new amendments when they were presented with 30 more. The rule the Democrats invoked shortly after 3 p.m. also limited final debate on the bill itself, a move that angered Republicans.
“They chose the most draconian way to end debate,” said Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray.
“We never debated the actual bill. Now they have cut off debate,” complained Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch.
But Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Jefferson County, said Republicans had been debating the bill all day under the guise of amendments.
“There’s a point where it’s abusive of the process,” she said. “I think we have been very patient.”
A final vote came at 6 p.m.
Lawmakers said they hadn’t seen such lengthy floor action since a redistricting battle in 2003, when the Republicans still controlled the legislature.
Democrats took control in 2004 and won the trifecta when Ritter took the Governor’s Mansion.
“The honeymoon is over,” Sen. Lois Tochtrop, D-Thornton, said after the vote.
Although both sides became frustrated, the floor fight was civil.
“This was not a battle. This was not ugly,” Tochtrop said. “It was just an exercise in futility for the Republicans.”
Staff writer Jeri Clausing can be reached at 303-954-1555 or jclausing@denverpost.com.
