DENVER—When Colorado lawmakers return to work Wednesday, they’ll find a new governor and a new Republican majority in the House. But the issues facing legislators are pretty familiar—cutting the state budget and battling unemployment.
One order of business before the gavels fall Wednesday: Democratic Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper will be sworn in Tuesday, and he’s promising to work with Republicans and Democrats to find ways to streamline government and get workers back on the job.
A day after Hickenlooper takes office, Republicans gain control of the state House. Democrats remain in charge in the Senate, giving Colorado its first divided Legislature since 2001.
Because neither party has runaway control of the Legislature, there’s a common phrase on everyone’s lips for the upcoming session: common ground.
“With a split Legislature, I don’t think you’ll see anything radical happen,” said Republican Sen. Greg Brophy of Wray.
Even the incoming chief executive isn’t ready to stake strong positions. In an interview with The Associated Press days before he takes office, Hickenlooper declined to lay out specifics of what he’ll propose this term. Instead, the Democrat talked up cooperation.
“It shouldn’t be about my vision. It should be about our vision,” Hickenlooper said.
Republicans are sounding similar themes as they take a single-seat majority in the House.
House Speaker designee Frank McNulty said the goal of Republicans next year is to find common ground with Democrats on major issues facing the state, including the state budget, job creation and funding for education.
Of course, disagreements are inevitable.
McNulty said Republicans plan to try to reverse some laws passed by Democrats last year when they had the majority, including 12 tax cuts for small businesses that were revoked.
Another big task certain to spark political fire this term is redistricting. Lawmakers will redraw congressional and state legislative district lines, a requirement every 10 years after a Census.
Redistricting is a political flash point because it gives both parties a chance to increase control. In the 2000s, Colorado’s fight dragged out for seven years and landed before the U.S. Supreme Court.
This time around, lawmakers are trying to minimize rancor. Late last month, legislative leaders named a 10-member committee of five Democrats and five Republicans to tour the state and get opinions from voters on their congressional districts for the next decade.
Will it be possible to chart new congressional lines without partisan bickering? Maybe not, but lawmakers say they aim to skirt major fights through the bipartisan committee.
Even if lawmakers manage to get through the session without a redistricting fight and find a way to address another budget shortfall, plenty of opportunities are abound for debate. Some questions likely to come before lawmakers this year:
— Immigration: Some Republican lawmakers favor an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration.
— Marijuana: Lawmakers will be asked to further refine rules for medical marijuana. Democratic Rep. Claire Levy, of Boulder, plans to propose the nation’s first marijuana-impairment standard for drivers. And state regulators trying to implement the sweeping rules passed by lawmakers last year will likely be back asking for changes.
— Civil unions: Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman, of Denver, has told The Denver Post he plans to propose a civil unions measure. Colorado has a constitutional prohoibition of same-sex marriage, but would become the fourth state in the nation to recognize civil unions if the measure passes.
— Voting identification: Incoming Republican Secretary of State Scott Grssler says he wants to see a photo ID requirement for voting. Republicans typically favor requiring photo identification to reduce voter fraud, though Democrats often counter that such a requirement depresses turnout among the people least likely to have photo IDs—minorities and the elderly, often Democratic-leaning voters.
— Fetal homicide: Republican Rep. Mark Waller, of Colorado Springs, says he wants to a law criminalizing fetal homicide. It’s a question more lawmakers may be willing to consider after a December hit-and-run accident in Denver that took the life of an unborn boy. Legislators in Colorado and other states have struggled to make fetal homicide a crime without infringing on abortion rights.
In a typical year, hot-button issues such as gay unions, marijuana and abortion would likely dominate debate. But this year, they’re all secondary to the big question facing lawmakers next week—how does this new governor plan to right the ship of a state short on cash but out of easy budget cuts?
It could take quite a while to find the answer, though Hickenlooper has hinted there’s “no appetite” for higher taxes. The incoming governor also says it’s not the government’s job to create jobs, though it can help businesses by reducing regulation.
It won’t be long, though, before Hickenlooper is forced to get specific about how Colorado plans to ax another $700 million to $1 billion next year to balance the state checkbook.
“The economy and jobs will be the headline” of his opening-week speeches, Hickenlooper said.
What to expect? Cuts, not new programs.
“We don’t have any money, so there’s no staff to hire. We’re not going to go out and reallocate and try to start new programs from scratch,” Hickenlooper said.
