Colorado lawmakers reach the midpoint of the 2017 legislative session Saturday — but don’t worry if you missed the first half.
The top issues — transportation, affordable housing, marijuana and the state’s $28 billion budget — all remain unresolved, leaving lawmakers a mountain of unfinished business to tackle before the session’s adjournment May 10.
Here’s a look at whatap happened in the first 60 days, and what to expect next:
Mission accomplished
The list of accomplishments so far this session is short and unremarkable. Gov. John Hickenlooper signed 43 through Thursday. The new laws include a package of minor ; a measure to allow the state dental board to issue rules for the use of lasers; legislation to repeal obsolete laws; and a bill to clarify the duties of the county surveyor.
The most recognizable measure approved by the General Assembly would repeal an old Colorado law that prohibited ballot selfies. It still needs Hickenlooper’s signature.
Fouled out
It may only be halftime, but some of the most contentious and partisan fights of the session have already been benched.
House Democrats killed a number of bills to expand the rights of gun owners in the state, such as a repeal of the state’s high-capacity magazine ban and a measure to allow concealed carry without a permit. They also nixed Ի .
But perhaps the single biggest defeat for Republicans came on a bill that passed the Senate with bipartisan support — to help small businesses that top GOP leaders named one of their top priorities heading into the session.
In the Senate, Republicans have largely responded in kind, blocking Democratic efforts to fund full-day kindergarten and in presidential elections.
While not a surprise, the most significant defeat for the party’s liberal wing may have been a measure to — a of Minority Leader Lucia Guzman.
The walking dead
Dozens of other bills are technically among the living, but have little hope of surviving to become law.
A bill to and allow the state to capture more tax revenue with overwhelming support from Democrats, but the measure isn’t expected to go far in the Republican-controlled Senate — despite its Republican sponsorship.
Other Republican bills on the chopping block include efforts to , increase penalties for and .
The same is true of a number of Democrat-led efforts, such as banning gay-conversion therapy, making it easier to change a person’s gender on a birth certificate and reinstating mandated employer leave for parents seeking time off. Republicans have rejected versions of all three bills in previous years.
Not all zombie bills come down to partisanship, though. One bill to with local approval earned bipartisan support in the Senate, but Hickenlooper has if it allows indoor marijuana smoking.
What to watch next
House and Senate leaders Wednesday that will dominate conversation for the remainder of the session. The measure — which would need voter approval — calls for an increase in the state sales taxes to generate money for $3.5 billion in road construction bonds. But it faces stiff and more negotiations are expected.
An even more contentious issue is how to address . A handful of bills on the topic are designed to help ease burdens on homebuilders but consumer rights remain a sticking point. Republicans support a measure to require mandatory arbitration for construction disputes, rather than filing a lawsuit, but Democrats have objected to the measure in prior sessions.
And finally, the $28 billion state budget is looming in the background but makes its debut March 27. So far, budget writers are struggling to find ways to address an estimated $500 million spending gap for the upcoming budget year and fill a $110 million shortfall in the current year. The decisions will come after the new revenue outlook is presented March 17.
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Hickenlooper’s scorecard is not looking good at this point. The governor outlined a handful of priorities at the beginning of session, but most are outstanding.
In addition to a transportation ballot measure and construction defects overhaul, the governor’s other agenda items in progress include proposals to direct marijuana tax money and impose limits on that contribute to the black market.
Other priorities to expand broadband service to rural areas and reclassify the hospital provider fee are not making much headway.
Oh, yeah, and this happened
The strangest controversy award goes to the , the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
In response to an calling on the senator to schedule a hearing on an open records bill, Scott accused the newspaper of peddling “fake news.” And that might’ve been the end of it — but the Daily Sentinel’s publisher, Jay Seaton, pushed back, threatening to sue the senator for libel over the “fake news” claim.
We have our own fake news in Grand Junction..
The very liberal GJ Sentinel is attempting to apply (more: )— Senator Ray Scott (@SenRayScott)
Nothing has been filed as of yet, but the brouhaha earned the newspaper — and the Republican senator — .
Wait, seriously?
In the category of made-up awards, the competition for the “quirkiest” bill has been fierce.
Lawmakers have introduced measures to both abolish daylight saving time — and to adopt it year-round. Others want to give the Pueblo chile its own specialty license plate, as well as create sales-tax breaks for an assortment of things such as , diapers, Olympic medals and historic aircraft — but only the planes that are on loan to a museum for public display.
They also debated whether pigs or miniature horses should be among the animals that make it . (As introduced, the House bill on the subject extends only to dogs and cats.)
By the numbers
Through 8 a.m. Friday, an unofficial status reports shows this is how the session breaks down:
462
Total bills (249 from the House and 213 from the Senate)
44
Resolutions and memorials
43
Bills signed by the governor (9 percent)
88
Bills defeated (19 percent)
331
Bills in progress (72 percent)
The three most popular bills viewed by visitors to the the legislative website Friday:
- , Prevent Marijuana Diversion to Illegal Market
- , Grey and Black Market Marijuana Enforcement
- , Protect Colorado Residents from Federal Government Overreach