COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

Introduction
Today is the 66th day of the legislative session. But even though the session will technically end on the 120th day, it often feels like the session will never actually end. And there are many points during the session where you could say things are irrational.
Which brings us back to today – March 14 aka 3/14, which is also pi day because 3.14 are the first three digits of pi. Everyone’s favorite mathematical constant, pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. 
Because pi is an irrational number it actually has an infinite number of digits in its decimal representation; 3.14 are just the ones everyone knows. Someone even holds a record for reciting the most decimal places at 70,000 over 10 hours. Which must have been only slightly worse than listening to a long filibuster with bills being read at length. 
Irrational, never ending, takes a long time to recite – pi and the legislative session definitely have a lot in common…
Like we’ve said before, there is literally a day for everything. We will move from pi day today to the first annual Colorado Canada Friendship Day tomorrow (March 15). During a press conference this week, Governor Polis welcomed the Canadian Consul General and announced the new day to celebrate on the calendar. 
If you’re wondering why Canada and why now, then just check out some national news. Tomorrow the state will fly the Canadian flag over the Capitol and the building will be lit red and white in honor of Colorado’s partnership with Canada. 
And on top of all of that, Monday is also Saint Patrick’s Day! Unfortunately, though, at the Capitol (and JBC hearing room) there will be no signs of pots of gold and the color green will mean anything but money available to spend in the state budget. 
Now here’s the big news to know from under the Gold Dome this week. 
Halfway Status of Bills
This week marked the second half of session countdown to sine die. The total number of introduced bills hit the 500 mark this week, which is about 50 bills less than this point in the 2024 legislative session. This means either less bills will be introduced in this year’s session than last year’s, or we’re in for a flurry of late bills for the second half of session this year.
Of the 500 bills introduced so far this year, 373 total bills still need action from their respective chamber. In the House, over 200 bills are still pending action, and some of these are going to cause lengthy debate, long nights, and of course, filibusters. On the Senate side, there are over 150 bills awaiting action. That being said, both chambers crossed some big bills off of their respective to-do lists in committee and on the floor this week.
Committee Roundup
On Monday morning, the House passed House Bill 1010, which has drawn criticisms across all sectors of the business community, and even from Governor Polis. As introduced, the bill would prohibit a business from “price gouging” a service or product by more than 10 percent at any given time, expanding on current law that prohibits price gouging only in times of a declared emergency. 
However, the House added one big amendment from the Governor’s Office that eases the bill significantly and aligns it more with current state law. Originally, sponsors had rejected the amendment but had a change of heart late last week to get the bill through. The bill was passed in the House on third reading Monday morning and is now headed to the Senate. 
Read more – Anti-price-gouging bill gets watered down, passes Colorado House
Also on Monday, the House State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs committee passed Senate Bill 77, which addresses recent debates at the Capitol over transparency laws for lawmakers. The bill would extend the timeline state entities have for responding to requests under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). Although the bill received criticism that its provisions favored journalists over non-journalists and other Coloradans, the bill passed on an 8-3 party line vote.
Read more – Colorado lawmakers advance public records law changes, while protecting their own open-meeting exemptions
On Tuesday just before midnight, the House Judiciary committee passed the controversial Senate Bill 3 on a party line vote of 7-4. The bill would ban the sale, manufacture, or distribution of guns that take detachable magazines, but was amended in committee to ease requirements related to the purchasing process and to give law enforcement more authority to deny an application for a purchase. The added amendments caused the bill to be referred to the Finance committee, which is set to consider the bill this afternoon. 
Read more – Colorado bill restricting sale of certain semiautomatic guns clears first House committee after notable tweaks
On Thursday afternoon, the House Finance committee considered House Bill 1282, a contentious bill that deals with interchange fees on credit card transactions. After a long morning of testimony and debate, the bill passed out of committee on a vote of 9-3. 
On Thursday afternoon (and night), the Senate Health and Human Services committee considered Senate Bill 48, which requires insurance coverage for obesity prevention drugs, and passed it out of committee. The committee also went well into the night listening to lengthy testimony on Senate Bill 71 and Senate Bill 124, which both deal with the federal 340B drug pricing program. 
Also on Thursday afternoon (and night), the House Business Affairs and Labor committee considered Senate Bill 5, another controversial bill that makes it easier for labor unions to negotiate with their employers. After several attempts at compromise between the labor unions and business community, a deal was not reached and the bill passed committee without amendments on a party line vote. 
Read more – Bill to remove Colorado requirement for second vote to unionize passes House committee
Finally, this morning, the Senate passed House Bill 1041, which aligns Colorado law with NCAA policy related to student athlete name, image, and likeness contracts. Although the bill received pushback due to lack of transparency related to student contracts, the Senate passed the bill on third reading and it’s on its way to the Governor’s desk for approval. 
Read more – Pay for Colorado college athletes takes legislative step forward, though universities would still be able to keep compensation secret
Budget Update
This week we’ll give you a reprieve on a budget update. The JBC continues to work through figure setting. And one of the most consequential days for the budget is coming up on Monday afternoon when the JBC hears the March Economic and Revenue Forecast. 
Watch out for a special newsletter on Monday. But don’t expect any pots of gold at the end of this rainbow on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Next Week
Next week the forecast will be huge, committees will continue working through the hundreds of bills, and filibusters are going to start kicking into higher gear with controversial bills getting to the House floor. 
Additionally, the vacancy committee to fill Senator Jaquez Lewis’ seat will take place on Tuesday night. With several candidates in the mix, it’s likely to be a very long meeting to select a replacement. And if you were wondering how things are going for former Senator Jaquez Lewis, here you go…
Read more – Former state senator now faces investigation by Denver, Boulder district attorneys after resigning amid ethics probe
Conclusion
Never a dull moment. Whether it’s pi, Canada, or the tea – the Colorado legislature has it all!
Have a good weekend.