COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

​“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
-Al Michaels 
 
Although our country might feel divided these days, this week’s quote is a reminder that at the end of the day, we’re all Americans. In the spirit of Team USA advancing to the gold medal game on Sunday, this week we remember one of the greatest upsets in sports history – when the United States beat the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic hockey semifinal.
 
It was February 22, 1980. The Soviet hockey team had won the previous four Olympic gold medals, and recently defeated the U.S. in an exhibition game. At the time, the U.S. hockey team was composed of amateurs and collegians. For most of the game, the U.S. had trailed the Soviets, and came back in the third period. 
 
On top of this being a huge win for a team of underdogs, it was a pivotal moment in the context of the Cold War. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, we can all agree that this win meant more to Americans than just hockey. Almost 50 years later, this win continues to be a defining moment in American history – symbolizing resilience, unity, and patriotism. 
 
…and in case this makes anyone else want to rewatch that winning moment in 1980, click here. 
 
Opportunity Caucus Faces Pending Lawsuit
 
A legal complaint was filed against the Opportunity Caucus this week for refusing to disclose written communications and financial records that were related to a caucus retreat in Vail over the summer. Opportunity Caucus leaders refused to share any documentation on the basis of not being subject to open records law, as they were operating in a private capacity. 
 
The problem is that other filings contradict this claim, saying the caucus claimed to be a governmental body. That being said, a memo from the Office of Legislative Legal Services on Wednesday rejected the notion that the requested records are public. Opportunity Caucus leaders indicated that the reason they didn’t turn over any records was because they were advised against it by lawyers. 
 
Read more – Embattled Opportunity Caucus in Colorado faces pending open records lawsuit
 
Weinberg Ethics Committee Hearings Continue 
 
On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee convened to further investigate the complaint filed by Representative Brandi Bradley against Representative Ron Weinberg. There was one instance in particular outlined in the complaint, accusing Weinberg of “belligerent” behavior toward fellow Representative Stephanie Luck during a heated exchange in a committee hearing. After reviewing Weinberg’s side of the story, the Ethics Committee indicated they didn’t believe that the specific incident involving Luck fell under the category of an ethical overlap. 
 
Earlier this month, Weinberg responded to the complaint from Bradley with letters of support from former staffers, current legislators, and witnesses who were at the events in which the grievances outlined in the complaint allegedly took place. These letters stated from each individual that they were at said event and didn’t see the behavior in question from Weinberg take place. 
 
Also included in Weinberg’s response was a social media exchange from over the summer between Bradley and a Democratic activist on Twitter. The exchange was on July 1 – right around the time Bradley and Weinberg were competing for the House Minority Whip position and a couple weeks before Bradley filed a complaint against Weinberg.
 
In the July 1 interaction between Bradley and the activist, the activist posted he believed Bradley would “pulp Weinberg like an orange,” and that he’d pay to see if it “involved an actual whip,” to which Bradley responded by asking the activist how much of a campaign contribution he’d make if she livestreamed it. 
 
Although the Ethics Committee didn’t comment on Weinberg’s response to the complaints, it appears some of the allegations might be dismissed as they’re outside the scope of the committee. The committee is set to meet again next week.
 
Read more – Rep. Ron Weinberg denies allegations in response to House ethics complaint 
 
Democrat Tax Bill Package
 
This week, Democratic legislators introduced a bill package that seeks to decouple Colorado from millions of dollars in new federal tax breaks. This is partially a reaction to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill, which included several corporate tax breaks. Since Colorado mirrors federal tax code, tax cuts at the federal level would reduce state revenue and cause problems for Colorado’s state budget unless decoupled.
 
Business leaders have vocalized concerns that these bills would set Colorado back even further in terms of being a business friendly state – the proposed bill package would put early stage companies at a disadvantage, would require firms buying online software to pay more, and would require companies with an international presence to pay more in state taxes here.
 
On the other hand, proponents of the bill package argue that the proposals would benefit Coloradans. For example, part of the proposed package would create a new tax credit, modeled after the recently deactivated Colorado’s Family Affordability Tax Credit.
 
To briefly summarize each of the four introduced bills: House Bill 1221 prohibits companies from deducting the salaries of executives as operating expenses on their tax returns; House Bill 1222 separates Colorado’s tax code from four tax breaks included in the Congressional budget; House Bill 1223 repeals the current tax exemption for downloaded software for companies; and the last bill that has yet to be introduced is expected to repeal other, certain tax exemptions for materials such as metal bullion and coins. 
 
Read more – Democrats want to decouple Colorado from federal tax breaks
 
Rodenticide Bill
 
On Thursday afternoon and evening, the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee considered Senate Bill 62. As introduced, the bill bans a large number of rodenticides, or rat poison, that are used as pest control. Although the bill was amended at the beginning of the committee hearing as an attempt to get some of the more moderate Democrat committee members on board, the attempt was unsuccessful. Instead, the bill was laid over for action as bill sponsors continue to work through stakeholder feedback. 
 
What’s Next
 
Supplementals made it through the Senate this week and the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) is continuing to review figure setting presentations from various departments. There will also be several big-ticket bills in committee next week related to workforce, housing, and energy. 
 
Have a good weekend and go Team USA!