COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

Phil: “I’d love to stand here and talk with you... but I’m not going to.”
Ned: “That’s okay, I’ll walk with you!”
- Groundhog Day
 
This week started with Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter. We all know February 2 is his big day, but as it turns out, Punxsutawney Phil is a busy guy year-round. In fact, he’s so busy that there’s a 15 person team called the “Inner Circle” to take care of the groundhog all year. He attends local events, and has even made an appearance on Oprah. 
 
Although Gobbler’s Knob – the home of Punxsutawney Phil – has always been popular amongst tourists, the 1993 movie Groundhog Day really brought the town to prominence. When the movie first came out, the town saw crowds as large as 35,000 people. The movie is a timeless classic, which makes it so popular. Groundhog Day centers around a weatherman who relives the same day over and over again. 
 
During the legislative session, the days can feel repetitive. This week’s quote is also an interaction that most lobbyists are familiar with repeating over and over, sometimes making days at the Capitol also feel like Groundhog Day. 
 
Labor Peace Act (Again)
 
In the spirit of Groundhog Day, the House Business Affairs and Labor committee considered House Bill 1005, otherwise known as the Labor Peace Act. Essentially, this is the same bill as last year’s Senate Bill 005, which was vetoed by Governor Polis. 
 
As a reminder, Colorado currently has a two vote model when it comes to forming a union – the first vote requires a majority of workers to vote in favor of forming a union, and the second vote requires that all employees at the workplace pay union dues, regardless of whether they’re union members. However, the second vote requires 75 percent in favor. This year’s bill (and last year’s bill) seeks to eliminate the second vote.
 
It’s important to note that the landscape this year is slightly different from last year because the federal government has eliminated collective bargaining rights for certain workers, which fuels unions to encourage lawmakers to protect Colorado from action at the federal level.
 
That being said, Governor Polis’ office has been very straightforward in expressing their frustration that this is coming up again, and has indicated the Governor’s feelings on this topic haven’t changed since he vetoed last year’s bill. 
 
Read more – Here we go again: Committee OKs Labor Peace Act change quickly in partisan vote
 
House Ethics Committee Formed to Review Weinberg Complaints 
 
Last week, it was announced that the Colorado House would convene an ethics committee to review a complaint filed against Representative Weinberg by Representative Brandi Bradley. This is the first time in over a decade that the House has formed an ethics committee. There have been several complaints filed against Weinberg by Bradley, including allegations of campaign finance violations and sexual harassment
 
The ethics committee consists of three Democrats – Representatives McCormick, Woodrow, and Mabrey; as well as two Republicans – Representatives Soper and Garcia Sander. McCormick will serve as the Chair of the committee, with Soper serving as the vice chair. There will be a hearing before an administrative law judge on February 27. 
 
Read more – Colorado House launches ethics review of Rep. Ron Weinberg filed by fellow GOP legislator 
 
Preview of Upcoming Ballot Measures
 
A bill is expected to be introduced in coming weeks that would seek to put a measure on the November ballot asking Coloradans to raise the state’s TABOR cap by billions of dollars, in order to increase funding for K-12 education. If this initiative were to pass, it’d raise the TABOR cap by however much the state spends on K-12 education that year – which is currently around $4.5 billion. The money raised would be used to increase K-12 education spending by a minimum of 2 percent each year, which would be roughly $90 million for the first year. The measure is backed by the Colorado Education Association (CEA), which is the state’s largest teachers union, and several other education organizations.
 
Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a constitutional amendment from 1992 which limits government revenue by putting a cap on how much taxpayer money lawmakers can spend every year based on adjustments for inflation and population. Any money over that cap is then refunded back to Colorado taxpayers. Over the last couple years, the TABOR cap has become a point of contention because of the state’s budget crisis. Democrats call for reform or an overall elimination of the TABOR cap, while Republicans argue the budget crisis is due to overspending. 
 
Read more – Legislature mulls ballot measure that would ask voters to raise TABOR cap by billions primarily to fund Colorado’s schools
 
Another initiative we expect to see on the November ballot debates whether limitations placed on state and local law enforcement agencies’ ability to work with federal authorities should be reversed. If passed by voters, this initiative would change the state constitution to require law enforcement to notify federal immigration officials when a person who’s in the U.S. illegally is charged with a violent crime or if the individual has previously been charged with a felony. This would reverse provisions from House Bill 1124, which was passed in 2019 and prohibits Colorado law enforcement from arresting an individual solely on the basis of a civil “immigration detainer” request. 
 
Read more – Voters will decide proposal to repeal Colorado limits on police cooperation with immigration authorities 
 
What’s Next
 
Next week, we approach the official one-month mark of the legislative session. We anticipate a significant number of bills to be introduced over the next few weeks including housing, energy policy and tax issues. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) is scheduled to continue reviewing figure setting recommendations for various departments as well.