COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER

“Ohhh we’re halfway there…🎶”
– Bon Jovi, “Livin’ on a Prayer”
 
It’s hard to believe, but the Legislative Session is coming up on Day 60 tomorrow… the halfway point. Although the first half of session might’ve been relatively tame, don’t be fooled. It’s likely that the second half of session might include more rumored late bills, a depressing March Budget Forecast, and (hopefully) a conclusion to the artificial intelligence saga. 
 
Bipartisan Debate Goes Awry
 
A story broke early this week about a recent event that was supposed to be a showcase of 
different political opinions coming together to disagree in a respectful manner. The debate was put on by a non-profit focused on healthcare, and featured two panelists – Republican Michael Fields and Democrat Mannat Singh. 
 
Shortly after the event began, former lawmaker-turned-activist Tim Hernandez disrupted the discussion by questioning who should be allowed to debate. Although security attempted to remove him, Hernandez refused to leave unless Fields also left. 
 
Hernandez said the debate gave a platform to someone who “didn’t deserve one” (Fields). Fields shared with reporters that he’d be willing to do another debate, citing how this is an important topic, especially when politics have become so polarizing. Singh said questioning who’s at the table is an important part of conversations and said the incident was a learning experience.
 
Read more – Denver debate meant to showcase civility in political discourse goes awry 
 
Bill Legalizing Prostitution PI’d in First Committee
 
Earlier this week, Senate Bill 097, which would’ve legalized prostitution in Colorado, was postponed indefinitely by the bill sponsor in its first committee hearing. Senator Nick Hinrichsen, who was the main sponsor of the bill, said that the bill didn’t have enough votes to get out of the Senate judiciary committee. Because of this, he didn’t want to subject proponents of the bill to an intense, prolonged committee hearing only for the bill to die. 
 
Read more – Effort to eliminate criminal penalties for prostitution in Colorado will be abandoned 
 
Bill Aimed at Regulating Broadband as an Utility Under PUC Defeated
 
House Bill 1211 was narrowly defeated in a 7-6 House committee vote, marking a significant win for our efforts to keep Colorado’s tech landscape flexible. While opponents worked hard to highlight the bill’s potential for regulatory overreach and increased consumer costs, it seems the sponsors took Dylan Thomas’s advice to "not go gentle into that good night" a bit too literally, fighting for every last inch until the final tally was read. Luckily, seven members ultimately voted no and recognized the risks of the proposal, ensuring that innovation, rather than red tape, remains the driving force of our state’s connectivity. 
 
Listen to the Hearing - House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee 
 
Tough Day for the JBC
 
Thursday was a tough day for the Joint Budget Committee (JBC). The committee ended up making cuts to Medicaid caregivers and to services for individuals with developmental disabilities. This is due to Medicaid taking up such a large portion of the state funds, at a time when the state is in a budget crisis.
 
Families with children who have developmental disabilities were in the committee room wearing t-shirts that said, “Cut Costs, Not Care.” Specifically, one of the votes was to cap payments at 56 hours for caregiver hours, which passed 4-2. Senators Barb Kirkmeyer and Judy Amabile, who both voted against the cut, pointed out that this cut only saves $1.5 million. This is consistent with comments made by Senator Jeff Bridges, in which he compared the state’s budget situation to “shredding the couch cushions” to look for extra change.
 
Although the state has been in a budget deficit like this before, the JBC has been able to dodge some of these difficult cuts, by making the “easier” cuts first. This is where we start to see the very painful conversations and cuts. This could also impact the timeline of the budget. Currently, the JBC is on track to stay on schedule, but several of the more difficult conversations have been placed toward the end of the schedule and closer to introduction of the budget. Meaning, it could be a very long couple weeks for the JBC, especially given the March Budget Forecast on Thursday next week.
 
Read more – Impact of state budget cuts gets real as lawmakers start trimming Medicaid programs
 
No Interim Committees for 2026
 
Last night, House Bill 1331 was introduced by Democrat and Republican leadership to cancel interim committees for the 2026 interim. This was also done last year in an effort to save the state money during the budget crisis. This year’s bill is similar, but also wipes out some of the year-round committees too. This year’s bill also limits the Capital Development Committee (CDC) from travel or field trips.  
 
This is especially of concern for the Water Resources and Agriculture Review interim committee, given Colorado’s extremely dry winter. Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson and Speaker Julie McCluskie, who both represent rural districts, have expressed concerns over this committee not meeting in the interim, but the bill doesn’t go into effect until July 1, so the committee could possibly meet before then. 
 
Read more – Colorado plans to slash interim committee work amid budget woes
 
What’s Next
 
Next week, both chambers have several big bills up for debate on second reading and in committees of reference related to healthcare, technology, and workers’ rights. The JBC will continue to consider figure setting recommendations, and is set to meet with the Capital Development Committee on Tuesday morning, in addition to the March Budget Forecast on Thursday. ​