Colorado Legislative Strategies Updates 2.18.22

​COLORADO LEGISLATIVE STRATEGIES NEWSLETTER
 
February 18, 2022

This week had it all; from Valentine’s Day to a snowstorm, and lots of action both inside and outside of the Capitol. Let’s dive right in. 
 
The General Assembly has now made it through 38 legislative days. Next week we will be more than a third of the way through the entire legislative session. What do the legislators have to show for it? They’ve introduced 391 bills so far. Only one bill has been signed into law, but several others are now on their way to the Governor’s desk. And committees are continuing to work though bills, including killing some. ​

The real number of bills gets smaller when you factor in the 28 supplemental budget bills that passed through the second chamber this week and are now going to the Governor. Additionally, there have been 31 bills that have been killed in committee so far. Of course it’s mostly Republican bills that have been defeated, but there have been eight bills with Democrats that were also voted down in the first committee. Here’s a couple of examples from this week:
 
Representative Titone’s House Bill 1134 about single-use meal accessories was rejected by House Business Affairs. The bill would have required restaurants and food delivery services to ask customers if they want single-use items like utensils and condiments. Even after adding an amendment to remove the state’s ability to enforce, the bill still did not have enough support from the committee members and was postponed indefinitely at the sponsor’s request. 
 
Senator Donovan’s Senate Bill 82 dealing with air pollution met its fate in Senate Health and Human Services. The bill would have required the Air Quality Control Commission to adopt more rules on air toxins that contribute to pollution. However, lobbying at the Capitol is sometimes like playing whack-a-mole because just as this bill went down another rose up to take its place. Representative Kennedy’s House Bill 1244 will now be the primary air toxin bill this session. 
 
This week also saw the introduction of a bill that would change time as we know it. Senate Bill 135 seeks to make Mountain Standard Time the year-round standard time in Colorado. If passed by the General Assembly, everyone will have a chance to vote on ditching time changes on the 2022 ballot. Many states would like to go to permanent Daylight Saving Time, however that type of change requires the approval of Congress. On the other hand, federal law allows states to exempt themselves from DST; currently, only Arizona and Hawaii have taken that route though. 
 
Governor Polis continued to pour cold water on the yet to be introduced local government collective bargaining bill this week. The path forward for that proposal is less clear than ever after news that Polis is likely to oppose the inclusion of people who work for cities, school districts, and special districts, potentially only leaving counties and higher education in the bill. Polis has also indicated the right to strike is a non-starter, leaving the proponents of the bill some difficult decisions about what to still pursue. Stay tuned for more news on this controversial bill. 
 
It was a busy week for Governor Polis. He started off the week by making a national TV appearance on Fox News Sunday to talk about the end of mask mandates in Colorado. He then went on to officially launch his bid for a second term and embark on a four-day statewide campaign tour. There were 22 total stops across the state, what a coincidence for the 2022 election.
 
We’ve previously touched on some of the State House, State Senate, and Congressional races coming up this year, but 2022 is also the year Colorado for  statewide officers - Governor, Attorney General Treasurer, and Secretary of State. Here’s a quick rundown of where those races stand right now:
 
Governor - Jared Polis is starting his bid for a second term in an extremely strong position. Not only does Polis outperform other Democrats in recent polling, he’s a multi-millionaire who isn’t afraid to spend. In 2018 he dropped $23 million into his race and he has said he’s willing to spend whatever is necessary again. On the Republican side, there are a dozen contenders headlined by CU Regent Heidi Ganahl. Given recent trends in the state and the strong starting position for Polis, even in a favorable year for Republicans this race will be a steep uphill climb. 
 
Attorney General - Phil Weiser finally has an opponent in this race. Republican John Kellner, who recently won a nail-biter of a race for DA in the 18th Judicial District will step up to take on the popular Weiser. Crime and public safety are likely to be big issues this cycle, which would traditionally favor a Republican, but despite those headwinds Weiser still appears to be in a good position to win a second term. 
 
Treasurer - Dave Young will likely face former legislator and Lt. Governor nominee  Republican Lang Sias. Young has done a quietly effective job running the state’s finances and kept his head down on the controversial issues in the media. Sias is a former state legislator who unsuccessfully ran for Congress. This race will likely be overshadowed by the other statewide races and could be more of a toss-up. 
 
Secretary of State - Jena Griswold is by far the most polarizing of all of the statewide candidates. It looked as if Griswold would be running for a second term against moderate former Jefferson County Clerk Republican Pam Anderson. However, that race was turned upside down this week when Republican Tina Peters, the controversial Mesa County Clerk and election conspiracist, announced she was jumping into the race hot off bailing out of jail. This will certainly be the most fun race to watch if Peters is able to stay out of police custody and beat Anderson for the Republican nomination. 
 
Local precinct caucuses and county assemblies will take place in March and the state assemblies for each party will be in April. Candidates can make it onto the June Primary ballot by going through the party process with enough support or by collecting enough valid signatures. Each party will select their ultimate nominee in June for the November General Election. 
 
Speaking of elections, there is actually one taking place tomorrow in Pueblo. The Senate District 3 vacancy committee will select the replacement for the remainder of Leroy Garcia’s term, which will only be for the remainder of this year. There are several candidates who are vying for the appointment. Notable names currently in the mix are Nick Hinrichsen, who is the husband of former Representative Bri Buentello and has already been running for the seat, and former Senator Angela Giron, who lost the same seat to a recall over gun legislation in 2013. Hinrichsen and Giron have both come out with endorsements from current Senators this week. The selection will be made by a vacancy committee within the local Democratic Party, which will be made up of 162 people and will be chaired by Daneya Esgar. 
 
Next week will bring a new legislator to the Capitol along with the changes in Senate leadership. The Joint Budget Committee will continue working thorough figure setting for several more departments. And more bills will be heard in committee and debated on the floor. With so much happening right now, it’s nice that the Capitol will be closed on Monday for Presidents Day. 
 
Have a good long weekend. ​