THE MOTHER LODE
A short, sweet, and rich summary of what’s happened at the Capitol
The last two weeks have seemed like a sprint and there is no sign of it slowing down as Democrats in the Colorado legislature are making sure their agenda is fulfilled, even their most controversial policies.
One of those controversial measures, the Library Resource Decision Standards for Public Schools (SB25-063) which originated in the Senate and was heard in the House floor. The bill puts in policies on how and when books could be removed from school libraries. Republicans fought against this bill by proposing numerous failed amendments and Representative DeGraaf reading controversial passages from books that districts and parents have tried to remove from libraries.
The two most controversial days in the House happened Friday April 4th and Sunday April 6th. On April 4th the House Majority instituted Rule 14 for SB25-183, HB25-1309, HB25-1312, and SB25-129. This rule limits debate on each one of those bills to two hours. The subjects for these bills were transgender and abortion rights. After debate on April 4th , a special session was announced for Sunday April 6th to vote on the four bills. When it came time to debate HB25-1312, a transgender rights bill, the House Majority was instituting Rule 16, which does not allow anymore debate and moved the bill a vote. The move to institute Rule 16 and the passage of HB25-1312 garnered national media attention and fierce backlash from members in the House Minority.
Between the controversial measures, Representatives Camacho and Garcia sponsored HJR25-1023, formally named Require General Assembly TABOR Constitutional Lawsuit, which was heard in the House Finance Committee. Republicans argued that lawsuits have continually been filed against TABOR and struck down in the courts. They also argued that taxpayers should not be on the hook to pay for both sides of the lawsuit. Democrats argued that this lawsuit would be the correct plaintiff, which would move the lawsuit, and that costs would be absorbed by current budgets in Colorado department budgets. The committee deliberated well into the night and in the end was passed out of committee with Democratic Representative Marshall siding with Republicans.
The House State Affairs Committee heard 5 different bills that would reform Colorado’s political office vacancies, with two of the five passing out of committee. Those two bills were HB25-1319 and HB25-1315 respectively. HB25-1319 addresses changes to county commissioner vacancies and HB2513-15 addresses vacancies in the General Assembly. These two bills will move to the House Appropriations Committee before heading to the Floor for debate and passage.
Outside the dome, on Saturday March 29, Colorado Republicans held their election for state officers. With former Chairman Dave Williams announcing that he would not run a new chairman was chosen. After two election rounds, Routt County Treasurer Brita Horn was elected as chair.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Griswold announced that she will be running for Colorado Attorney General. This ensures a Democrat primary between Griswold and Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who announced in February. Griswold is the odds on favorite to win the primary and then the general but some are bringing to light the lawsuits that she filed to fight against Donald Trump and how they were struck down by the courts bringing into question her ability to file legitimate suits for Colorado.
BUDGET BONANZA
Since the release of the last Goldminer issue, both chambers of the Colorado legislature have taken up and voted on the state budget, also known as the Long Bill. In a challenging budget year, the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) was tasked with cutting over $1.2 billion to balance the budget. To achieve this, the Long Bill was accompanied by more than 60 Orbital Bills—supporting legislation that enables those necessary cuts.
Last week, the Senate considered both the Long Bill and the associated Orbital Bills. During deliberations, over 60 amendments to the Long Bill were proposed, with 11 ultimately passing. One notable amendment sought to eliminate the Lieutenant Governor’s second salary for managing Colorado’s Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare. In a rare move, Senator Kirkmeyer broke ranks with her fellow JBC members to support the amendment, which ultimately failed.
This week, the House took up the Long Bill and considered over 60 amendments as well, with only three adopted. The proposed changes ranged from protecting TABOR and tracking wolf populations to reallocating funds toward education. In the end, the final version of the budget remained largely in line with the original proposal from the JBC. The Long Bill is now on its way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
CAPITOL CHATTER
Press releases, news articles, and more
News Article – March 28, 2025 – Denver Post
Colorado budget proposal averts severe Medicaid, education cuts; transportation among areas trimmed
News Article – March 28, 2025 – Colorado Public Radio
‘Personality differences’ behind the sudden absence of Rep. Dusty Johnson from Health Committee
News Article – March 31, 2025 – Denver Post
Colorado House member faced investigation over ignored harassment complaint, aide mistreatment
News Article – April 1, 2025 – Colorado Sun
Vacancy-appointed Colorado lawmakers would have to run to keep their seat after a year under reform proposal
News Article – April 1, 2025 – Denver Gazette
Democratic lawmakers prepare to sue over constitutionality of Colorado’s TABOR
News Article – April 3, 2025 – Colorado Sun
Colorado’s marijuana tax revenue keeps falling from its pandemic high, spurring new calls to rein in spending
News Article – April 1, 2025 – Colorado Sun
Minimal cuts next year: School funding proposal promises districts more stable funding — for now
News Article – April 2, 2025 – Colorado Sun
Future of union organizing in Colorado remains fuzzy as legislative session enters home stretch
News Article – April 4, 2025 – Colorado Public Radio
Colorado lawmakers approve new rules for schools facing calls to remove books
News Article – April 4, 2025 – CBS News
Colorado businesses worry about a bill that would eliminate millions of dollars in tax breaks
News Article – April 7, 2025 – Colorado Public Radio
Secretary of State Jena Griswold enters the race for Attorney General
News Article – April 7, 2025 – Colorado Sun
Colorado taxpayers may have to pay for lawyers on both sides of Democrats’ lawsuit to dismantle TABOR
Editorial – April 7, 2025 – The Gazette
Brita Horn, a fresh start for the GOP
News Article – April 7, 2025 – Colorado Politics
Colorado House passes transgender, abortion bills as lawmakers prepare for budget week
News Article – April 10, 2025 – Denver Post
Polis threatens to veto bill addressing sentencing disparities between Colorado’s state and municipal courts
