Opinion / House Report
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Harmful to Colorado? You Decide!
As in most things in life, legislation, being good or bad, is in the eye of the beholder. Or, more appropriately, the voter. Below are bills that passed that I think are especially bad for Colorado....
Bills That Didn't Make It to the Governor's Desk, Part 2
As promised, below are the last three bills that the legislature killed this session. We may see these come back in a different form this next session so keep your eyes open. First was the Cigarette...
We Did Kill a Few "Bad Bills" During the 2019 Legislative Session
In spite of what you may hear, the 2019 session was not all bad. I managed to pass 18 bills, several for behavioral health, Physician Assistants, firefighting foam and living donors. And we managed to...
Legislative Wrap-Up II
I think it's fair to say this was the year for mental health legislation. I was proud to run and pass 4 very important bills. HB19-1160 Mental Health Facility Pilot Program The bill will create a...
Legislative Wrap-Up #1
Friday, May 3, was the last day of the 2019 legislative session. During this time many bills have come and gone. With a 41 to 24 majority, Democrat-sponsored bills survived while the Republican- spons...
Overreach: Parental and Consumer Rights Under Attack
Every year we see a plethora of good bills and bad. So far, this year, as of day 108, 583 bills have been introduced. Most of those bills are bi-partisan and will pass unanimously. But every once in a...
Parental Rights?
Last week the vaccination bill, HV 1312 was heard in the Health and Human Services Committee. The people on the committee started around 2 p.m. in the afternoon and ended after 4 a.m. For 14 hours the...
TABOR- Will We Be Fooled Again?
Monday, April 15, is Tax Day. So, it seems like a good time to talk about HB 1257, and our Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. This bill was brought by the Speaker of the House, K.C. Becker. If this passes...
Families First
We have officially completed 93 days in the legislature and have 27 to go, 549 bills have been introduced. This week we addressed the only activity we are statutorily required to do; we passed the bud...
Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are
We hear it over and over, it's not guns, it's mental health. And the Republicans, including this Republican, vote against any and all gun regulation. Because we know one thing; people kill people,...
Tyranny of the Majority
Today, March 24th, is officially the 80th day of the 72nd General Assembly. Today 472 bills have been introduced. At this time, I have 15 bills and I am happy to say all but one of my bills have...
Friends for the Future of Colorado
A few years ago, I, along with several other legislators, former legislators and political activists, started talking about our Republican party and how far it's moved from Ronald Reagan's big tent....
Needles, YES! Straws, NO!
Every day, I get hundreds of emails telling me how to vote on various issues. These are usually the issues that make the news; Sex Education, National Popular Vote and The Red Flag Bill, to name just...
Another Controversial Bill and More Late Nights
It's Friday, 9 p.m. and we are still discussing what is being called the Red Flag Bill, House Bill 1177, "Concerning Creation of an Extreme Risk Protection Order." You've heard about this on the...
An Assault on Our Founding Father's Intentions
As I write this article it is day 48. We have 72 days left. It is 7 p.m. and we are back on the floor of the house where we have been discussing the bill for the National Popular Vote. Our country was...
Maternal Mortality and other Issues
One of the questions around the Capitol this week is "Where are all the bills?" We are 1/3 of the way through the 120-day session and only 325 bills have been introduced. I say only because last...
Only 31 New Bills This Week
As far as new bills go, this has been a slow week. Only 31 new bills were introduced in both the House and Senate. We now have 175 bills in the House and 135 in the Senate. For those of you who say...
You Knew It Was Coming
So far this year, as of the 21st day of the legislature, 278 bills have been introduced, with 168 House bills and 110 Senate bills. Despite Democratic control of both chambers, 110 bills have...
16 Days, But Who's Counting?
We have now completed 16 out of 120 days. As of Friday afternoon, a total of 244 bills have been introduced, 138 in the House, 106 in the Senate. De-Brucing On Thursday, Speaker Becker requested a...
Week 2...
By the end of week two, 124 bills had been introduced in the House and 82 in the Senate. And they are moving through quickly. During the first meeting of the Energy and Environment Committee I was...
The Legislative Session is Off and Running
The first week of the First Regular Session of the 72nd General Assembly has come and gone amongst much pomp and circumstance. We had opening day where 65 State Representatives were sworn into...
Fountain Valley Water Concerns
I want to thank everyone in this community who has been so vigilant and concerned about the state of water in the Fountain Valley. We all know that in October 2015 the Environmental Protection Agency...
Time to Do What's Best for Colorado
In November I was fortunate to win my fourth, and last, election to the Colorado State Legislature. This was possible due to the hours and hours of support and help I received from a core of 12...
Mental Health Treatment Improvements
The election is over and I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I also want to assure those of you who didn't that I will continue to represent each and every one of you to the best of my...
A Day to Honor Our Veterans
On May 13, 1938, Congress, commemorating the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany, passed an Act, (52 Stat. 351, 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a), recognizing the 11th of November as a legal...
