If you’re a consistent reader of The Maverick Observer, you know we like to keep our readers informed when it comes to bills passing through the Colorado state legislature and give you advice on what you can do to support a bill or oppose it. But you may be wondering about the big picture — how does Colorado’s state legislature work?
In other words, when do they meet, how are laws passed, what’s the committee process, and how can you get more involved with politics in general?
Well, you’re in luck because this article answers all those questions and more.
Colorado’s General Assembly
Colorado’s state legislature is called the General Assembly, and it’s made up of 100 elected members — 65 representatives in the House and 35 senators in the Senate. Representatives serve for two-year terms, and senators serve for four-year terms. To be eligible to run for office, potential legislators have to be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the US, and a resident of the district they wish to represent for at least 12 months before the election.
Thanks to Amendment 17 in the Colorado Constitution, legislators are subject to term limits explicitly to limit political “careerism.” Representatives are limited to four consecutive two-year terms, while senators are limited to two successive four-year terms. In other words, legislators can’t serve more than eight straight years.
Additionally, serving as a legislator in Colorado isn’t considered a full-time position. This is because the General Assembly only meets for 120 consecutive days. These 120 days include weekends and start no later than the second Wednesday in January — for 2022, the legislative session starts on January 12th. Thus, the legislative session ends in May unless the governor or two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly calls a “special session.”
Finally, legislators get an annual salary of $30,000 and a daily expense allowance plus money for travel.
Passing Laws
Any representative or senator can introduce a bill as the prime sponsor in their respective chamber. Once introduced, the bill is read and given a number and committee assignment. If introduced in the House, the Speaker of the House assigns the bill to one or more committee(s) of reference. If introduced in the Senate, the President of the Senate appoints the bill to one or more committee(s) of reference.
The committee then analyzes and debates the bill and changes and amends it. More importantly, these committee meetings are open to the public, and citizens can give testimony in favor or against the bill. After debate and amendments, the committee can refer the bill to another committee, kill the bill, or vote to pass the bill and send it to a House or Senate “floor debate.”
When a bill reaches the floor — called the Second Reading — it’s read to the full chamber. Legislators can then amend the bill, vote on amendments and vote on it in its final form. If a majority votes to pass the bill, the final bill is reread — called the Third Reading — and voted on yet again before going to the other chamber, where the entire process is repeated.
If the other chamber passes the bill through committee and floor vote with the same language, the bill goes to the governor for signature. However, if the bill is amended, the House and Senate leaders appoint committee members to work out the differences in the bill and come up with a compromise. The compromise bill is then sent back to both chambers for a final vote. If both chambers pass the compromise bill, it goes to the governor. Once the governor receives the bill, he can sign it, making it law (called the Final Signing), or veto the bill, which sends it back to the Legislature.
If the governor vetoes a bill, the legislators can try and override the veto by having at least two-thirds of the members vote to pass the bill.
Getting Involved
Getting involved in politics at the state level is easier than you might think. The first step is to know who represents you. If you enter your address on Common Cause, it’ll give you a list of every elected official for your area, as well as links to their official sites. These sites often include ways to contact your official.
Another way to contact your elected officials is to go to the Colorado General Assembly Legislators webpage and click on the name of the representative you want to contact. That’ll give you your representative’s email, Capitol phone number and mailing address. Once you know how to reach your representative, it’s simply a matter of calling or emailing them. And remember, your representative wants to be re-elected, so your opinion matters.
Arguably one of the best ways to get involved and have your opinion heard is to show up and give testimony when a bill is under debate in a committee. As mentioned above, a prime sponsor introduces a bill, and after it’s introduced, it’s given a number. You can use the sponsor’s name, the bill number, or a keyword to search for bills making their way through the General Assembly. This allows you to find out everything there is to know about a particular bill — the committee the bill is assigned to, prime sponsors, amendments, bill history, votes, as well as where the bill is in the process of becoming law.
If you wish to testify on a particular bill, you must first register by clicking on the Public Testimony Options. Then, click on how you want to testify (Remote, Written Testimony, In Person), and find your bill by clicking Committee, Hearing or Sponsor. Each will give you a drop-down box showing meeting date and time. Fill these out and show up or send your testimony at the scheduled time.
Colorado Politics
Colorado lawmakers are beholden to you, the constituent. As such, you have a right to voice your concerns or agreements with bills making their way through the General Assembly. The above is an overview of how the legislative process works and how you can get involved. However, if you’re curious about all of the rules that govern Colorado’s state legislative council, click here.
