It is difficult to sum up 120 legislative days in a single headline, but this gets us pretty close. I was proud of the number of priorities I was able to cross off my bill agenda such as greater education funding, addressing the high cost of healthcare, and tackling issues that affect our economic security in Colorado, but the session will probably be most remembered for the more controversial bills such as sex ed, the cost and consequences of prescription drugs, and the oil and gas reforms.

Bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 19-106 on  Peace Officer Retirement

The sex ed bill was debated in the Senate in the final two days of session, and it is safe to say that the final bill looks nothing like it did when it first came out. The original version of the bill was crafted in such a way that it lead to quite a bit of misinformation and confusion. The final version included a "strike below" amendment that largely re-wrote the bill and removed the ambiguous language. As such, it won bipartisan support and passed.

Unlike sex ed, there was some consensus on both sides of the proverbial aisle for tackling the high-cost of prescription drugs. A few of those bills include House Bill 1296 that created the "Colorado Prescription Drug Cost Reduction Act of 2019," a bill to import prescription drugs from Canada, and another bill to reduce the price of insulin. We also passed a number of bills that addressed opioid abuse and substance abuse recovery. And, probably the most memorable of the drug conversations was the "vigorous" debate about vaccines and whether or not to reduce exemptions. This last conversation was left unresolved for this session.  

Lastly, Senate Bill 181 addressed oil and gas regulations in Colorado. This bill was heavily amended, with changes brought and passed by members from both parties. The features of the bill that moved forward were an agreement on how mineral rights holders could have a stronger say in the sale of their assets, a requirement that the COGCC have a more balanced board and a more neutral statement of the regulatory mission, and a determination that companies should help with the remediation of orphan wells. It appears the oil and gas industry will put off challenging the new law and will wait to see how the rule-making unfolds. 

While these are the bills that received the most attention this session, what stands out for me was the amount of compromise that took place behind the scenes. I believe this year should be known as the " Year of the Amendment." We not only made progress on some important initiatives, but we did it while working with and listening to a diverse set of stakeholders. On the most controversial issues, we sat down and found ways to make changes in order to address concerns. Obviously, we couldn't please everyone, but I'm proud of the work that went into improving the lives of Coloradans.