The legislative session in Colorado is for 120 days. That means tomorrow, March 4, will be the midpoint of the session. And so far, we have seen quite a mixed bag of player performance, with a few injuries, some small touchdowns, and whole lot of plays yet to come in the second half.
My first Bill Signing Ceremony of the session
for the 21 Supplemental Budget bills
Let's start with the number of plays thus far: As of last week, a total of 254 bills have been assigned to committees in the Senate, 104 are still pending, 127 have been voted out of the Senate, and 23 have been postponed indefinitely. This includes Senate bills and House bills that have already come over.
In the House, a total of 351 bills have been assigned to committees, 147 are still pending, 166 have been voted out of the House, and 38 have been postponed indefinitely. Similarly, this includes both House bills and Senate bills that have already gone over.
There are 53 Senate bills with a deadline to get out of committee on or before March 15, with the highest number of bills (11) assigned to the Judiciary Committee. There are 92 House bills with a deadline on or before March 15, with the highest number of bills (14) assigned to the Public Health Care & Human Services Committee.
There are 26 bills that have been referred to the House Appropriations Committee and 21 referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee that are waiting to be heard. Typically, we don't schedule bills these bills for a hearing until after the Long Bill (budget bill) is introduced, which will be the week of March 25.
Colorado Association of School Boards
annual conference panel discussion
Here are a few fun statistics from the session thus far:
Longest floor debate was in the House over HB19-1032 on Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education clocking in at 9 hours and 25 minutes
Longest committee hearing was also in the House on HB19-1177 on Extreme Risk Protection Order clocking in at 10 hours
Longest floor debate in the Senate was on my bill
SB19-039 on the Interdistrict Transportation of Students at 4 hours and 33 minutes
Longest committee hearing in the Senate was HB19-1032 at 9 hours and 4 minutes
Shortest House committee hearing was in House State Affairs on HB19-1173 at 4 minutes
Shortest Senate committee hearing was also in State Affairs on HB19-1136 also at 4 minutes
Fastest bill to pass through committee was my bill HB19-1084 that passed in under 1 minute
CO Nurses Association dinner with Jeffco Coroner Annette Cannon and Rep. Brianna Titone
Like any game, the biggest plays usually come in the second half. There are a number of bills that haven't been introduced yet that span a wide variety of topics including funding for full day kindergarten, paid family leave, oil and gas reform, health care affordability, and the repeal of the death penalty, just to name a few. Who will win the MVP award? Will there be any major injuries? What will be the final score? Stay tuned--the next 60 days will be big!
Rachel Zenzinger
Rachel Zenzinger won election to the Colorado State Senate, representing District 19, in November 2016. She also served as Senator for SD19 in 2014. Sen. Zenzinger is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a member of the Statutory Revision Committee, a member of the Interim School Finance Committee, and a board member of the Statewide Internet Portal Authority.
'Coffee With Constituents' Thursday, March 14
I know it seems like we just had coffee together, and we did--however, that was a make-up coffee and our normal coffee date is right around the corner. Please plan on joining us Thursday, March 14 from 7 am - 8 am. We will be returning to Morning Story Restaurant, 8025 Sheridan Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003. They will have menus available to order breakfast (at your own expense) and the coffee will be on us!
Meeting with CEA members attending their Day at the Capitol
Monthly 'Town Hall' event Saturday, March 16
Please join Reps. Brianna Titone and Tracy Kraft-Tharp, and myself, for our monthly Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, March 16 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. This month's topic is transportation, and will feature two representatives of CDOT, Bob Fifer and Andy Karsian, who will discuss innovations in transportation. The meeting will take place at Covenant Village, 9153 Yarrow St, Westminster, CO 80021. Hope to see you there!
Coffee With Constituents at
Morning Story Restaurant
Tracking your Senator
On Monday, I joined the
Colorado Nurses Association for the their annual legislative dinner... The
JBC voted on figure setting for the
Governor's Office...
On Tuesday, the
JBC voted on figure setting for the
Department of Human Services Child Welfare and the
State division... I joined the
Colorado Women's Lobby for their annual legislative breakfast...I attended
Bicycle Colorado's Safe Streets breakfast... I met with constituents from
Colorado WINS who came for their day at the Capitol... I chaired the
Committee of the Whole... I presented
HB1084 to the Local Government Committee...
On Wednesday, I attended the
Colorado Technology Association Day at the Capitol... I chaired the
Committee of the Whole... I presented a
Tribute in recognition of the
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Day at the Capitol... I also attended the
IDD n Awareness Luncheon... The
JBC voted on figure setting for the
Legislative Branch... I met with teachers from
CEA for their
Advocacy Day at the Capitol...
On Thursday, we met for
Coffee With Constituents at
Morning Story Restaurant... I chaired the
Committee of the Whole... I met with the
Colorado Department of Education to discuss the budget... I met with representatives of the
Child Advocacy Centers... I met with the
Department of Human Services to discuss the budget... I had my first
Bill Signing Ceremony with
Governor Polis... I was a guest panelist for the
Colorado Association of School Boards...
On Friday, I met with a representative of the oil and gas industry to discuss upcoming legislation... I passed
HB1084 on Second Reading... I participated in
Read Across America and read to students at
Sierra Elementary... On Sunday, I attended a presentation on school funding by
Great Schools Thriving Communities.
Read Across America at
Sierra Elementary School
If there is an event you think I should attend, please notify me!
Donations to
Rachel For Colorado
Can you help us by making a contribution? While the campaign activity has concluded, we still need your help so that we may continue keeping in touch with constituents. Your contribution helps pay for events, direct mail, the website, newsletter, and other tools that make voters aware of what is happening down at the State Capitol. THANK YOU!
