Calls for civility and cooperation in week one

As predicted, the first week of session was low on productivity but high in substance. In their opening remarks, leaders of both parties in the House and Senate called on members to reset relations and urged greater civility and cooperation. As President Fenberg noted in his opening day speech, "We must resist the urge to be performers." These calls resonated with me, as I have always believed in the efficacy of respect and cooperation, which has led me to prioritize bipartisanship down at the Capitol. Nevertheless, I took to heart the appeal to seek a more productive approach in our work this session and I look forward to doing so in the coming months.

Since this is my last session, I had the honor of participating on the Committee to notify the Governor that the Senate stands "organized and ready for business." When we visited with Gov. Polis in his office he made similar comments about civility and cooperation, which he then repeated in his "State of the State" address. Notably, the Governor mentioned me in his speech by name three times, and he highlighted my work to increase education funding. The Governor also mentioned affordable housing several times, and I am happy to announce we are working on a land use reform bill together. More to come!

In addition to setting the tone, leadership also highlighted several legislative themes. While we have made tremendous progress in prior sessions, we must continue our efforts to increase affordable housing, bolster our education system, expand our transportation system, address the negative impacts of the high cost of living, and further improve public safety. Here is a link to the first five bills introduced by the Senate and the first ten bills introduced by the House. Two of my bills were introduced on opening day: SB24-008 to improve kinship foster care and SB24-016 to allow nonprofit "intermediary" organizations the ability to offer valuable tax credit programs.

I'm excited to get to work this session so that we may continue delivering results for Coloradans and position our state well for the future. I'll sign off with a few sentences from President Fenberg's opening day speech that struck a chord with me:

"It is more important now than ever that we remind ourselves that we are here as representatives of others to engage in deliberative debate aimed at solving problems. We were not sent here to shout at those we disagree with. We were not sent here to be a protest vote. We were sent here to fight for our values, not each other. We were sent here to govern."

Enjoy the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday tomorrow, and stay warm!

With my daughter Olivia

on opening day.

With my colleagues

Senators Kirkmeyer & Ginal

MLK Day events in Colorado: In honor of Martin Luther King Day, there will a number of community events to mark the occassion and to celebrate with friends and family the legacy of Dr. King. Here are some details for the Marade in Denver, one of the largest celebrations in the country! The event will take place on Monday, January 15, 2024 at the Denver City Park. The Opening Ceremony will begin at 9:30 am and the Marade Step-Off will occur at 10:45 am. The Closing Ceremony and Resource Fair will take place at the Civic Center. Following the Closing Ceremony, there will be a Dr. King Legacy Bike Ride. Also, from noon to 1 pm, there will be entertainment, awards and celebration, also at the Civic Center Park. For more information, click HERE.

National Civics Bee® for Middle School Students: The National Civics Bee® for middle school students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades will take place in Arvada on April 11, 2024 in partnership with the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. In the first round of the contest students will participate in an essay competition. Judges will then select 20 finalists to participate in the local competition: a live quiz event testing civics knowledge with cash prizes with the top 3 students advancing to the state competition. Applications are open now through January 22, 2024. For more information, click HERE.

One Book Westminster for January-April: One Book Westminster brings together Westminster’s diverse community through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book. Connect with your friends, family, and neighbors in reading "White Horse." For fans of Mexican Gothic and The Shining, White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut from Erika T. Wurth about an Urban Native woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother’s spirit. Plus, you can enjoy special events and displays related to the book, including an author talk, Indigenous storytelling night, book discussions, Indigenous Culture Day, and more! For more information, click HERE.

Westminster City Council to host town hall: Please join Mayor Nancy McNally, Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Nurmela, and the Westminster City Council for a town hall on Thursday, January 18, from 6:30-8 pm at the College Hill Library. The recently seated City Council is excited to meet with the community and hear your suggestions or ideas, as well as answer questions you may have. If you have questions for the City Council, please consider submitting them in advance HERE. Online questions will be accepted until Tuesday, January 16, at noon. Participants will also be able to submit written questions at the event. The meeting will be livestreamed and recorded on the City’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. For more information, click HERE.

Monday, January 8: The JBC met for a hearing with the Office of the Governor and for part 1 of hearings for the Department of Higher Education.

Tuesday, January 9: Today the JBC approved a bill to draft and met for a final day of hearings for the Department of Higher Education.

Wednesday, January 10: The Committee did not meet today due to Opening Day.

Thursday, January 11: The JBC received an overview from Director Harper of Supplementals and of the December 2023 Revenue Forecasts.

Friday, January 12: The JBC reviewed supplemental requests for the Departments of Public Safety, Revenue, State, Early Childhood, and Labor & Employment.

The JBC will next meet Tuesday, January 16th at 2:00PM for a Federal ARPA Funds Overview of FY23-24 & FY24-25 and for consideration of supplemental requests for the Departments of Human Services and Public Safety. To view the full JBC schedule, click HERE.

SB24-008 Kinship Foster Care Homes: Concerning increasing support for kinship foster care homes. The bill was introduced and assigned to Senate Health & Human Services and will be heard on February 1 at 1:30 pm.

SB24-016 Tax Credits for Contributions via Intermediaries: Concerning qualification for state income tax credits for charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations, and, in connection therewith, authorizing a taxpayer to make a charitable contribution for which the taxpayer may claim a state income tax credit to a charitable recipient organization through a qualified intermediary that forwards the contribution to the charitable recipient organization and allowing a tax credit certificate for the Colorado homeless contribution tax credit to include only the last four digits, rather than all digits, of a taxpayer's social security number. The bill was introduced and assigned to Senate Finance on January 30 at 2 pm.

HB24-1012 Front Range Passenger Rail District Efficiency: Concerning the operational efficiency of the front range passenger rail district. The bill was introduced and assigned to House Transportation, Housing & Local Government.

HB24-1017 Bill of Rights for Foster Youth: Concerning a bill of rights for youth in foster care. The bill was introduced and assigned to House Health & Human Services.

HB24-1089 Vehicle Electronic Notifications: Concerning the use of electronic notifications for vehicle transactions. The bill was introduced and assigned to House Finance.

The Colorado Sun: Jared Polis delivered his sixth State of the State address. We explain what he said.

Longmont Leader: 2024 Colorado General Assembly: The people's guide to following education issues

The Colorado Sun: The Unaffiliated | Colorado Capitol personnel shake-ups

Colorado Newsline: Text of Gov. Jared Polis' 2024 State of the State address

Colorado Community Media: Arvada City Councilmember Lisa Feret announces candidacy for HD24 seat

Chalkbeat Colorado: These are some of the education issues Colorado lawmakers expect to tackle in 2024

Greeley Tribune: Other Voices: Curbing litigation is key to affordable housing

Colorado Politics: Colorado's 'construction defects' law explained

Colorado Politics: Where opportunity lies in Colorado's sin taxes

The Colorado Sun: Services for older Coloradans are shrinking as COVID aid ends

Colorado Springs Gazette: EDITORIAL: Curbing litigation is key to affordable housing

The Colorado Sun: 8 storylines to watch at the Colorado Capitol this year as the 2024 legislative session begins

Greeley Tribune: Colorado lawmakers, ready for another stab at land-use reform, say they’ve learned from last year’s failure

Sen. Zenzinger receives "Business Defender" award from Colorado Chamber

I was surprised and honored to have received the 2024 "Business Defender" award from the Colorado Chamber of Commerce at their annual Legislative Kick-off Reception. To commemorate the occasion, they bestowed upon me a metal shield. The Chamber also awarded my colleague, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer as their "Business Warrior," and Sen. Joann Ginal as their "MVP." In her remarks, Chamber President, Loren Furman, noted that I have always had a willingess to listen to their issues and that they appreciated my problem-solving approach when it comes to finding compromises on legislation that may negatively impact business and the economy.

Legislative Town Hall Meeting: Legislative Preview



Please join us on Saturday, January 20 at 10:30 am for our first town hall of the new session! We will provide the community with a legislative preview , including information on the state legislature, bills we plan to sponsor, and how you can engage with legislators at the Capitol. For more information, please go to my website or click HERE.

Representative Titone Endorses Zenzinger

“I’ve seen Rachel in action down at the Capitol, and she is the type of leader who puts aside politics to focus on finding solutions. She embraces challenges and works hard to represent her constituents. Her background and experience would benefit Jeffco tremendously.”

—Brianna Titone, State Representative

Endorsements of Rachel Zenzinger's campaign for Jeffco Commissioner are pouring in! To view the latest, click HERE. If you'd like to join the list of supporters, please send an email to: rachelforcolorado@gmail.com.