The new legislative session kicked off last Monday, and I was delighted to have several members of my family join me in the Senate for the offical ceremony. They witnessed the special and unique traditions of opening day at the Colorado legislature, including the swearing in ceremony for my new and re-elected colleagues. Several times throughout the day, as I was explaining the process or making an introduction, I felt both proud and humbled by the honor of serving in the Legislature. I am glad to be able to contribute to my community in such a manner.

Unlike the House, Sen. Steve Fenberg of Boulder was elected to serve as President of the Senate without controversy. He delivered an inspirational speech that highlighted work we hope to tackle this session. President Fenberg talked about five key areas: legislation that will help make our state more affordable, such as reducing the cost of housing, health care and child care; making greater investments in our public schools and workforce; addressing climate change through initiatives that will secure clean air and clean water; improving public safety, such as addressing auto theft; and policies that will defend our freedoms and secure our democracy.

In addition to our legislative goals this year, President Fenberg also talked about our fiscal state: "And, of course, we will need to tackle all of these issues in an uncertain economic environment. It’s likely to be a tough budget year as we settle into the reality of global economic conditions. Luckily, the Senate has three whip-smart members serving on the Joint Budget Committee. I know Senator Zenzinger will lead that committee with her usual combination of passion and preparedness, and will chart a course to fiscal prosperity for our state." I very much appreciated his voted of confidence!

On the same day, the first five bills of the session were unveiled. Typcially, the first five to ten bills introduced represent legislation aligned with our most important policy goals. I am pleased to be sponsoring the first bill of both the House and Senate: Senate Bill 001 on the Authority of the Public-private Collaboration Unit For Affordable Housing, and House Bill 1001 on Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs. As reflected by the number assigned to these bills, the issue of housing affordability and investing in teachers, are Colorado's highest priorities. I am excited to co-sponsor these solutions that will leverage our resources so effectively.

While I enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of opening day, I'm looking forward to the more substantive work to come. Next Saturday, my House counterparts and I will host a legislative preview where we will discuss the legislative process and highlight the legislation we are working on this session. You can find more details below, or by clicking HERE. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments about the 2023 session, please let me know!

Governor Polis Second Inauguration: It was an honor to attend Governor Polis' second inauguration ceremony. Many distinguished guests were in attendance including members of Congress, former Governors, and members of the General Assembly. In addition to Governor Polis and Lieutenant Governor Primavera, several others were sworn into office as well, including Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Treasurer Dave Young, and Attorney General Phil Weiser. The event was marked by 38 artillery firings and a flyover by four fighter jets. To read more about it, as well as view lines from Gov. Polis' inauguration speech, click HERE.

Historic Tribal Address: Last Wednesday, we were honored to be joined by representatives from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe for a first of its kind address to Colorado’s legislature. The purpose of the address was to elevate tribal needs and encourage strong partnership between Colorado’s federally recognized Tribes and the state. To learn more about the topics and issues they covered, click HERE.

MLK Day Resolution: The House and Senate met in a Joint Session on Friday to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with HJR23-1006. Remarks by the 11 member Colorado Black Caucus--the largest Black Legislative Democratic Caucus to date--were especially inspiring. Several members spoke on how we must strive to dismantle systemic racism and recommit ourselves to creating a world free of prejudice, discrimination and inequality. To view the full Resolution, click HERE.

State of the Judiciary Address: Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright delivered the annual State of the Judiciary Address to a joint session of House and Senate members on Friday. He reviewed many of the reforms that Colorado's judicial branch have implemented since allegations of misconduct surfaced. He also talked about an effort underway where the justices traveled across the state to meet with all 4000+ judicial system employees. To read the full address, click HERE.

Winner of the Iron Skillet: At the 2023 Colorado Restaurant Association Blue Ribbon Legislative Reception, I was honored to receive one the "Iron Skillet" award. The honor was given to me in recognition of my support of the industry over the years, as well as legislation that I sponsored to help the industry thrive in Colorado. At the event, legislators connected with restaurateurs and leading industry stakeholders to hear directly from local business owners about the current state of the restaurant industry — and how our work under the dome will affect their businesses.

JBC Recap for the week of January 9: The JBC met several times throughout the week in a series of joint sessions with the House and Senate Committees of Reference as part of their SMART Act hearings. The "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government Act" (SMART Government Act) requires executive agencies to annually present specific information to joint legislative committees during the first two weeks of the legislative session. Our purpose was to brief the committees on the budget requests from the departments in which their committees have oversight. So far, we have met with the following committees:

For the remainder of the week, the JBC held hearings with the Department of Higher Education, and with several panels of higher education institutes. The Governor’s request for state funding for operating and tuition rate increases combined is around $189 million. The tuition rate assumption in the Governor’s request included a 4.0 percent increase in resident and 5.5 percent increase for non-resident tuition caps. The higher education institutions have indicated that this funding is insufficient to meet their needs and are asking for $202.2 million, not including the statutory required increases for financial aid, with a 4.0 percent cap on tuition increases for both resident and non-resident students.

Coming Up This Week: The JBC will not be meeting on Monday due to the MLK Day holiday. The JBC will next meet Tuesday, January 17 upon adjournment of Joint Local Government for an overview of the FY 22-23 Supplemental Requests and December 2022 Forecasts. To view the full schedule, click HERE.

Below is a list of bills that I am sponsoring that have been introduced and are awaiting action from either the House or Senate. For a full list of bills, click HERE.

SB23-001 Authority Of Public-private Collaboration Unit For Housing: Concerning additional functions of the public-private collaboration unit for public projects that provide housing. The bill was assigned to the Senate Local Government & Housing Committee and will be heard on Tuesday, January 24 at 2 pm.

SB23-007 Adult Education: Concerning enhancing adult education in Colorado. The bill was assigned to the Senate Education Committee and will be heard on Monday, January 23 at 1:30 pm.

SB23-049 Special Mobile Machinery Registration Exemption: Concerning the registration exemption for special mobile machinery, and, in connection therewith, eliminating the requirement that an owner of such machinery regularly have at least one thousand items of such machinery in the state to obtain a registration exempt certificate for the machinery. The bill was introduced and assigned to the Senate Finance Committee.

HB23-1001 Expanding Assistance For Educator Programs: Concerning expanding financial assistance for educator programs. The bill was assigned to the House Education Committee and will be heard on Thursday, January 26 at 1:30 pm.

HB23-1053 Veterans' Cemetery Department of Public Safety Gifts Grants Donations: Concerning the authority to accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations, and, in connection therewith, authorizing the division of veterans affairs to expend gifts, grants, and donations in support of the western slope military veterans' cemetery, authorizing the department of public safety to accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations in support of its purposes, and creating the department of public safety gifts, grants, and donations fund. The bill was assigned to the House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee and will be heard on Thursday, January 26 upon adjournment.

Our first town hall meeting of the 2023 legislative session will be on Saturday, January 21 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm at the Standley Lake Library in Arvada. We will be discussing our first five bills, committee assignments, and how to engage with your representatives this session. For more information, click HERE.

Over the years, I have worked with members of the media to help keep my legislative work transparent to the public. Here is a list of articles that have appeared in the media over the past week. For a complete list, click HERE.

Chalkbeat Colorado: Colorado looks to stem the closure of schools for students with intense needs

Chalkbeat Colorado: Two Democratic lawmakers propose ending TABOR refunds to fund Colorado schools

The Center Square: Anticipated bill asks Colorado voters to forfeit TABOR refunds for education

Real Vail: Roberts' bills on housing, health care among first of new Colorado General Assembly session

The Colorado Sun: Watch: Colorado Sun discusses the 2023 legislative session

Summit Daily: Colorado voters may be asked to forgo their future TABOR refunds so the state can boost school funding

The Colorado Sun: Colorado voters may be asked to forgo their future TABOR refunds so the state can boost school funding

Chalkbeat Colorado: Here are first education bills Colorado lawmakers filed during the 2023 legislative session

Denver Business Journal: Senate Bill 1 shows how Colorado legislators plan to boost affordable housing

Colorado Politics: Colorado lawmakers introduce first bills of the 2023 session

Colorado Newsline: Here's a look at the first legislation of 2023 Colorado legislative session

Westword: Do Colorado's Game-of-Chance Rules Need an Update? Bingo!

In an effort to be transparent and accessible, here are the events and meetings that I have attended in the last week as your state senator: