When Colorado voters gave Democrats a strong majority in both chambers of the state legislature, they set the stage for a slew of hot-button legislation to sail all-but-unimpeded to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk.
Indeed, on the opening day of Colorado’s 69th General Assembly on Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Dianna Primavera reported to the House that Hickenlooper “has plenty of ink in his inkwell to sign the bills.”
“It’s a good feeling,” said House Majority Leader Dickey Lee Hollinghorst. “We’re feeling very excited about what we can accomplish.”
One of the first pieces of legislation expected to be introduced is a bill approving civil unions for same-sex partners. The bill died in 2012 amid partisan bickering; Hickenlooper called a special session to hear the bill last year, but it was killed in committee, along party lines.
This year, the first order of business was to elect Democratic Rep. Mark Ferrandino, who sponsored the civil union legislation last year, as the state’s first openly gay speaker of the House.
“We know that since the Democrats are in control that we will most likely see the passing of civil unions,” said Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields.
Conservatives may be more concerned with gun control legislation, which has once again been thrust into the spotlight in the wake of the recent mass shootings in Aurora, Co. and Newton, Conn. (RELATED: James Holmes preliminary hearing reveals graphic details of “Batman” theater shooting)
Fields will introduce two of what may be four or more gun control bills that Colorado lawmakers will consider this session. One will require people who sell firearms in private transactions to conduct background checks on the buyer through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, in the same way that a gun store or gun show seller must check buyers’ backgrounds.
“If someone does not complete a background check and that gun is used in a crime, then you would be charged,” Fields said, noting that 40 percent of guns sold in Colorado are distributed through private transactions.
Fields, who represents the district in which the Aurora theater shootings took place, is also sponsoring a bill to ban high-capacity magazines. Other lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation banning guns on campuses, banning assault rifles altogether and developing measures to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.
The likelihood that some form of gun control will pass into law unobstructed by the threat of Republican resistance led to a protest rally by gun-rights advocates across the street from the capitol building, as lawmakers were sworn in.
The concern has also led the National Rifle Association to issue a legislative alert in December, warning its members that Colorado is being used as “a guinea pig to push through ineffective and illogical gun control laws at the state level,” according to an article in the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Lawmakers may also consider abolishing the death penalty; lowering university tuition for undocumented immigrants, who currently pay out-of-state rates; expanding Medicaid to cover an additional 160,000 residents; and developing regulations for the retail sale of marijuana, after voters legalized pot for adult use in November.
House Minority Leader Mark Waller said he expects Democrats to capitalize on their strength in numbers, but hopes they won’t abuse it.
“There are going to be times when they take advantage of it, absolutely,”he said. “Obviously we’re going to have areas of contention and we’re going to have points of disagreement, and [Republicans are] going to be the loyal opposition on those issues. I’m hopeful that the Democrats are going to work with us and listen to our good ideas.”
He also pointed out that, with a few exceptions, Colorado has a good reputation for bipartisan cooperation, especially when compared to Congress.
Newly elected Senate President John Morse said he realizes the eyes of the country are on Colorado, especially after the vote to legalize marijuana and now that Democrats have nearly carte blanche to pass any bills they want on thorny and divisive issues that are facing several other states.
“I hope that the rest of the country sees Colorado for what it is and that’s working together to come up with pragmatic solutions to the issues that affect all of us, not just in Colorado but throughout the country,” Morse said. “We need to inform what we do with all of Colorado — not just the Democratic part, not just the Republican part, but also the unaffiliated part.”
“This is a fiercely independent state,” he said, “and we need to come up with fiercely independent, brilliant ideas that the rest of the country can implement.”
At least one onlooker at Wednesday’s opening ceremonies wasn’t as hopeful. Former Republican Rep. J. Paul Brown, who lost his re-election bid, was on hand to witness the passing of the torch.
“I already see them making some mistakes,” he said, referring to the expansion of Medicaid, which the Kaiser Family Foundation said could cost as much as $850 million over 10 years.
“That’s a huge mistake they’re starting off with,” Brown said. “In two years, there will be a rebound for Republicans, because Republicans always have to come back and fix what the Democrats have screwed up.”
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