Colorado Senate 2026 Legislative Day 065

Here.

Good morning.

Here.

Mr. President. Let's do this. The morning roll call is 33 present, zero absent, two excused. We have a quorum. Senator Kiff, would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Approval of the journal, Senator Rich.

You've heard the motion. All those in favor say aye.

Opposed, no.

What?

Correctly engrossed. Senate Joint Resolution 16. Correctly re-engrossed. Senate Bill 35, 60, 62, 98, and 105. Correctly re-revised. House Bill 1031 and 1142. Correctly enrolled. Senate Bill 11, 16, and 32.

Committee on Local Government and Housing. After consideration on the merits, the committee recommends the following. House Bill 1098 be amended as follows. And as so amended, be referred to the committee of the whole with favorable recommendation and with the recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. House Bill 1192 be referred to the committee of the whole with favorable recommendation.

Mr. President, Committee on Transportation and Energy has had a hearing in the following appointments and recommends that the appointments be placed in the consent calendar and confirmed. Members of the Front Range Passenger Rail District, Denver Regional Council of Governments, Chris Nevitt, reappointed January 7, 2026. Term expired December 31, 2029. Deborah Mulvey reappointed January 7, 2026. Term expired December 31, 2029. North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tricia Kananiko, reappointed on December 29, 2025. term expires December 31st, 2029. Pueblo Area Council of Governments, Miles Lucero, appointed December 11th, 2025. Term expires December 31st, 2029. Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Corey Applegate, appointed January 16th, 2026. Term expires December 31st, 2029. Mr. President, the Committee on Transportation and Energy has had under consideration and had a hearing on the following appointments and recommends that the appointments be placed in the consent calendar and confirmed. Member of the Front Range Passenger Rail District Board, effective April 2nd, 2026, for term expiring December 31st, 2029. Clara Levy of Boulder, Colorado, serves as a resident of a city and county through which commuter rail service was planned as part of the voter approved RTD Fast Tracks transit expansion program but has not been constructed, reappointed.

Committee on Judiciary, after consideration on the merits, the committee recommends the following. Senate Bill 124 be amended as follows. And if so amended, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations with favorable recommendation. House Bill 1039 be referred to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendation. House Bill 1189 be referred to the committee as a whole with favorable recommendation, and with the recommendation be placed on the consent calendar, Senate Bill 111 be postponed indefinitely.

guest in our midst. I'd like us to acknowledge the former Commissioner of Ag, State Representative, and Congressman John Salazar. Please join.

Majority Leader Rodriguez. Thank you Madam President. I move the Senate Proceed out of order for moments of personal privilege.

Aye.

No.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I request a moment of personal privilege.

You know who your friends are. I really appreciate it. I'm just messing with you, man. Members, Colorado is home to a diverse ecosystem of local newspapers, including independent family-owned publications, community papers, and outlets serving generations of Coloradans across the state. Colorado's local radio and television broadcast stations, including public media outlets, play a longstanding role in delivering trusted news across diverse geographies and populations. And these local news organizations provide reliable, community-specific information that reflects the unique needs, cultures, and priorities of Colorado cities, towns, and rural areas, including culturally relevant reporting for communities of color and local news is essential during emergencies such as wildfires and floods, delivering timely, accurate, life-saving information. And strong local journalism supports small businesses, strengthens local economies, informs voters, ensures transparency in government, and serves as a vital civic infrastructure that sustains informed participation and community well-being. Please, I ask those individuals here with the Colorado Local News Policy Coalition to please stand. Members, please join me in welcoming them to the chamber. and especially the one standing over here from Steamboat Springs. You might be related to somebody named Representative Lukens. There we go. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. I ask for a moment of personal privilege.

Thank you. So today, folks, we have a special treat. We have Colorado-Washington focus, Weld County here. They will be taking a trip to Washington, D.C. There's 46 kids that are going to be taking that trip, and we have several kids here from Briggsdale High School that are in 4-H, and their projects are lambs, goats, photography, and we're happy to have them here. Please stand and be recognized. Thank you for coming.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd ask for another moment of personal privilege.

Thank you very much. So, members, today we have the great Logan County cattlewomen in the house, Maddie Haney. She's going to be here today to welcome you to the steak dinner later tonight at the First Baptist Church of Denver. And we have three wonderful kids and their teacher here from Prairie High School, FFA, and their agriculture teacher. Let's welcome them here, too. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President. A moment of personal privilege.

Colleagues, today is Suicide Prevention Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Members of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Colorado Chapter, the National Alliance of Mental Illness Colorado, Mental Health Colorado, and the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado are visiting us from across the state to advocate for suicide prevention. They're meeting with lawmakers today to share their experiences and discuss House Bill 261069 and Senate Bill 26060. Please join me in welcoming them to their capital today for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Advocacy Day. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the third reading of the bill's calendar lay over until Friday, March 20th, 2026.

We don't need it. We love you guys. We'd rather you be here with us.

Thank you, Mr. President. I move the Senate to resolve itself into the Committee of the Whole for consideration of General Order's second reading of bill's consent calendar.

Second reading of bill's consent calendar. House Bill 1185 by Representatives Carter and Clifford and Senator Roberts. Concerning the continuation of the cold case task force and in connection therewith to implementing the recommendations of the Department of Regulatory agencies in the department 2025 sunset report including authorizing the executive director of the department of public safety to appoint additional members to the task force continuing the task force for 13 years and changing the type of

bill 1185. Is there any discussion? The motion before the body is the adoption of all the bills on general order, second reading of bill's consent calendar. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed no. The ayes have it. The bill on consent calendar is adopted. Majority leader Rodriguez. Thank you

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it, and the motion is adopted. The committee will rise and report. The committee, the Senate, will come to order. Senator Marchman.

March 19, 2026. Mr. President, the Committee of the Whole begs leave to report it as had under consideration the following attached bill, being in the second reading thereof, and makes the following recommendation thereon. House Bill 1185, passed in second reading in order to revise and place in the calendar for third reading and final passage.

The motion is the adoption of the Committee of the Whole Report. Are there any no votes? With a vote of 33 ayes, 0 no, 0 absent to excuse the Committee of the Whole Report is adopted. House Bill 1185, passed the second reading order, revised the place of the counter for third reading and final passage. General Order, second reading of the bill, Senator Marchman.

You've heard the motion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it. There was one no, but the ayes have it. That motion is adopted. The Senate will resolve itself into the committee of the whole for the consideration of general orders, second reading of bills. And Senator Marchman will take the chair. The committee will come to order, and the code rule is relaxed.

march the 25th the motion is to lay over senate bill 63 until wednesday march 25th all those in favor say aye aye opposed no the ayes have it senate bill 63 will lay over until wednesday

to take up House Bill 1136. The motion is to take up House Bill 1136. All those in favor say aye. Opposed, no. The aye has it, and we will take up House Bill 1136. Will the clerk please read the title to House Bill 1136?

Senator Wallace. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move House Bill 1136.

Thank you, ma'am. Members, this bill utilizes existing resources to create a program to identify curriculum and coursework that will qualify students for entry-level positions into state government. Simply put, it's about inspiring the next generation of public servants and has innovative solutions in how to help spur their long-term involvement in our work. I ask for an aye vote to help inspire tomorrow's public servants.

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, now more than ever, we need young people who want to do public service and engage in important roles in our state government. And this is a really simple, easy step to attract young people, get them involved, and hopefully get them hired to fill vacancies in our state government. So we need good public servants now, and this is a good step forward to do that. So I urge and I vote.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I did hear this bill in the Education Committee. And I was a no at that time, and I probably still am. Early on before session, I was asked to even be on this bill, and I told the governor's office I didn't think it was appropriate to have students in college learn how to be lifetime bureaucrats. Because I know it sounds good when you say public service, but this is about working in state government for their job. This is not really public service. What we do as legislators is public service. But it sounds nice to say that in the title of this bill. But I was like, there's a lot of other things that our college students could learn to do. Because just think about what we do with some of these state departments. Are we going to teach them to continue to not answer the phone and help the public? Are we going to teach them to tell you that they'll get back to you and then never do? Is that what they're going to do? Is that going to be what we teach them to do? Because in my experience with the state departments right now, it's kind of an epic fail, and I don't think we ought to be promoting teaching or training people to be in state government and call it, of all things, public service, because that's not what it is. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. This might be an appropriate emphasis for career path in some other countries, but not this one. This nation is built on free enterprise. We ought to be emphasizing in every sense how students can thrive in free enterprise. Government does not generate revenue. Government consumes the revenue by taking from the wealth that is generated out of free enterprise. That's the engine. That's where we need to be emphasizing. That's where the career paths ought to be. Government is a necessary piece to that, but it should be lean. And as Abraham Lincoln said, the government that governs least governs best. So that ought not to be our emphasis. We already make the mistake of hiring teachers directly out of college, college graduates, that go right back into the classroom to teach after never having experienced the free market themselves. So this is where I think this is just not a good idea, wrongheaded idea, and not appropriate for this country. So I urge a no vote.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Colleagues, I heard this in committee not too long ago, and some words came to mind that might help frame my position on this and that is never fear the government is here to help. I feel like we need to focus on critical skills that build our economy, not micromanage our economy and cost it resources. I was a no vote in committee. I'll be a no vote again today. I understand the concept of public service. I understand the need, the role for good people to help run our government, state government, local governments. I understand where this bill is headed to try to provide those services. And I really feel that we should draw from the natural talents and abilities that those folks have. So, again, I'll be a no vote on this one again today.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Members, I, too, heard this bill in the Education Committee, and I wasn't originally going to get up to say anything, but I do feel like I really have to just make a couple of comments. And if you have the bill paper in front of you or you have this bill pulled up on your computer, I would just point you to the bill summary or the fiscal note where it says this bill creates the pathways to public service program and the Department of Personnel and Administration using existing resources. So we are actually standing up a new program in the Department of Personnel and Administration. No cost, no fiscal note on this. And so I guess my comment is, you know, We're talking about we need to cut our budget. We need to tighten our belts. We're going to have some incredibly challenging decisions coming to us over the next month about things that need to cut. And if the Department of Personnel and Administration has employees that are underutilized or they have vacancies in the department that they plan to hire to administer this program, then maybe they should just not create the program. In a year that we are talking about cutting Medicaid reimbursement rates to health care providers, in a year that we are talking about cutting benefits to those most vulnerable in our society, members of the IDD community and others, I don't think we have any business standing up yet another program that is going to require, I'm sure, funding down the road. this is how we got to a structural deficit to begin with this is how we started so let's just take a pause the other thing that strikes me and the other reason why I'm going to be a no vote on this bill is the The work on this bill creates work-based pathways to public service programs to encourage public service among graduates of Colorado secondary and post-secondary schools. You know, how about if we just make sure that our kids are reading at grade level proficiency? How about we make sure that they can do math at grade level proficiency rather than creating because that important In the legislative audit committee we heard an audit just a couple of weeks ago where we had a department making I kid you not a billion dollar accounting error. We need to make sure that our students can do the fundamentals. We're not doing very well at that, candidly, and I would suggest we concentrate on fundamentals. Let's concentrate on making sure that we reduce our budget, and I ask for a no vote on this bill.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So when the government creates programs and mandates, it often does so in a way that benefits some groups more than others. Whether intentional or not, this can create uneven outcomes and perceptions of favoritism. And we should be striving for policies that treat people equally under the law, not policies that pick winners and losers. And as my colleague from Castle Rock had mentioned, focus on how about education, STEM. And in just speaking in the broader pattern, bills like this are rarely isolated. They are a part of a larger trend, one where government continues to grow incrementally, year after year, program after program, and mandate after mandate. Each individual bill may seem modest, but together they start adding up, and they add up to a system that is more expensive, more complex, and more difficult every day for Coloradans to navigate. They add up to a government that is increasingly involved in areas where it may not be the most effective factor. And so they add up to a gradual erosion of principles that have long guided us, limited government, personal responsibility, and individual freedom. And for that reason, I ask for a no vote on House Bill 261136. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to level set and make sure that it's clear the types of employees we're talking about. We're talking about accountants, corrections officers, public safety employees, public health employees, psych nurses, all the types of people we need to keep our community safe, healthy, and thriving. If you believe we should fill those vacancies in state government, vote yes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will also mention that this is aligning the Department of Personnel and Administration with CDLE, CDHE, CDE, and many others who are employer partners in line with workforce development in our state. And frankly put, public servants are public servants. The members in this chamber are not the only public servants in government, and those other sections deserve to be built up and encouraged. encouraged so I ask for an aye vote thank you is there any further discussion seeing none the

I move I move to lay over the remainder of the calendar till Friday March the 20th 2026 the

Majority Leader Rodriguez. Thank you Madam Chair. I move the committee rise and report.

Mr. Schaffler, please add Senator Gonzalez to the roll.

Senator Marchman. Thank you, Mr. President. The committee has met had a number of bills under consideration. Will the clerk please read the report?

Senator March. Thank you, Mr. President. I move the report.

House Joint Resolution 1023 by Representatives Duran and Belasco and Senators Rodriguez and Benavidez concerning the recognition of Latino Latina Advocacy Day.

Mr. Schaffler, please read HRJ 1023 at length.

thank you mr. president and thank everyone for listening to this resolution Latino advocacy day was held on Monday and some of you probably met with people there were a lot of young people around and I wanted to personally say thank you for taking the time to do that these kinds of days are so exciting and so important because as our schools are not teaching or reducing the teaching of civics young people don't really get exposed to how we the sausage making that goes on here in this building and it's an opportunity for young people from across the state to come here and talk to us and see that the ones I talked to I was very impressed they had a list of bills they They had done personal scripts about how that impacted their families, and then they were talking to us so they could see how important their voice is in this process. So I am proud to sponsor this resolution with my colleagues, and I think it's very important and that we should continue it every year because it does expose particularly young people from all across the state to what we do here. So thank you for taking the time to talk to them when they were here.

Senate Bill 74 by Senators Carson and Snyder and Representatives Camacho and Wynn concerning clarification of the penalty for claiming an excessive amount in a public construction performance bond dispute. Senator Carson.

Oh, no, man. Tell us why.

Further discussion? Seeing none, the motion that the Senate concur with the House Amendments to Senate Bill 74. Are there any no votes? With a vote of 34 ayes, 0 no, 0 absent and 1 excused, that motion is adopted. Senator Snyder.

Further discussion? Seeing none. The motion is the repassage of Senate Bill 74. Are there any no votes? With a vote of 34 ayes, 0 no, 0 absent and 1 excused, Senate Bill 74 is repassed. Co-sponsors. Consideration of Governor's appointments. Consent calendar.

Mr. Majority Leader.

Any discussion? Seeing none of the motion is the confirmation of the appointments on the consent calendar. Are there any no votes on the consent calendar? With a vote of 34 ayes, 0 no, 0 absent, 1 excused. Those appointments are confirmed. Consideration of Governor's appointments.

Senator Colker.

Is there any discussion? Seeing none, the motion is the appointment of members of the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System. Are there any no votes? with a vote of 34 a 0 0 0 absent and one excuse those appointments are confirmed the following persons elizabeth markey lewis martin and kinzo kamanabe are appointed to the board of board of governors for carl state university system committee reports

i signed all those man announcements senator pelton b thank you mr president again colleagues i just

as long as you eat good, that's all that matters. Very good. Senator Judah.

What's the date? The 20th.

We will miss you.

Very good.

for the Colorado Child Abuse Prevention Trust Fund very good Senator Danielson thank you Mr.

Very good.

Very good.

Senator Mavale with a very rare and important announcement.

Wow.

Mobile. Thank goodness for somebody who knows what's happening. Also tomorrow the

Very good. Further announcements. There's one final announcement, one very important announcement, one really special announcement that is made every single day by the majority leader. Mr. Majority Leader.

motion. All those in favor say aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it and the Senate will stand in recess until 12 p.m. today. Very good. Thank you. Thank you.