And we’re outta here! Thanks for reading!

9 a.m.: Finally: what are you thankful for?

House Minority Leader Pugliese: Thankful for my caucus which brings a wealth of experience. Grateful to the leadership of the House, and excited for the opportunity to get to know new Democrats and Republicans on new solutions.

House Majority Leader Duran: I’m humbled every day to be one of 100 to do this work, and work with 100 amazing people who are talented in their own way. I’m looking forward to her last term in office and getting to know the new members.

House Speaker McCluskie: she’s grateful to her voters for giving her two more years to lift up their issues and to be a voice for rural Colorado and the Western Slope, including on water. My gratitude is also to the diversity of the House. We are a majority women legislature, and reflect the diversity of the state, with the Hispanic caucus, Black caucus and LGBTQ caucus. We have voices at the table that have been marginalized. It’s important for us to continue to lead.

Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson: grateful for my family. My good friend Rep. Barb McLachlan said it’s farther from Durango to Denver than the other way around, From a legislative perspective, he’s grateful for Coleman, who spent Labor Day at his farm to learn about flood irrigation. “Let’s do this!” (which is Coleman’s catch phrase)

Senate President-elect Coleman: thankful for children, his children were 6 when he was elected and are 14 now. “Pray for me!” He’s also grateful to be a part of the legislature in the greatest state in the country. We must continue to be a beacon for the rest of the country.

8:55 a.m. What bills will get a veto from the governor?

Senate President-elect Coleman: zero

Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson: Unionization, but it’s premature since we don’t know what the bill looks like.

House Speaker McCluskie: Not sure veto is the right frame. The governor won’t be okay with anything that impacts our march to an affordable Colorado. “We will not always be fully aligned” and will have disagreements with the governor. We must work to understand his position and find a way to common ground. If not, we stand our ground, he stands his, and that’s a veto.

House Majority Leader Duran: That’s up to the governor. She encourages every member to reach out to the governor. She’s had a couple of bills vetoed, including two labor bills in the 2024 session. “You pick up your feet” and look for common ground.

House Minority Leader Pugliese: I don’t have a ton of insight on the governor. It is my hope that we don’t go back to K-12 debt, and that he stands aligned with us on education.

8:50 a.m. The next question is on labor, and changes to the Labor Peace Act.

House Minority Leader Pugliese said this will be a contentious issue in the legislature and she’s approaching it with an open mind, but must take into account the needs of the business community.

House Majority Leader Duran said she supports labor, but said it’s important to make sure the business community is part of the conversation and part of the policy-making. Everyone needs to have a seat at the table and a path forward must be found.

House Speaker McCluskie said she hasn’t seen a bill draft from the labor partners. She’s a champion for workers, and the legislature has done tremendous work in this space, such as the agreement with the state labor union and the collective bargaining bill for local governments. Businesses understand the value of labor partners. “I look forward to more conversations on this front with business and labor together.”

“We need each other,” added Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson. He needs to see what’s written and the problem it’s trying to address. “We need a healthy business environment and a well-respected workforce.”

Business is an ecosystem, said Senate President-elect Coleman. I’m confident that my colleagues will have those conversations with labor and business. “I’m genuinely excited” and looking forward to the opportunity.

8:40 a.m. Medicaid: how does that impact the next session?

House Speaker McCluskie noted the Joint Budget committee has made recommendations on provider rates. We continue to hear from providers, especially in rural colorado, that provider rates are so low that providers cannot provide health care. But given budget realities this year, it’s not likely we will see increases in those provider rates, she said. The question is how to continue to bear the burden of a Medicaid system growing at exponential rates.

To Duran: funding levels on the Area Agencies on Aging, needs are increasing and wait lists are growing, and how to champion the needs of the aging community.

Duran responded that people are trying to live good, healthy lives and we need to provide that support. “Those are important conversations to have, but how to do that with the budget being so tight?” She said the question is how to support the needs of the senior community without them feeling discarded, a common problem tied to depression, and how to provide them with the tools they need to continue moving forward.

To Senate President-elect Coleman, he was asked whether the $350 million for Proposition 130 would be funded in the next session (that’s the ballot measure requiring $350 million for law enforcement training and recruiting). Coleman said he believes it could be included in the upcoming year’s budget.

Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson noted the ballot measure doesn’t say how it’s supposed to be spent. When you’re trying to prioritize Medicaid, K-12 and he’s sensitive to not taking a step backwards, especially on K-12. Let the rest of the priorities fall into place.

House Speaker McCluskie said the $350 million should come out the reserves. This may be the moment when we take the $350 million out of the reserve. But she’s heard from law enforcement if we gave them $350 million today they wouldn’t be able to spend it.

House Majority Leader Duran said this is the will of the voters, and how to do it over a five to ten year period is important. We need to figure out strategically how to do this, but let the Joint Budget Committee figure out what they need to do.

House Minority Leader Pugliese noted when she was a county commissioner there were layoffs in law enforcement. Valuing the will of the people who have decided this is a priority, but we need to prioritize the budget, and that’s the work of the JBC to figure that out.

8:33 a.m. The next question is on scammers, which Del Puerto said would earn a special place in hell, to applause. They target seniors, he noted, and there is a staggering increase in fraud and largely unregulated. The question: how can the state increase consumer protections while holding offenders accountable.

Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson responded that consequences must be greater than they are now. He said his father-in-law, who passed away last week at 92, was targeted. He’s open to discussion on how to be more effective.

Senate President-elect Coleman said there must be more measures in place to hold scammers accountable. There should be a resource for seniors who don’t have someone they can ask to find out if these calls or texts are legit. Education is critical, and working with the Attorney General is critical.

He also pointed to HOAs (homeowners associations), and said there’s questions from seniors on whether those notices are legit, and there should be a resource to check that out.

House Majority Leader Duran pointed to a hotline in the Attorney General’s office for consumer information. It touches all of us, including seniors who are trusting and frankly, fragile. A buddy system could be helpful; let’s have a conversation on what that would look like.

House Speaker McCluskie noted the movie “Thelma,” a movie about a woman who fought back.

Simpson added that his wife would tell her dad not to give out his Social Security or credit card numbers over the phone. A solution must be more forward-thinking before getting to that point, he added.

House Minority Leader Pugliese said the legislature has done a lot on consumer protection and trade practices, and should make sure the Attorney General has the resources to put teeth into those issues.

8:28 a.m. The legislature passed a law on tax credits for paid care-givers in the last session, would you support it for unpaid, family care-givers?

House Minority leader Pugliese: it should be part of our priorities, but if you look at the amount of tax credits given out, there isn’t much more room left. “I don’t know where the money comes from.”

House Majority Leader Duran said she supports it but how to navigate it is the question. This often falls on family members, and is a physical, emotional and mental strain.

House Speaker McCluskie was asked about other mechanisms in this area, and responded that she does support a tax credit. But the structural changes, due to the spending cap, are an issue. We are an older, grayer Colorado, and that puts challenges on the budget. Expenditures on Medicaid, a $600 million increase in the budget this year.

If we’re going to look at tax credits for unpaid care-givers, as well as providing health care services for seniors moving forward.

Senate Assistant Minority Leader Simpson got the room laughing when he said he could be succinct, unlike his predecessor, Sen. Bob Gardner or Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen.

Senate President-elect Coleman was even more succinct. “Yes,” he said.

8:21 a.m. The first question goes to Senate President-elect Coleman on senior homestead taxes.

If you have raised a family and blessed to have a home, and you didn’t need all that space and wanted to keep the exemption, you had to pay at a higher level, should be able to keep that exemption, he said. This is the homestead portability issue lawmakers have been wrangling with for the past two sessions. It’s a budget issue, too, Coleman said, in a year when budget writers are looking under the couch cushions for funds to cover a $1 billion hole in the budget.

Sen. Simpson said this is apriority lawmakers should be able to figure out.

Speaker McCluskie noted the tight budget, which is facing a 25% cut in the general fund. Portability expansion has been discussed for years, and with the property tax value exemptions, portability is on top of those exemptions. For the future, the budget reflects our values and will continue to struggle with priorities.

House Majority Leader Duran said she’s experienced downsizing, when her children grew up and her husband passed away, and she recently moved her parents out of the home they’ve lived in for years. Our homes are our roots, she said, and is willing to have the conversation on how to maintain the pilot program and build on it.

House Minority Leader Pugliese said she’s pleased of the short-term solution on portability, and this should remain a priority.

8:09 a.m. Senate President-elect James Coleman said his 91-year-old grandmother is his number one constituent, still living in the same house she’s lived in since the 1960s. He also paid tribute to the late Sen. Gloria Tanner, who lived down the street and was the first Black senator. Senior issues are important to him, and his commitment is to do the work, and develop policies that positively impact seniors and everyone else in the state. Coleman was re-elected in November.

Sen. Cleave Simpson, the Senate minority leader, was re-elected in November, starting with 16 counties in 2020, everything from Alamosa to Kansas. His district is now 14 counties, from Alamosa west to Utah. I was elected to represent rural Colorado, Simpson said. His legislation will cover rural issues, often about water (he manages the Rio Grande Water Conservation District) as well as rural colleges. He also farms; this summer he worked with his 82-year-old dad, his son and his grandson, noting not many professions allow you to do that.

House Speaker Julie McCluskie, who is entering her second term as speaker (the first woman to hold that position for more than one term), pointed to the state’s growing economy, with low inflation. But affordability weighs down communities, particularly for seniors, and that’s a call to the legislature. “It’s because of this group of bipartisan leaders who are committed to problem solving that you saw so many of us returning after the last election.” She pointed to legislation on property tax relief, child care and health care, and pledged to bipartisan cooperation. “I’m excited to get back to work,” she added.

House Majority Leader Monica Duran said she brings her life experience as a homeless single mom and domestic violence survivor. The goal has been to elevate voices who don’t have one. She knows the shame and isolation that goes with that, she said. “Republican or Democrat, it doesn’t matter, our communities have voted for us to represent their needs and desires, and for lawmakers to find common ground when we can.” When you think that there’s 100 of us in that Capitol, fighting for each and every constituent, is humbling, she added. Coloradans have entrusted us to get the work done and in a bipartisan way, she concluded.

House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, who is entering her second term, said she has the privilege of traveling the state and talk to people about the issues most important to them. Issues affecting affordability to seniors, especially the cost of housing, is a frequent topic. Senior issues are not partisan issues, Pugliese said. More needs to be done on property tax, such as the senior homestead exemption, and to continue to address the housing crisis, including allowing seniors to downsize into spaces more appropriate for them. Being able to engage with communities and bring a statewide perspective is important. “This is the group willing and ready to lead, to find solutions in a bipartisan way.”

8 a.m. And we’re off!

Lots of folks from the lege in the room today: Sen.-elect Lisa Frizell (R) of Castle Rock, Rep. Bob Marshall (D) of Highlands Ranch, Rep.-elect Lesley Smith (D) of Boulder, Rep. Meg Froelich (D) of Englewood, Sen. Janice Marchman (D) Berthoud, as well as the panel of legislative leaders: House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D) of Dillon;  Rep. Rose Pugliese (R) of Colorado Springs, the House minority leader; Sen. James Coleman (D) of Denver, who was recently chosen as Senate President; Sen. Cleave Simpson (R) of Alamosa, the next assistant minority leader; and, Rep. Monica Duran (D) of Wheat Ridge, the House majority leader.

Colorado Politics managing editor Luige del Puerto got things off to a fun start, by jokingly asking how many more lawmakers will resign before the session starts, and up went McCluskie’s hand! Or whether the governor’s spouse will have conniptions over the prospect of wolf reintroduction being delayed because of budget cuts (which got a couple of groans).

Joint Budget Committee considers delaying wolf reintroduction in Colorado to save money

PREVIEW:

Colorado’s legislative leaders will talk about their priorities for the upcoming session in January in a forum on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in Denver.

Sponsored by AARP Colorado, the breakfast event serves as the first major preview of the 2025 legislative session since the election in November.

Joining the panel are the General Assembly’s leadership from both chambers: House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Rep. Rose Pugliese, the House minority leader; Sen. James Coleman, who was recently chosen as Senate President; Sen. Cleave Simpson, the next assistant minority leader; and, Rep. Monica Duran, the House majority leader.