Significant bills still held up in Colorado Legislature as end of session nears
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO)-- A significant number of bills are still stuck in the Colorado Legislature as the 11:59 pm deadline on Wednesday looms.
That includes the much-publicized fentanyl accountability bill that increases penalties for fentanyl users and dealers. House Bill 1326 is currently waiting on the agenda in the Colorado House of Representatives. When House Bill 1326 was introduced on March 25, it was met with criticism from some that it did not meet the needs of addressing the deadly drug's impact on the community.
Also waiting to be passed is House Bill 1390, the School Finance Act. The act covers funding for K-12 Colorado schools and is constitutionally obligated to be passed. It increases the statewide base per-pupil funding for the 2022-2023 budget year by $252.88, to account for inflation of 3.5%.
The Democrat Majority in the House decided not to convene over the weekend, leaving packed agendas.
With Democrats holding firm control of the legislature and what passes in it, some Republicans are trying to capitalize on the timing issues. Rep. Ron Hanks from Cañon City opened the day on the House Floor asking for the very first bill of the day to be read in full. Earlier while debating a bill on Monday, at one point, House Speaker Alec Garnett felt Hanks was getting so off-topic he told Hanks, "we're still straying a little bit away from the bill, Representative Hanks."
Other Republicans have mentioned they feel like Democrats are zooming through the final days as quickly as possible. Republican Rep. Rod Bockenfeld asked for a bill to be read in full on Monday, "I would like to ask that it be read at length at a speed something short of the Alvin and the Chipmunks that we've been getting recently." The bills are read aloud via an automated voice.
Also caught up right now is a change to the Colorado unemployment system which would put $600 million in an unemployment insurance trust fund to lower a $1 billion federal debt.
