When visiting the Colorado General Assembly website, you’ll find a menu of topics that organize that massive and growing library of information into general topics. Where that menu will appear on your screen and how you might go about selecting a category depends on whether you are using a desktop or laptop computer versus a mobile device such as tablet or phone. From a computer, the menu will likely appear horizontally along the top of your browser window. From a mobile device, look for three horizontal bars and then press that icon to open the menu. The tenth category in that menu is titled “Agencies”.
For comparison, the Executive Branch of Colorado government starts with the elected governor and lieutenant governor, followed by the various departments of the governor’s cabinet. Within the Legislative Branch, the structure starts with the elected members of the House of Representatives and Senate, followed by four non-partisan agencies that provide support to the General Assembly.
The “Agencies” menu includes the following options:
- House of Representatives – Information regarding the 65-member House
- Senate – Information regarding the 35-member Senate
- Joint Budget Committee Staff – Supports the General Assembly in crafting and maintaining the annual balanced budget with oversight by the Joint Budget Committee.
- Legislative Council Staff – Provides research, fiscal analysis, revenue projections, human resources, information technology, and visitor services support to the General Assembly with oversight by the Legislative Council.
- Office of Legislative Legal Services – Provides bill drafting services, maintains state statutes, reviews administrative rules, comments on initiated measures, and legal advice to members of the General Assembly with oversight by the Committee on Legal Services.
- Office of the State Auditor – Provides performance, financial, and IT audits with oversight by the Legislative Audit Committee.
The House of Representatives and Senate menu options provide access to the daily Calendar for the respective chamber, along with links that allow you to watch/listen to current proceedings. Each chamber page also includes a separate menu of information that provides access to general information about that chamber, members, publications, information for the public, guideliones for media and lobbyists, and employment opportunities.
The Joint Budget Committee Staff menu option provides access to the JBC Schedule and a separate menu of information including the budget process, JBC audio, staff directory, budget documents, summary reports, and additional information.
The Legislative Council Staff menu option provides information about the Legislative Council Staff, their Values, Vision Statement, and Mission Statement, along with a separate menu of information including the economy & budget, bill-related analyses, research & publications, legislative resource center, and employment opportunities.
The Office of Legislative Legal Services menu option provides information about the “OLLS” staff, a position statement on attorney-client relationship with the General Assembly, along with a separate menu of information including resources & guides, publications, rule review, committees, ethics information, and more.
The Office of State Auditor menu option provides access to information about the role of the State Auditor, contact information, and a separate menu of information including audits, the Legislative Audit Committee, fraud hotline, tax expenditure evaluations, and general information about the OSA.