By State Senator Larry Liston There is a lot of talk this legislative session at the State Capitol about making Colorado a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. I am committed to advancing solutions this session to address the rising cost of living...

By Senator Jerry Sonnenberg & Representative Rod Pelton Over the past two years, we've once again been awed at the resilience and strength of the people of Colorado. Coloradans have dealt with fires, floods, storms, drought, a changing economy and a global...

By Senator John Cooke & Representative Janice Rich Parents, students, and teachers across the state have experienced firsthand some of the shortcomings in the educational system in Colorado. The decreasing quality of education in Colorado is a serious cause of...

By State Senator Jerry Sonnenberg and State Representative Richard Holtorf For many families, the impact of inflation and the increased cost of living has hit hard. What was once affordable and within reach for families is no longer. Their budgets can no longer cover...

By Senators Chris Holbert and Bob Rankin In the coming weeks and months, legislators in the State Capitol will dole out $800 million in state stimulus spending (not to be confused with federal stimulus dollars). While economic projections and data show a quick...

By Senator Bob Gardner On March 11, 2020, Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) then stepped in and has since issued over 45 public health orders and...

By Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer In 1920, the champions of the Women’s Suffrage Movement made history with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Since then, women across our state and country continue to change the world. In fact, a record number of women were elected...

By Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer With schools being closed for much of the last year (even though they may have offered remote learning), we all know a lot of students have fallen behind academically. However, what is not clear is exactly how far behind our kids have...

As I begin my 11th year in the Colorado General Assembly and look forward to 2021, I wonder what to expect.After 2020, the only thing certain is uncertainty. Last year started out as any other, then along came the coronavirus, or what is now referred to as COVID-19. We went into recess and worked from home along with most state agencies and much of the private sector.

With the results of this recent special session pretty widely reported, I was hesitant to just repeat the final outcome but some of those bills could use little commentary. However, before we go there, let me say I appreciated the process, this was the correct process to debate and allocate monies entrusted to the State of Colorado. With that said, the bills that received the blessing of the governor and majority leadership were the ones that passed and with very few amendments. All other bills and most amendments were quickly killed and many of those amendments were important.

Despite Colorado’s desperate need of economic relief during this pandemic, the state Legislature did not convene for the promised “special session” through the spring, summer, or fall months to provide the respite the good people of Colorado need and expect from their elected officials, instead waiting until last week. Better late than never, some might say, until they see what the Legislature produced during the long-awaited session.

Now that the 2020 Colorado election dust has settled, it is time to collaborate on solutions to our continuing transportation backlog. It is critical that every possible funding solution is explored and on the table for discussion.