Colorado Gov. Jared Polis gives State of State address Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.

Colorado Channel

During last week’s opening ceremonies, Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado’s lawmakers sought to pick up where last year’s regular and special session left off by immediately focusing on one of the state’s most persistent problems – the lack of affordable housing units.

Here are five takeaways:

Housing, housing, housing 

Polis set the tone of the first few days of session by bluntly telling lawmakers that Coloradans are desperate for affordable housing and they’re impatient for concrete solutions.

“There is a real sense of hopelessness and despair in our state around housing that’s on par, in many ways, with how people feel about the divisiveness of our national politics,” the governor said in his State of the State address. 

And while there were hints of cooperation among lawmakers across the political aisle and between state and local governments, there were also glimpses of disagreement – at least when it comes to framing the issue.

Kevin Bommer of the Colorado Municipal League took issue with Polis’ characterization of “hopelessness and despair” permeating the housing conversation.

“Over at @CO_Municipal, there is no ‘hopelessness and despair’ around housing. All optimism over here. With #coleg and @GovofCO partnership (not preemption!) we will build on the 200 local governments accessing Prop 123 dollars. Let’s do this!” Bommer tweeted on the social media platform X.

A plea for civility

Republican and Democrat leaders, along with the governor, sent an unequivocal message to lawmakers and the public that they will not tolerate deviations from decorum at the state Capitol. 

On the eve of the legislative session’s first day, House Speaker Julie McCluskie reprimanded Rep. Elisabeth Epps, the Denver Democrat who joined pro-Palestinian protesters in the gallery and at one point called fellow lawmakers “fascist,” issuing a a sternly-worded warning that such actions in the future could lead to more serious consequences. The speaker also admonished Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs, for making derogatory comments about fellow lawmakers in a town hall last May.

Whether lawmakers will heed their leaders’ call – and whether the latter will follow through with their threat of more serious repercussions – remains to be seen.

Epps indicated she’s not backing down. On X, the Denver Democrat accused McCluskie – without naming the speaker – of applying “retaliatory selective abuse of power” by expelling her from her third floor state Capitol office.

New Year, old fights

A cursory review of the first bills introduced this year shows a slew of legislation aimed at solving – or at least trying to solve – major problems. Just to name a few: Senate Bill 24-001 makes a temporary youth mental health services program permanent. Senate Bill 2 grants counties and municipalities the authority to establish tax incentive programs – including property tax credits or rebates – to property owners in an area of “specific local concern.” House Bill 1051 allows the Public Utilities Commission to revoke towing carrier permits for specified violations of state laws.

A few bills are anticipated to invite controversy. Epps is pushing House Bill 1028, another try at permitting local governments to launch sites where individuals can inject or ingest drugs under the care of medical professionals. A House committee killed the proposal’s 2023 version, and the concept lacks the support of Polis.

Meanwhile, Rep. Don Wilson, R-Monument, sponsored a measure to create a Gadsden flag “Don’t Tread on Me” license plate.

Expect more pro-Palestinian protests 

If last year’s special session and last week’s opening ceremonies were any indication, pro-Palestinian activists will show up and try to disrupt proceedings at the state Capitol. 

Last week, the protesters temporarily shut down the state House, prompting Sen. Julie Gonzales, who was in the chamber for a ministerial duty, to say lawmakers “don’t have the time to waste.”

“We don’t have time to fritter. We may not able to agree on everything, but we need to be able to have the conversations,” she said. 

No mention of illegal immigration

Polis avoided any mention of illegal immigration in his State of the State address, and legislative leaders did not talk about the crisis plaguing Colorado’s most populous city. 

But they will likely need to contend with the crisis sooner or later. 

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston estimated that illegal immigration will cost his city up to $180 million this year. Already, the city has spent more than $38 million on its humanitarian response, the bulk of which has been footed by Denver taxpayers, despite state and federal grants totaling $14.1 million.

Right now, Johnston, along with the mayors of New York and Chicago, is keeping up the pressure on the federal government to act and provide fiscal relief. But he might also come knocking on the doors of the state Capitol for aid.