2023 Legislative Session Report
The 74th Colorado General Assembly convened on Monday, January 9th and adjourned at around 10:00 pm on Monday, May 8th at the conclusion of 120 days (as required by the Colorado State Constitution).
This session saw the largest Democratic majorities ever in the Colorado State Capitol, with a 46(D) - 19(R) split in the House and 23(D) - 12(R) in the Senate.
There were a total of 617 bills (311 in the House and 306 in the Senate) introduced over the course of the session, with the last bill dropping just three days before Sine Die. 486 of those bills passed and 131 were defeated.
This was the fifth session in which the Democrats held a trifecta – control of the House, Senate, and the Governor’s office – and it was notable as the first year in which there began to be notable rifts within the Democratic caucuses, particularly in the Senate. Moderate Democrats bucked their party’s leader and the Governor’s office to defeat significant bills on issues like preempting local land use decisions, new requirements for worker scheduling, and allowing rent control. Other bills affecting business and industry were amended significantly in order to make it out of tight committees with a swing Democratic vote.
It was also a session in which tensions between the parties were often high, especially in the House. House Republicans filibustering of bills led to the chamber working through the weekend starting about mid-session, and the caucus walked off the House floor on the last day of session in protest of what they viewed as process violations on a fast-moving, late-introduced property tax bill.
2022 Legislative Session Report
The Colorado General Assembly convened on Wednesday, January 12th, and wrapped up at midnight on Wednesday, May 11, after 120 days, as the CO State Constitution required. This was the first “normal” legislative session since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, several changes, such as routine remote testimony and the ability for legislators to attend committees and floor work remotely, remain in place.
The Democratic party continues to hold the majority in both chambers. The State Senate is controlled by the Democratic party 20-15 and the House 41-24. The most notable change was Senate President Leroy Garcia’s resignation to take a Biden appointment at the Pentagon. Previous Majority Leader Steven Fenberg because the new Senate President.
Over 650 bills were introduced over the legislative session. This session was largely characterized by the passage of the largest budget in the state’s history, as well as the appropriation of nearly $1.5 billion in funding made available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
2021 Legislative Session Report
The Colorado General Assembly initially convened on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, swearing in new members, taking care of administrative duties, and approving temporary rules. The legislature then adjourned two days later, Friday, January 15, 2021, due to safety concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The General Assembly reconvened on February 16, 2021, and was in session until June 8, 2021, using 116 of its allocated 120 days. The Democratic Party is the majority in the House of Representatives (41-24), the Senate (20-15), and the Governor’s office with Governor Jared Polis. Thus, allowing them to set and control the policy agenda. Six hundred and seventy-four bills were introduced during the session. The general feeling from the business community and other similar groups was that many bills did not get proper stakeholder engagement—many of the more controversial policies passed on party-line votes.
2020 Legislative Session Report
The second regular session of the 72nd General Assembly in Colorado was one without precedent. The session began on January 8th, 2020 with Democratic leadership putting forward an ambitious agenda to provide momentum heading into the election season. Those goals were largely derailed when the legislature temporarily adjourned on March 14th and did not return until May 26th. After three weeks of “chaos and compromise” (per the Colorado Sun) the legislature adjourned Sine Die on June 15th. In total, the legislature saw 651 bills introduced in 2020 (compared to 598 in 2019), 332 of which went to the Governor for his signature.
Click here for 2020 Report: 2020 Session Report
Click here for the 2020 End of Year Update on Local Issues
Click here for the 2021 Caucus Leadership Report
2019 Legislative Session
The 2019 legislative session was widely reported on as being the most contentious and challenging in over a decade. An usually large class of first-year legislators (30 of the 100) as well as a new executive branch led to predictable growing pains and adjustments. In addition, Democratic leadership in both chambers expressed a desire to advance an ambitious legislative agenda – which was met with a variety of attempts to slow or stall bills on the part of Republican legislators.
Click here for 2019 Report -----> 2019 Session Report
2018 Legislative Session
The 2018 Colorado Legislative session convened in January and adjourned on May 9, 2018. Over 700 bills were introduced which is a record. BOMA's Government Affairs Committee and Legislative Affairs Suncommittee reviewed, monitored and took positions on multiple bills including HB-1067 (Right to Rest Act - opposed), and SB-062 (Snow Removal Liability - first opposed and then remained neutral after the bill was amended). BOMA's state lobbyist, Jenn Penn with Dome Strategies, actively worked on BOMA members' behalf and is now monitoring interim issues. The full BOMA Government Affairs Committee meets the third Thursday of each month at BOMA. All members are invited.
Click here for 2018 Report -----> 2018 Session Report
2017 Legislative Session
During the 2017 Colorado General Assembly BOMA's Government Affairs Committee reviewed, monitored and took positions on many of the bills that could have affected commercial real estate, including property tax abatements, property manager endorsements on brokers' licenses and construction defects. The good news is that BOMA was successful in protecting your interests.
Click here for 2017 Report -----> 2017 Session Report
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