General Assembly begins with Republican numbers at historic low
The Colorado General Assembly begins its 2023 session next Monday, Jan. 9. With dozens of new lawmakers joining the legislature, out of 100 total, the session promises to be a little more chaotic than usual.
In the state House, there will eventually be 31 new lawmakers out of 65. Republicans lost ground in the November elections, dropping from 24 members to 19, a historic low. Democrats, at 46, now hold a better than two-thirds majority, meaning they could override any veto from the governor. That also gives them the ability to send constitutional amendments to the voters for the 2024 election.
However, the split in the Senate makes both unlikely. Republicans were expected to gain at least a couple of seats, but instead lost two, leaving them with 12 to the Democrats’ 23. It takes 24 for a two-thirds majority, and it’s unlikely, given the more conservative makeup of the Republican caucus, that any Republican would cross the aisle for a constitutional amendment, for example.
The 35-member Senate will have nine new members, although most are not new to the process as they have served in the House in the past.
Gov. Jared Polis, who handily won re-election in November, will be inaugurated on Jan. 10 and will give his State of the State address on Jan. 12.
Northeastern Colorado gained new representation in both the House and Senate. Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, now heading into his third term, represented southeastern Colorado in the past. However, the new maps drawn by the independent redistricting commission created two more compact House districts for the Eastern Plains, meaning Holtorf will not have to do so much driving in the future to reach constituents.
“I represented nine counties in House District 64,” Holtorf told this reporter. “I represent seven counties in House District 63. I would travel six hours to get to the southern end of my district. Now I’m in the center of my district, literally in the epicenter, and I can be anywhere in my district in an hour, 20 minutes or less.” He called it being blessed by a geographic benefit based on the new maps.
In the Senate, former Logan County Commissioner Byron Pelton will take over Senate District 1 from former Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, who was elected to the Logan County commission in November.
Holtorf has an added responsibility within his caucus in the next session: He was elected to caucus leadership as caucus whip, a kind of vote-counter and the person responsible for making sure everyone is on the floor for votes. He promised his colleagues in November he would continue some of his tactics from the previous sessions, including as part of a minority that filibusters what they believe are bad bills.
“The Democrats will grow weary and tired of what I bring to town, but that’s okay,” he said. “Let them be tired and let the bad bills die on the calendar.”
That said, Holtorf plans this week to work on closing the rural-urban divide; and educating urban lawmakers about the things that impact rural Colorado, and the importance of preserving and protecting rural economies and communities.
One area he intends to focus on is the continuing efforts on the Republican River, and satisfying the legal requirements of a compact that now requires Eastern Plains farmers to withdraw 25,000 acres from groundwater usage by 2029 under a three-state resolution signed in 2016. Legislation in the 2022 session provided $30 million to help that effort, but Holtorf said farmers would prefer to farm, given the current high commodity prices for corn, millet and other crops.
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