Lawmakers were set to gather Wednesday morning at the State Capitol in Denver for the 120-day marathon of the upcoming legislative session. Stay tuned for updates on new developments by The Denver Post’s state government reporters.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Democrats held onto strong majorities in both legislative chambers in November’s elections — one seat shy of a 2-to-1 supermajority in each — though Republicans clawed back from superminority status in the House by reducing Democrats’ margins.
Some of the proposals the Democrats have previewed so far include new efforts on labor reform, a ban on selling semiautomatic firearms with detachable magazines and measures to improve housing attainability. Democratic leaders have also pledged to push back on what they deem federal overreach by the second administration of President-elect Donald Trump, particularly around mass deportations.
But they’ll also be grappling with a massive budget shortfall, driven by skyrocketing Medicaid costs, that will hamstring many new efforts they want to pursue. On Tuesday, House Speaker Julie McCluskie said leadership told members that new bills would need to have a net-zero effect on the budget.
McCluskie, House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, Senate President-designee James Coleman and Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen are all expected to give speeches today laying out their priorities and hopes for the session as it begins.
On Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis is expected to deliver his annual State of the State address.
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