Gun control bill and labor fights, a party-line Jan. 6 resolution and more in the Colorado legislature this week

It’s going to be a busy week in the Colorado legislature, folks.

The first full vote on Senate Bill 3 was delayed last week, but it’s now scheduled for Thursday. That bill, which would institute a sweeping ban on the purchase or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms if they accept detachable magazines, was paused because its sponsors are in negotiations with Gov. Jared Polis, who has not embraced the proposal.

It’s unclear if those negotiations will bear any fruit — or what exactly that fruit might look like — but the bill is set for the Senate floor on Thursday.

That’ll be a jam-packed day in the Senate: Senate Bill 5 — a contentious measure that would change a key union-organizing provision in Colorado’s labor law — is also up for its first vote in the chamber Thursday. That bill has drawn even starker opposition from Polis, as well as objections from the business community.

Republicans are expected to oppose both measures and likely stretch debate over hours — particularly on the gun bill. Still, the bills each appear to have sufficient Democratic support to pass the Senate and move to the House.

Here’s what else is afoot in the legislature this week:

Jan. 6 resolution

The Senate passed a Democrat-sponsored resolution Monday morning that would condemn the pardoning of people convicted for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The resolution comes a few weeks after President Donald Trump released rioters convicted for their actions that day — including assaulting police officers — from prison.

The vote was 21-12, with all Republicans voting no. Now the resolution will move to the House, where it will likely trigger more of a floor fight.

Resolutions — symbolic statements of values or support — often become a rhetorical battleground in the House, given some of its more right-wing Republican members, and a resolution about Jan. 6 represents a significant landmine for the chamber. After all, two-thirds of the Republican caucus endorsed language three years ago that, among other things, thanked the Jan. 6 crowd.

Flurry of bill movement

A month into the session, legislation is moving, stalling and passing. This week, that will include a first House vote on House Bill 1010, which seeks to limit price gouging, and House Bill 1041, which seeks to allow colleges to directly pay student-athletes for their names and likenesses.

Both are scheduled for votes Tuesday; assuming that happens, they could then be up for final votes in the House later this week.

Several House committees will also hear contentious Republican bills this week, some of which are likely dead on arrival. Those include changes to election systems, a bill related to local law enforcement’s communication with federal immigration authorities, and anti-abortion and anti-transgender health care bills.

None of those are likely to advance. But House Bill 1062, a bipartisan measure to tighten penalties for firearm thefts, will be more of a fight: It’s co-sponsored by the Democratic House majority leader, and Polis gave a shout-out to the bill during his State of the State address in January. That bill will be in the House’s Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.