An informational and educational resource for the Colorado General Assembly by the Office of Legislative Legal Services.
By Jery Payne
Imagine you’re a senator in the Colorado General Assembly. You’re sitting at your desk and feeling good. Session is winding down, and you’re done with that monster bill you’ve been working on. All you have left is a short cleanup bill. (more…)
By Julie Pelegrin
In representing the interests of constituents, a legislator may introduce legislation or an amendment that makes someone angry or that someone may consider unfair. When debating bills in committee or on the floor, a legislator may make a statement that offends someone or that someone believes is untrue. In the course of serving in the General Assembly, a legislator may do any number of things that could result in a civil law suit or even, in very rare circumstances, criminal charges. The framers of the Colorado constitution, anticipating these possibilities, included constitutional protections to ensure that legislators can do their jobs without interference or intimidation by the judicial or executive branches. (more…)
By Gwynne Middleton
Legislators work hard to pass bills to improve the lives of Coloradans. Many of these bills include statutory rule-making authority for state agencies so that they can implement the bills legislators pass. In many cases, however, the legislator who sponsors a bill never knows what the state agency is doing to implement the bill. (more…)
By Julie Pelegrin
We’re halfway through the session. Some bills have passed, some have not, and most are still winding their way through the process. As the session picks up speed, bill titles become a matter of greater interest. “My bill just died. Is there another title I can fit it under?” is a question the drafting office hears on a regular basis in the last 60 days of the session. So now is a good time to review the constitutional requirements and the customs and practices pertaining to bill titles. (more…)
by Kristen Forrestal and Julie Pelegrin
When a legislator crafts a bill, most of the drafting choices center on the substantive policies that the legislator is proposing. However, there are a few nonsubstantive, but important, questions that a drafter is likely to ask the bill sponsor. This article is intended to help bill sponsors decide the answers to some of these questions by explaining the outcomes of various options. (more…)
By Chuck Brackney
Colorado has in place a number of mechanisms that seek to ensure the public has access to the workings of its state government. For example, the GAVEL amendment to the state constitution requires that every bill introduced in the General Assembly have a hearing and that party caucus meetings be open to the public. Two laws in particular exemplify this focus on open government. (more…)
by Julie Pelegrin
One of the most challenging aspects of being a legislator is learning the legislative rules. Even if you are not a committee chair or serving in a leadership role, you need at least a general understanding of the legislative rules to be an effective legislator. The rules are at the heart of the legislative process. They are the framework that helps ensure that the legislature’s process for creating public policy is open, balanced, and efficient. A legislator’s facility with properly using the legislative rules can mean the difference between a bill signing ceremony and a vote to postpone indefinitely. (more…)
by Jery Payne
Imagine you are judging a court case. The Wildlife Commission held a hearing to award a grant for an endangered species. Both the Whooping Crane Association and the Black-Footed Ferret Foundation applied. The commission gave the grant to the ferret folks, but it didn’t have a legally required quorum. The crane crew sues to make the ferret folks repay the grant. (more…)
by Kate Meyer
Bill drafting is the most visible function that the Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS) performs, yet the actual process of getting a bill from idea to introduction is a lot more complicated than many people realize. How does the drafting process work (i.e., why does it take so long)? (more…)