An informational and educational resource for the Colorado General Assembly by the Office of Legislative Legal Services.
By Matthew Dawkins
Starting in 2014, the process for requesting an interim study committee has changed. With the recent amendment of section 2-3-303.3, C.R.S., a legislator can no longer create an interim committee by passing a bill or resolution. Now, a legislator who thinks a group of his or her colleagues should study a particular issue during the interim must submit a formal letter to the Legislative Council for consideration and prioritization. (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 Julie Pelegrin
As the committees of reference swing into action for the 2014 regular legislative session, some legislators may be struggling to raise their committee rule IQ. Following is a short overview of the more important committee procedural rules to help guide you through the coming hours of committee hearings. Except as specifically noted, the procedures described below apply to House and Senate committees. (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 Chuck Brackney
The rise in the use of various social media tools and outlets such as Twitter and Facebook by groups associated with state legislatures has caught the eye of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), resulting in some interesting new research as well as educational webinars.
NCSL has created an online source for tracking the social media activity of legislative agencies as well as partisan caucus groups. It has found that no fewer than 48 states have at least some social media presence. (more…)
by Dan Cartin
Legislative Legal Services provides a variety of written materials and services to legislators in addition to their bill and amendment drafting needs. We hope each legislator will become a “power-user” of these ancillary services available from our staff during the 2014 session. Our homepage is located at http://leg.colorado.gov/agencies/office-of-legislative-legal-services.
Legislative Legal Services is the General Assembly’s nonpartisan legal staff agency. We have a statutory and ethical duty to represent the General Assembly as a whole. And we are obligated to serve the best interests of our institutional client, the General Assembly, as distinguished from the individual interests of any specific legislator. We balance that obligation with our statutory direction to prepare bills, amendments, and other documents for individual legislators and to maintain strict confidentiality when doing so. (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…)