DENVER — The Colorado legislative session is heading into its final weekend as state lawmakers work to get through around 200 bills still left up for debate.
As of Wednesday, 614 bills had been introduced in the state, according to the Office of Legislative Legal Services. Of the bills introduced, 410 are done, meaning they were either killed or sent to the governor's desk.
It's now down to the wire to figure out the fate of hundreds of other bills that are up for debate in the state.
"It is going to be really busy, but it always is, right, because we're trying to, you know, kind of finish up everything that we have left to do," said Monica Duran, D-Jefferson County, the Majority Leader for the House Representatives. "The goal is to get our most important things done."
Some of the big topics up for discussion include banning so-called "ghost guns" which progressed in the state legislature on Friday.
Other bills up for debate also include SB23-097, the motor vehicle theft and unauthorized use bill — which would change the way vehicle theft is defined in the state — and HB23-1249, juvenile prosecution age, which would changes the minimum age of a child who is subject to juvenile court and create an appropriation for local collaborative management programs.
A controversial land use bill introduced by Governor Polis — aimed at combating the state's housing crisis — has opponents speaking against it in the name of local control. It is a big piece of legislation this session, as it targets affordable housing in Colorado in a number of ways.
A goal of the bill's sponsors in the House of Representatives was restoring some of the power the bill lost through amendments made in the Senate.
"We’re expecting a lot of debate," said Rep. Anthony Hartsook, R-Douglas County, who shared concerns over the Land Use bill. "The land use bill, in essence, is the state surpassing the local control local governments. They're planning their water, they're building their housing. And it's under the guise of saying, 'Hey, we need to have more affordable housing.' Well, throughout history, every state to include Colorado, local governments, local planning boards, local town councils, make those decisions, because that's what impacts the people that live in that community."
Another big topic up for debate is a property tax measure that would safeguard homeowners from disproportionate property tax increases without impacting essential local resources.
"Our property tax that's been on everyone's mind is, we all know, utilities, because we all know how high our utility bills have gotten," added Duran.
Hartsook added he wished there was more time to discuss these topics that will have a big effect on local communities.
"We're not having time to have a legitimate debate on what's going to impact all of these communities, municipalities, and every person in this state. And that's very frustrating, because we were sent here, just like the majority, to represent our people. And we're not getting that chance. It's just being limited to four hours," he said.
"We're not having time to have a legitimate debate on what's going to impact all of these communities, municipalities, and every person in this state. And that's very frustrating," added Hartsook.
"The goal is to be able to finish, right, everything that we've been all working so hard on, obviously, every session, there's times where you don't quite get to that finish line. And that's OK," added Duran.
The legislative session wraps up Monday, May 8.
It's still unclear if lawmakers plan to host any special sessions.
