Senate Democrats and Republicans squabble over public access to bills
The Colorado General Assembly's special session on property taxes got off to a dramatic start as partisan bickering erupted over the issue of public access to the legislation being proposed.
Within an hour of the session's opening, Senate Democratic and Republican leaders engaged in a heated exchange over the schedule and whether the public would have enough time to review the dozen bills that are set to be discussed in the next three days.
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen argued that the public needs more time to examine the bills, including the main legislation, Senate Bill 23B-101, which Democrats claim aims to supply property tax relief. He proposed delaying the session, much to the chagrin of Democrats.
Lundeen insisted that conducting business openly in committee and giving the public time to participate is crucial, even if it means extending the session past the planned adjournment on Sunday.
However, Fenberg accused the Republicans of deliberately attempting to drag out the session, stating that it had been their plan all along. He emphasized that the process for a special session is similar to the final days of a regular session and that the schedule had been discussed and agreed upon by both parties.
The Colorado General Assembly intends to follow the same process for this special session, which includes a three-day period for a bill to pass through both chambers.
The bill is introduced on the first day, goes through committee, and then to the floor for a second reading. By law, the third reading vote must take place after midnight of the second day. The bill then moves to the other chamber for the same process, and a final vote is held on the third day.
The issue of public access to the bills has caused a rift between the parties, with Democrats accusing the Republicans of playing political games. In response, Republicans have pointed out the lack of collaboration on the part of the Democrats, citing Fenberg's dismissal of Republican proposals as "not real" in a press conference the day before.
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“With the press present, you say, 'Hold on. I'm speaking for the people. ... They need to be there.' That is performative and that's not how we do things here," Senate President Steve Fenberg as told by Colorado Politics.
Senate Assistant Minority Leader Bob Gardner then pointed out that Fenberg had called Republican proposals "not real" in a press conference Thursday.
Fenberg responded by noting that both sides have drawn hard lines in the sand: Republicans do not want to see TABOR surplus revenue used to provide property tax relief, and Democrats' proposals are using existing general fund money set aside for that purpose. Republicans want to use the state reserve, which Democrats won't accept.
Fenberg concludes with the smug statement of the majority, "We are where we are.”