By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
It will remain to be seen how closely Democrat Gov. Jared Polis aligns in the 75th legislative session with Colorado House Republicans on a variety of priority issues to the minority caucus.
During a long address in which he noted Lord of the Rings, referenced Star Trek and Star Wars, and imitated Taylor Swift, Polis found a bit of time to borrow some of the key issues of the day from the minority party’s playbook, including affordability, public safety, education and brief mentions of agriculture.
“Colorado families are facing significant challenges, and I appreciate the governor’s recognition that affordability remains one of the greatest concerns for Coloradans,” House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese said following Polis’ address to the joint gathering of the legislature. “The legislature must acknowledge the role it has played in making Colorado less affordable through excessive fees and overregulation.”
In the Senate, Minority Leader Paul Lundeen this week noted, as an example, the detested 10-cent per-bag fee imposed by the legislature on Coloradans. Coloradans are feeling the pinch of Democratic-led policy like that, Pugliese says.
“People are telling us they cannot afford to raise their families here, and seniors fear they must leave the state because they cannot live on fixed incomes,” she said. “We need to cut fees and government over-regulation to restore affordability and opportunity for every income level.”
Minority Whip Rep. Ryan Armagost, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, 10-year member of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and formerly a volunteer firefighter, has noted the continued and pressing need for investments in public safety.
“A safer Colorado is a vision we all share, but achieving it requires more than superficial funding increases,” he said in a statement. “Our communities are facing serious challenges, including illicit drugs, rising property theft and transnational gang activity.”
It took citizen-led initiatives in 2024 to strengthening training, retention and a line-of-duty death benefit for law enforcement (Prop. 130), in addition to tougher-on-crime parole policy (Prop. 128). Both passed by decivise, double-digit margins.
“We appreciate that the governor has acknowledged the will of the people in their vote to allocate $350 million to law enforcement for recruitment, retention and training,” Armagost said. “This funding is vital to addressing staffing shortages and ensuring the safety of our communities. It is a meaningful step toward honoring and supporting those who protect and serve.”
The Republican position on public safety also extends to the presence of dangerous illegal aliens in Colorado.
“We are glad the governor echoed my statements on the floor yesterday that violent, illegal immigrants who harm any and all Colorado citizens, especially children, pose a significant threat to public safety and must be addressed,” said Pugliese, a first-generation American.
Republicans are also leading on fully-funding education, a constitutionally-required directive of the legislature.
“Fully funding education, from K-12 to higher education, is essential for the future of our state,” Rep. Anthony Hartsook said in a statement. “While avoiding the budget stabilization factor is progress, it is not enough. Schools, students and families need resources now — not years from now. Meaningful investment and comprehensive reform cannot wait.”
One area in which it might be difficult to get across-the-aisle agreement from Democrats and the governor is protection of voter-supported Taxpayer Bill of Rights funds.
“TABOR is essential to protecting taxpayers’ money and maintaining trust in responsible government spending,” Pugliese said. “Unfortunately, the majority agenda continues to prioritize circumventing TABOR to collect more tax dollars from hardworking families. Coloradans have consistently voted to protect TABOR, which is why we remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding TABOR and defending Coloradans from attempts to undermine this vital protection.”
While Polis mentioned agriculture in the address, his greatest omission may have been related to gray wolf introduction — policy which pro-wolf advocates are leading with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, over equal integration of ranchers.
“The devastation wolves are causing to Colorado’s livestock producers is a harsh reality they now face,” Assistant Minority Leader Ty Winter said in a statement. “Livestock producers are bearing the brunt of urban policies that do not work for rural Colorado, as demonstrated by mounting livestock losses and livelihoods at risk. With only a few wolves released, there are already significant dollars of depredation caused. Given the major budget deficit, we cannot guarantee that affected producers will receive the compensation they need for their losses.”
Some ranchers have complained the governor cares more about chickens and wolves than in protecting them, their families and their livelihoods.