Bauer: Power House Panel of Western Slope Legislators in Delta

By Shirley Bauer | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Hard math: 4 of 70 Republican bills became law.

On July 23, five of our state’s most prominent legislators representing the Western Slope met for a legislative update at Daveto’s to a sold-out crowd. The legislative update was sponsored by Delta County GOP, and the MC was Chairwoman Leslie Parker. The legislators present represented Delta County along with other counties on the Western Slope:

• Senator Janice Rich from Senate District 7, Senate Minority Whip and winner of the “Legislator of the Year” award in 2023, represents the Cedaredge area in Delta County and all of Mesa County (she resides in Grand Junction).

• Senator Marc Catlin, who resides in Montrose, is from Senate District 5. He represents most of Delta County, as well as Eagle, Garfield, Montrose, Gunnison, Pitkin, and Hinsdale counties. Senator Catlin was the first member in history to be placed in a leadership position for a “standing committee of reference” while serving in the minority party. He is an expert on water issues affecting the Western Slope.

• Representative Matt Soper, who resides in Delta, is from House District 54 and vice chair of the Judiciary Committee. He represents Delta and Cedaredge in Delta County, as well as Mesa County except for Grand Junction.

• Representative Larry Don Suckla, who grew up near Naturita and was a prior county commissioner for Montezuma County, is from House District 58. He represents the north fork of Delta County, most of Montezuma County, and counties Montrose, Ouray, Dolores, Gunnison, Hinsdale, and San Miguel.

• Representative Rick Taggart, who resides in Grand Junction, is from House District 55, which represents Grand Junction, Clifton, Fruitvale, Orchard Mesa, and the Redlands. Rep. Taggart has a long history of business experience and was a prior mayor of Grand Junction for two years. He is a permanent member of the Joint Budget Committee for the state.

The legislators spoke individually, and their presentation lasted about 50 minutes. They covered major points from the 2025 legislative session, which began in January and ended in May.

Sen. Rich led off with how many bills were introduced: 657. Of those, 487 passed, 11 were vetoed, and 476 bills were signed into law by Governor Polis. Each representative is allowed to present five bills. Most of the bills that she and other Republicans presented were killed in committee.

“At the start of the year, the Senate Republicans unveiled a number of bills that, if passed, would have given the average Colorado family over $4,500 in annual savings. Together, the Senate Republicans took to the West Foyer of the Capitol and unveiled a striking visual—a tower of 4,500 one-dollar bills representing the amount a Colorado family could save every year if their legislative package was adopted,” Rich shared.

Most of the 487 bills that passed and were signed into law by Governor Polis were along party lines and weren’t helpful to Coloradans—in fact, they are harmful. “Two hundred seventy-nine were strictly Democrat bills; of those, 69 failed with the remaining 210 signed into law.” According to Sen. Rich, the majority party wasn’t interested in what the Republicans had to offer and killed each of their bills one by one. Instead, they prioritized their own political agenda rather than the financial well-being of the people of this state.

For example, the first bill the Republicans offered, SB131, would have brought down housing costs by making critical changes to our state’s construction defect laws and by cutting regulations that discourage new housing construction. It died in committee. Sen. Rich introduced her own bill, SB156, which would have drastically slashed excessive regulations that are crushing Colorado’s economic prosperity. It would have repealed regulations created in SB22-193, SB20-204, SB20-218, HB22-1362, and HB21-1198. While all but two testified in support of her bill, it died in committee on a party-line vote. The Republicans submitted a total of 70 bills; 66 failed and only 4 passed.

(To see all of Sen. Rich’s perspective on the 75th General Assembly, visit: https://thebusinesstimes.com/author/janice-rich/)

Sen. Rich said, “Being in the minority party is difficult, but we did have some successes. While it is hard to see the majority party reject their efforts to help Coloradans with their hardships, it was the Republicans’ efforts that ultimately secured some meaningful victories for the people of Colorado and will help ease some of the burden on families and businesses.”

“Had we not succeeded in stopping HB1302, Coloradans could have seen an increase in housing costs. The cost of healthcare, which has reached unprecedented heights, would have continued to rise if we had not stopped SB198. And of course, thanks to overwhelming pressure from our caucus and families, House Joint Resolution 1023—which would have used taxpayer dollars to sue the taxpayers—was never introduced to the Senate.”

Sen. Catlin talked about the impact the Wolf Program is having on the Western Slope and how it continues to be a major concern. In spite of the extreme amount of money it’s costing taxpayers to stick with the program, CPW isn’t willing to pause it. At the recent Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Grand Junction on July 17, it was debated whether CPW would pay wolf depredation claims submitted by two ranchers from Grand County and Pitkin County. After the contentious debate, a motion was made to award the two ranchers for their losses. It narrowly passed on a 6 to 5 vote.

It cost CPW nearly $200,000 in wolf depredation claims, pushing total compensation in 2024 to over $600,000, which is more than $253,000 over what the state budgeted through its general fund.

The depredation (killing of livestock by wolves) from the Copper Creek Wolf Pack continues in Pitkin County, with a new calf killed just since the July 17 meeting. Because of the risk to ranchers and farmers who dare to ask for compensation for livestock they’ve lost, Catlin, along with others, introduced a bill (SB25-038, the Wildlife Damage Protection of Personal Information Act). It passed and was signed into law. “The law is designed to protect ranchers’ identities and personal information and helps stop those who want to interfere with the right for the rancher for due process in wolf depredation losses or those who just want to see wolves. This helps some—but doesn’t fix the problem.”

The latest concern is that CPW may simply move this pack to another county instead of removing it altogether.

Sen. Catlin also touted his bill SB2506, which addresses repeated phone calls resulting in obstruction of government operations, particularly 911 calls. The bill was also co-sponsored and passed, becoming law April 12, 2025. The law came about because of frivolous 911 calls being spotlighted in Colorado Springs. Sen. Catlin said it wasn’t just in Colorado Springs but was happening across the state. “Garfield County came to me and said they were having a serious problem with people dialing 911 up to 1,000 times a month with no way to stop them.” With the passage of this law, it is now a criminal offense which can lead to charges of false reporting of an emergency, which is classified as a class 1 misdemeanor. If the false report results in significant consequences, it can escalate to a class 4 felony.

Rep. Suckla described the State House: “It is an evil place.” And his first year in it was “like drinking from a fire hose!” He went on to say, “Imagine, it is like being in a third-grade class and having to learn 500 rules, with the expectation that next time you return, you have to learn 600 new ones!” He was referring to the enormous number of bills presented during the session, and the complicated steps it takes to pass them. He also shared frustration about how “Democrats would not stay on the House floor to listen to testimony against bills. The Dems just left the chamber, went someplace else to do something, and only returned to vote. Nothing anyone said changed their minds.”

For example, the public opposition to bills like the anti-gun measure SB25-003 on semi-automatic firearms and HB25-1312—what many are calling the “anti-parent” bill—was ignored. Well over 700 concerned citizens signed up to testify against HB25-1312, compared to only about 70 in support. “The people against the bill were ignored.” (This bill allows the courts to remove children from a home simply for “misgendering” a child’s identity. Critics say it’s one of the most extreme anti-parent bills in America.)

Rep. Soper also agreed about how hard it is to get bills passed. But he highlighted two bipartisan wins that he co-sponsored: HB25-1275 and SB25-304, which addressed a serious scandal involving manipulated DNA samples by a forensic lab technician. That scandal affected over 1,000 cases and caused a huge backlog at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). HB25-1275 enables case reviews, requires notification within 91 days, and mandates reports within 14 days. CBI must report on any issues that occurred before July 2025 by September 1, 2025.

Victims, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and even those convicted were extremely frustrated by not being notified of the problem in a timely manner. SB25-204, the companion bill to HB25-1275, tackles the backlog by allocating $112,365 to fund a Sexual Assault Forensic Med Evidence Review Board, chaired by the Attorney General to monitor the process. The goal is to clear the backlog of cases by July 2027 and reduce DNA processing time to 90 days. “Lawmakers from both parties backed HB25-1275 unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee, indicating how urgent the problem is.”

Rep. Soper also pointed out his Broadband Law (HB25-1080) that was passed and signed into law on May 30, 2025. The measure incentivizes the deployment of wireless telephone infrastructure in the state—particularly in rural and underserved areas—and creates incentives for investments in new communication infrastructures in addition to incentives already created by state and federal law.

Rep. Taggart, who serves on the Joint Budget Committee (JBC), described how the JBC committee works. The JBC is the General Assembly’s permanent fiscal and budget review agency. There are six members, and all must agree 100% to pass the state’s budget or it is rejected. He described working on the “Long Bill” (or “Long Appropriations Bill”), which is the “full appropriations package” (or budget) prepared each year. The budget process is the result of a collaboration between the legislative and executive branches over the entire year. The process starts with the Governor, who submits his budget and unfunded mandates for the state, which must be submitted to the JBC by November 1. It includes all expenses as well as revenue estimates. The expenditures should not exceed available revenue.

“This year, the Governor’s proposed budget was well over what was available to cover all expenses. They were facing a $1.2 billion funding deficit shortfall,” Taggart said. It was believed that the deficit was driven by higher-than-expected Medicaid costs and a structural deficit (overspending). The JBC worked hard to find resources to cover the budget expenses for the year by pulling from the state’s cash funds reserves and making cuts in some areas.

Republicans attempted to pass several amendments to reduce spending—many involving cuts to illegal immigration, abortion, unions, and firearms—but were rejected. Taking money from the cash reserve helped for this year, but the concern is there won’t be enough for next year.

On April 28, 2025, the $44 billion spending budget for the new fiscal year was signed into law. The JBC will return the first week of November to begin work on next year’s budget. “The majority party continues to blame President Trump and the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ for the lack of revenue and funding for next year. 

Republicans point out that it’s the Democrats’ lack of fiscal responsibility and massive spending on pet projects and their political agenda that’s to blame. For example, SB25-276, the immigration bill, started in the Senate. 

Per Sen. Rich, ‘The Republicans warned the Democrats that they will lose federal funding if that bill passes.’ It did pass and was signed into law May 23, 2025. SB25-276 was promoted as ‘strengthening constitutional rights for immigrant families and all Coloradans’—enforcing Fourth Amendment rights in public spaces. However, it is against ICE and bars local law enforcement across Colorado from holding criminal illegals for ICE, effectively making all of Colorado a sanctuary state—counter to Trump’s deportation mandate.”

A few issues from the audience:

1. Unfunded mandates and enforcement. Air Quality Control Commission Regulation Rule #31 (Control of Methane Emissions from Solid Waste and Landfills) was mentioned as one such unfunded mandate. This regulation targets methane gas emissions caused by waste recycling, such as in Delta County. Mesa County identified nearly $10 million annually for the past two years in unfunded mandates from the state. These mandates redirect money from public safety, roads, and community services, and the counties wind up paying for them without input at the local level. Rep. Taggart responded, “Counties are pushing back, because there’s no funding or clear way to enforce these mandates which affect all 64 counties.” Mesa County commissioners have already drafted a letter of objection to the costs, and other county commissioners plan to follow, including Delta’s county commissioners.
   
2. Bill selection process. Sen. Catlin said the bills he introduces generally come from constituents’ concerns. Others agreed and encouraged the public to continue voicing needs.
   
3. Federal Medicaid cuts. Cuts are supposed to address fraud and abuse, and some applicants will need to work to receive benefits. Sen. Taggart said there may be cuts, but not until 2027. Rep. Soper added that Delta County hospital could be affected because much of its funding is from Medicaid. Clinics and services are already closing in anticipation of lost revenue.
   
4. Voting machines. The panel said state statute requires the use of electronic voting machines. This cannot be changed without enough Republicans in the State House and Senate to pass such a change.

From the panel’s responses: 

“The Republicans may be outnumbered, but they’re still fighting hard for Colorado and do make a difference.” 

“We do have bipartisan bills we work on together, so it is important for the public to stay engaged.”

Final thoughts

The panel agreed it’s nearly impossible to get bills stopped or amended as the majority party holds the numbers in the General Assembly. Republicans are outnumbered in both chambers—43 Democrats to 22 Republicans in the House and 23 Democrats to 12 Republicans in the Senate. 

Committees follow similar ratios. The committees are critical because they are the first step in passing a bill. 

It is essential to support our Republican legislators and let them know how much you appreciate the work they do. We must get out the vote and elect more Republicans to office as well as keep our current Republican officials in office. 

The Delta County GOP fully supports this concept. Please visit www.deltacoloradogop.com to find out more. It is full of information with links to our elected officials and other sites. 

Find details on these and other bills at the Colorado General Assembly website: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills.

A huge thank you to our legislators for their time and for the tremendous amount of information they provided. I want to mention that among the attendees were all three Delta County Commissioners: Wendall Koontz, Mike Lane, and Craig Fuller. Also present was candidate for HD54 Nina Anderson and Nova Tucker on behalf of Congressman Jeff Hurd.

I want to give special recognition to Daveto’s for their venue and for their amazing food! Thank you!

Shirley Bauer, a Colorado native raised in Moffat County, has become a driving force for grassroots conservatism on the Western Slope. After a career in nursing and a move to Cedaredge in 2012, she shifted from political newcomer to key organizer in the Delta County GOP, coordinating visits from statewide candidates and legislators, recruiting new party leaders, and leading community education on political engagement. Known for her generosity of time and resources, Bauer has championed parental rights, notably helping local schools push back against the state’s name-change law for minors. Her rural upbringing instilled values of hard work, integrity, and community service—principles she’s carried into years of advocacy that earned her the 2025 Rocky Mountain Voice Trailblazer Award for grassroots leadership and legislative advocacy on education issues.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.