By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance
In terms of resets, Colorado’s November legislative election results were negligible compared to what happened nationally. Republicans flipped three districts in the 65-member state House but still face a 21-seat disadvantage. Democrats’ 23-12 Senate margin is unchanged.
Yet, with the 75th General Assembly scheduled to open Wednesday, everyone from business groups to labor leaders and from environmental activists to construction-defect-reform advocates are approaching this 120-day session with a new fervor. Some are reacting to the shifting makeup of party bases nationally, others to Colorado’s downward spiral in economic-competitiveness rankings. The common theme, though, is an urgency for change from all parts of the political spectrum.
Some of that change will seek to reignite old battles with hopes of different outcomes. The state’s Labor Peace Act will be on the table for the first time since 2007. Legislators will debate for the umpteenth time in the past decade whether tightening rules around defects lawsuits could spur needed condominium construction. Familiar battles on oil-and-gas regulations and lawsuit damages are likely to re-emerge.