GOOD GOVERNMENT

Government functions should be transparent and the campaigns and elections and that determine who our elected officials are should be too.  There is too much money in politics and too much of that money is hard-to-follow “mystery money”.  Voting should be as easy as possible for all eligible voters because elections are how we settle the hard policy questions in our society.  And when people try to commit fraud on government services or contracts, thereby ripping off taxpayers, there should be consequences.

Below are bills I’ve worked on to increase transparency in our elections and in state government and to make it easier to vote.

Reforming Judicial Discipline (HB23-1019) - For the past few years, a steady stream of media reports has highlighted allegations of improper conduct at the highest levels of our state judicial branch. I sponsored this bill to increase accountability & transparency of judicial discipline proceedings to the public.  It would require the Commission on Judicial Discipline to report and publicize aggregated information on the complaints it receives and investigations it conducts regarding judges and the type of discipline imposed or recommended.  Also, the bill requires the commission to keep complainants advised of how any complaint they file with the commission is proceeding, so people who may have been wronged by judicial conduct are not kept in the dark.  Status: signed into law.

Reforming Judicial Discipline (HCR23-1001) - I also sponsored this concurrent resolution to restore balance to Colorado’s judicial system by limiting the Supreme Court’s current power over discipline proceedings. Under this bipartisan proposed constitutional amendment, an independent body separate from the commission would be created to decide whether a justice or judge engaged in misconduct. The proceedings of the independent body would be public. It improves systems for confidential reporting and specifics rights of the complainant/victim throughout the investigation and hearing process. Status:  Passed legislature in 2023. Colorado voters will be asked to approve this constitutional amendments during the November 2024 election.

Prohibiting Conflicted Metro District Debt (HB23-1090) - Almost all new housing in Colorado is built under a “metro district”, which is a kind of special district with taxing authority that is able to issue debt to be paid by homeowners by way of property taxes.  I sponsored this bill to prevent those in charge of issuing debt (developers) to be able to purchase that same debt and benefit from interest payments that are paid off by homeowners, because this seems like a potential conflict of interest.  Status:  defeated due to lobbying by the metro district industry.

Protecting Taxpayers from False Claims (HB22-1119) – In recent years, Colorado has dedicated billions of dollars of state and federal funds to COVID recovery through unemployment benefits, small business grants and loans, and more. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous actors have perpetrated fraud on the state, which really means fraud on taxpayers. I sponsored this bill to give the Colorado Attorney General authority to take action against those who defraud taxpayers, enabling recovery of improperly claimed state funds with added penalties. This creates consequences for bad actors and, hopefully, an incentive against attempting fraud in the first place. STATUS – signed into law.

Reforms to Judicial Discipline (SB22-201) – Confidence in our judicial branch ought to be a foundation stone of state government, but that confidence has been shaken in recent years by reports of financial irregularities and questionable conduct. I sponsored this bill to increase the independence of Colorado’s Commission on Judicial Discipline so that the commission can more vigorously investigate judges whose conduct has come into question. The bill also created an interim committee that worked through the summer and fall of 2022 to consider further changes to Colorado’s system of judicial discipline. STATUS – signed into law.

More Efficient Review of Occupational Regulation (HB22-1291) – When a proposal arises for potential legislation concerning regulated profession, non-partisan state employees in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) conduct a thorough “sunrise review” to study the profession, how other states do or don’t oversee the profession, and best practices. These are laborious reviews and can take nearly a year. I sponsored this bill to streamline this process, make the reviews more objective, and allow DORA to save time and resources by declining a formal review if a super majority of other states already have laws in place about the profession under consideration. STATUS – signed into law.

Additional Voter Information for Tax Ballot Questions (SB22-222) – Coloradans are often asked to vote on extremely consequential income tax ballot measures whose impacts can reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. However, it’s not always clear who benefits more or less from proposed tax cuts, or who would pay a little or a lot more from a tax increase. I sponsored this bill to add a “tax table” providing more specific information about the impact of income tax ballot measures to future ballot titles. Colorado voters will saw this question on their November 2022 general election ballots and will have the final say whether they want to see this tax table in the future. STATUS – referred to the 2022 ballot & passed by voters.

Require Online Availability of Judicial Opinions (HB22-1091) – opinions from the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court are the law.  They interpret our statutes and our state constitution and help people understand what their rights are.  So they should be publicly available and free.  This bill would both put into law the existing practice of our courts of making newly published opinions available on their web sites and require them, within a few years, to post older (pre-internet age) opinions as well.  Older opinions are available through private subscription services and sometimes on web sites, but you shouldn’t have to pay to access the law, and people shouldn’t have to rely on unofficial sources of uncertain accuracy either.  STATUS – signed into law.  (I sponsored this bill in 2020 but it was postponed due to COVID that year.  In 2022, the bill passed).

Continuity of Judges for Transition to New Judicial District (HCR22-1005) – In 2020, just before COVID struck, I passed HB20-1026, to separate the current 18th Judicial District into two new districts starting in 2024 and 2025. Going forward, Arapahoe County will be the 18th Judicial District and Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties will be the 23rd District. In the last 50 years, no other district has grown as quickly as the current 18th Judicial District, and it’s by far the largest in the state. To ensure a smooth transition, I sponsored this measure to ask Colorado voters to approve one-time transition authority, if necessary, for judges serving in the current 18th Judicial District to the new districts. Judicial retention elections are not impacted. STATUS – referred to the 2022 ballot. A YES vote means approval of this mechanism to avoid disruption in judging.

Metro District Debt Reform (HB22-1363) – Almost no new housing in Colorado is built without a “metro district” (short for “metropolitan district”), which is a kind of government that can issue debt and impose taxes. As metro districts have proliferated – they now number more than 2,000 statewide, mostly in the metro Denver area – more and more residents have begun to question the amount of debt they issue and lack of transparency about their operations. I sponsored this bill to try to increase transparency surrounding metro district finances, to give cities and counties more oversight of metro districts on behalf of their taxpaying residents, and to prevent developers from buying debt that they themselves voted to issue (acting as directors of metro districts). However, this bill was defeated due to lobbying by the metro district industry.

Ending the “Colorado Filibuster” (HCR22-1002) – Since Colorado became a state in 1876, our constitution has allowed any one legislator to require a bill to be read out loud in full, preventing further debate and voting on that bill until the reading is done. Back then, that made some sense, because we didn’t have smart phones, tablets, laptops, laser printers, photocopiers, and many other ways for legislators and others read and comprehend bills on paper or on a screen. Now, sadly, “reading at length” has become a delay tactic in our legislature. I sponsored this measure to put a question on the general election ballot so that voters could decide whether they want to continue to have this reading at length provision in our state Constitution. However, it did not pass because time was running too short in our limited, 120-day legislative session.

Increased Transparency for Tax Ballot Measures (HB21-1321) – Colorado voters often face consequential and complicated tax ballot measures, but credible information about the impact of these measures can sometimes be hard to come by. I sponsored this bill so that the ballot initiative process will have more information for voters. Ballot titles will indicate what state services could be cut by a tax law change (for example, K-12 education), and the “Blue Book” that voters receive each fall will contain a table showing how tax law changes would benefit voters of lower, middle, or higher income levels to greater or lesser degrees. STATUS: signed into law.

More Frequent Reporting By Lobbyists (HB19-1248) – In Colorado’s time-limited, 120-day legislative session, the legislative process moves quickly, but lobbyists are only required to report monthly. It shouldn’t be possible for a bill to be introduced and to move much of the way through the legislative process before the public knows what interests are lobbying for or against the bill. I sponsored this bill to require 72-hour reporting of lobbying during the session and to close loopholes that can arise when attorneys also act as lobbyists and sometimes do not report their lobbying activity. STATUS: signed into law.

Increased Transparency for “Independent Expenditure Committees” (HB19-1318) – Every year more and more money is spent through independent expenditure efforts. Sometimes it’s even questionable how “independent” this campaigning is. I sponsored this bill to increase disclosures required by independent expenditure committees, penalize illegal “coordination” of campaign activity designed to evade campaign finance laws, and require more “disclaimers” on campaign mail pieces, online ads and other political communications so voters can see clearly who is trying to influence them. STATUS: signed into law.

Increased Transparency for “Electioneering Communications” (SB19-068) – Campaigns seem to start earlier every year but current law only requires more frequent reporting 60 days before the general election — even though voters have already been getting mail and seeing ads on TV and online for months by that point. I sponsored this bill to require more frequent reporting earlier in a general election year so more information is available to voters in a timely fashion. STATUS: signed into law.

Enforcement Of Campaign Finance Laws (SB19-232) – Our campaign finance laws need robust enforcement to have their intended effect of transparency. At the same time, one side should not be able to use the law to play “gotcha” on the other side. I sponsored this bill to codify a new system of investigating campaign finance violations, while screening out honest mistakes. STATUS: signed into law.

Colorado Open Records Act Updates (SB17-040) – Someone requesting public records should be able to access them in a usable electronic form rather than on paper. This bill modernizes Colorado’s open records law to require that if a public entity has records in a digital format, it must make those records available digitally. The bill also adds protections for the privacy of electronic health records and for security of critical infrastructure like water systems. While not a prime sponsor of this bill, I worked with the sponsors to help get it passed to improve government transparency in our state.  STATUS – signed into law.

Create a New Judicial District for Arapahoe County (HB20-1026) – Colorado has a total of 22 judicial districts, and that hasn’t changed in over 50 years.  Right now Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties are in the 18th judicial district, which has over 1 million residents – about 1/6 of the state’s population, far more than any other district.  Effective starting 2025, this bill would place Arapahoe County in the 18th judicial district and establish a new 23rd judicial district for Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties.  This would enable more efficient operation of the courts for all four counties. STATUS – signed into law.

Update Laws Governing Attorney General’s Office (SB20-063) – The Colorado Attorney General, elected every 4 years, is the top law enforcement official in our state and the people’s lawyer.  This bill updates laws regulating how the office of the attorney operates, clarifies the responsibilities of deputies and assistants who report to the attorney general, and clarifies proper handling of settlement funds recovered by the state in legal actions.  STATUS – signed into law.

Require Online Availability of Judicial Opinions (HB20-1130) – opinions from the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court are the law.  They interpret our statutes and our state constitution and help people understand what their rights are.  So they should be publicly available and free.  This bill would both put into law the existing practice of our courts of making newly published opinions available on their web sites and require them, within a few years, to post older (pre-internet age) opinions as well.  Older opinions are available through private subscription services and sometimes on web sites, but you shouldn’t have to pay to access the law, and people shouldn’t have to rely on unofficial sources of uncertain accuracy either.  STATUS – postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19.

Updating Time Off To Vote (HB18-1033) – Under existing law, voters can take 2 hours off to vote, but only on Election Day. This bill would have updated the law to match the reality of how we vote in Colorado by allowing 2 hours off within the days leading up to Election Day as well, to drop off a ballot, obtain a ballot or replacement ballot, or obtain ID or other necessary documents as well as to vote. Voting is a fundamental right and it’s how we choose our leaders and decide big questions as a society.  I sponsored this bill to make voting easier.  STATUS: killed on a party-line vote in GOP state senate.

Stand By Your Ad Act (HB18-1403) – This bill would have expanded the types of political advertising required to contain a “disclaimer” indicating who paid for the ad. More money is spent on campaigns with every passing year, and usually the less apparent it is who’s spending the money, the more negative the advertising is. This is no good for our democracy. I sponsored this bill because transparency in campaign ads lets voters make informed choices.  STATUS: killed on a party-line vote in GOP state senate.

Closing Mystery Money Loopholes (HB17-1259) – Voters are tired of “dark money” in elections, but a recent Colorado court case created the risk of a loophole by which candidates could set up an “independent expenditure committee” to raise or spend unlimited money to influence their own election, thereby circumventing candidate limits approved 2:1 by voters.  I sponsored this bill to close the loophole.  STATUS – killed on a party-line committee vote in GOP state senate.