End of Session Wrap-Up
As of Monday, June 15th, 2020 the Second Regular Session of the 72nd Colorado General Assembly is officially adjourned. This session was certainly unusual and unprecedented. The pandemic and resulting economic crisis changed a lot of the plans we had at the beginning of the session, but despite all of these unplanned difficulties, I am proud that I was able to lead this caucus to a place where we were able to accomplish so much for Coloradans. In spite of major revenue shortfalls we were able to balance the budget while preserving funding for K-12 and critical human services for vulnerable Coloradans. In addition to this, we were also able to pass legislation and secure federal funds for economic recovery, improve public health and environmental protections, and make historic justice reforms.
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Bills we passed to aid economic recovery:
- SB20-222 - Provides $20 million in federal money to go directly to small businesses.
- HB20-1413 - Provides $250 million for a small business loan fund.
- HB20-1410 - Provides $20 million in federal funds for direct housing assistance.
- HB20-1412 - Provides $4.8 million to aid in utility assistance for Coloradans.
- HB20-1422 - Provides $500k in aid for food pantries.
- SB20-211 - Provides debt relief.
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The COVID-19 crisis exposed some areas of need in our current public health system. After hearing from people across the state, here's some of the bills that we passed:
- SB20-205 - Allows employees to earn sick leave.
- SB20-215 - Allows our very successful reinsurance program to continue.
- SB20-212 - Expands telehealth access across the state.
- HB20-1236 - Helps Coloradans connect to affordable healthcare options.
- HB20-1143 - Increases fees and penalties for air pollution.
- SB20-204 - Provides additional resources to protect air quality.
- HB20-1265 - Requires notifications to communities when air toxins are emitted.
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Since the tragic killing of George Floyd, people from across the nation came out in large numbers to voice their outrage over what was far from an isolated innocent. With many large and inspiring gatherings here in Colorado, as well as countless emails, phone calls, and letters, we decided it was time to lead the way in taking historic action with long overdue reform of our flawed justice system. The bill passed was:
- SB20-217 - I had the privilege of serving as a Senate Prime Sponsor on this historic law enforcement reform legislation. The bill accomplished many things, including banning the use of the chokehold, outlawing the use of deadly force on a fleeing felon, mandating the use of body cameras, creating a duty to intervene by other officers in instances of excessive force, restricting the use of chemical agents and non-lethal ammunition on protesters, and removing the protection of qualified immunity. The bill was passed in both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Polis on Friday, June 19th.
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It cannot be overstated just how historic of a session this year has been. But, together with the grit, determination, and innovation which characterizes the spirit of Colorado, we came through stronger than ever to get back on our feet and even set several shining examples for the rest of the country. With that said, our work is far from over and I encourage all of you to keep in touch and let us know how we can continue to help make Colorado the best place to work, live, and play.
As always, feel free to reach out to me either by phone at (303) 866-4878 or by email at leroy.garcia.senate@state.co.us if you have any questions, concerns, or helpful insight.
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