Colorado Politics

What the state House GOP said yes and no to this session | NOONAN

Paula Noonan

No, no, 83 times no. That’s how many times Colorado state House Republicans voted no, unanimously, on bills that passed both chambers. Yes, yes, 62 times yes. That’s how many times Colorado state House Republicans voted yes, unanimously, on bills that passed both chambers.

Perhaps you’re surprised by the number of unanimous yes’s among GOPers. Admittedly, the yes votes were more of a hodgepodge than unanimous no votes. Some involved tax legislation beneficial to individuals. All Republicans supported early lead testing in schools. Not one Republican voted against “In God We Trust” on license plates.

The unanimous no votes cut across expected issues. Not one House Republican voted yes on firearms legislation, including the outlawing of ghost guns, that is guns without serial numbers. None supported remedies for people with disabilities. Food Accessibility got a unanimous no. School Mental Health Assessments picked up 19 no’s. The bill to make bathrooms available for all genders in new and remodeled buildings got an all-no from the GOP House.

No Republicans voted yes on any bills related to increasing pro-choice access to reproductive health. Their no vote on Deceptive Trade Practice Pregnancy-Related Services was actually in support of those practices. Bills to help renters with evictions received unanimous no’s, as did worker rights. Rep. Michael Lynch, minority leader from Fort Collins/Windsor, must have been a server at some point in his employment history. He’s the only GOPer who voted yes to allow employees to accept cash tips.

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The House GOP was most divided on a number of health care and hospital bills. They all voted no on a standardized health benefit plan and on placing limits on hospital facility fees. But they split on the hospital transparency and reporting requirements legislation at 11 no to 8 yes. They voted down the hospital community benefit bill at 14 no’s to five yes’s. The epinephrine pricing bill came in at 15 no’s and four yes’s. Coverage for doula services received a 15 yes to four no record.

House GOP legislators broke into roughly three groups on bills on the way to Gov. Jared Polis or already signed. Six members were upside down on the yes-to-no ratio. Scott Bottoms from the eastern section of Colorado Springs took the crown for most no votes and fewest yes votes at 117 yes’s to 332 no’s on these passed bills. His district is 80% white and 20% Hispanic. Stephanie Luck, whose district stretches from the southwest section of Colorado Springs down to Pueblo and over to Canon City, came in second with 125 yes votes to 346 no votes on bills. Her district is 83% white and 11% Hispanic. Ken Degraff, 137 yes to 343 no; Brandi Bradley, 188 yes to 277 no; Don Wilson, 201 yes to 279 no; and Ty Winter, 236 yes to 244 no, round out the GOPers most likely to resist the Democrats’ majority.

Rick Taggart from Grand Junction/Mesa took the GOP crown for most yes votes at 336 yes to 135 no. Minority Leader Michael Lynch came in second with 310 yes’s to 164 no’s. Three other GOPers followed suit with Rod Bockenfeld at 298 yes to 180 no, and Mary Bradfield and Rose Pugliese tied at 289 yes votes. Marc Catlin, Richard Holtorf, Anthony Hartsook, and Lisa Frizell comprise the rest of this less conservative group. Then there are four GOPers who split roughly evenly between yes and no votes: Gabe Evans, Ryan Armogast, Ron Weinberg and Matt Soper.

The core of the GOP, based on their consensus on 83 unanimous no votes on bills, is rock solid. They will not support any firearms legislation that restricts in any manner the use of guns or related products. They voted unanimously against non-toxic bullet replacement for hunting. They will vote unanimously against environmental bills, including taking pollution prevention measures. They absolutely will not support the governor’s property tax relief legislation or his attempts to control land use for more housing. Renters will not catch a break from the GOP and consumer protections get a big no.

Even so, some GOP House members were willing to vote with and act as sponsors of bipartisan legislation. Republicans who were willing to work with the Democrats saw legislative success. Rick Taggart sponsored 18 bills, 17 with Democrats, and 14 have been signed or on their way to Polis. Minority Leader Lynch sponsored 17 bills, 14 with Democrats. Twelve are on their way to the governor or have been signed. There are areas, nibbling at the edges, where Democrats and Republicans can still work together.

Paula Noonan owns Colorado Capitol Watch, the state’s premier legislature tracking platform.

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