Bipartisan bill would reform process for vacancy-appointed lawmakers in Colorado
Visitors are seen in the Colorado Capitol on the first day of the 2025 session of the Legislature on Jan. 8, 2025. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline)
A bipartisan bill would restructure the vacancy committee process to replace members of the Colorado Legislature based on when a vacancy occurs, such as when a member resigns.
House Bill 25-1315 was introduced on Monday, about three months into a lawmaking session that has seen a handful of vacancy committee appointments. It would have vacancy-appointed lawmakers run for their seat in either a regularly-scheduled general election or odd-year special election.
'Vacancies in the General Assembly are an issue I heard about as I traveled the state as the Minority Leader. The people want to preserve the vacancy committee process while also having the opportunity to vote for their legislators. This bill will do both,' House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, a Colorado Springs Republican, said in a statement.
It is sponsored by Pugliese, Rep. Emily Sirota, a Denver Democrat, Sen. Mike Weissman, an Aurora Democrat, and Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Weld County Republican.
The bill would set the following guidelines for vacancy committees:
If a lawmaker resigns before July 31 in an even year, a committee would appoint a replacement and that person would need to run for the seat that November.
If a lawmaker resigns on or after July 31 in an even year, a committee would appoint a replacement and they would run for the seat in the next year's November vacancy election.
If a lawmaker resigns before July 31 in an odd year, a committee would appoint a replacement and there would be a vacancy election that November.
If a lawmaker resigns on or after July 31 in an odd year, a committee would pick a replacement and that person would need to run for the seat in the next general election.
The effect of the change would be that appointed lawmakers serve one legislative session, which runs from January to May, until they need to run for reelection, either in a regular election or a vacancy election as created by the bill.
The new odd-year vacancy elections would take place alongside the statewide elections for ballot issues, local candidates and other items. Unaffiliated voters and voters from the same political party as the lawmaker who resigned in the legislative district would be able to participate in the new new odd-year vacancy elections.
Candidates could make the ballot for that election by collecting 200 signatures of voters from their party or by getting the support of at least 30% of the district's vacancy committee.
Vacancy committees are currently composed of party central committee members, precinct leaders and state lawmakers who live in the district, as well as other highly involved party members. That means committees are typically made up of a few dozen people, but they can be much smaller. The bill would extend committee membership to county commissioners of the same party who live in the district.
The bill would also require vacancy committees to be livestreamed for the public. It also imposes campaign finance requirements for vacancy candidates.
Six lawmakers have been appointed via vacancy committee this year: Republican Sen. John Carson, Democratic Sen. Matt Ball, Democratic Sen. Iman Jodeh, Democratic Rep. Jamie Jackson and Democratic Sen. Katie Wallace. That high volume of appointments — two of which came when lawmakers resigned immediately after winning reelections — led to calls for process reform.
'For the past few years, voters have grown increasingly alarmed with our vacancy laws for important elected government offices,' Kirkmeyer said in a statement. 'A handful of political insiders should not determine who sits in a state legislative seat for years at a time without voters being able to express their will. I'm pleased to be part of a bipartisan coalition that brings impactful reform to this process.'
A separate resolution in the Legislature also targets vacancy reform. House Concurrent Resolution 25-1002, also introduced Monday, would ask voters to amend the state constitution so that appointed lawmakers could not run as an incumbent in the election following their appointment. Rep. Bob Marshall, a Highlands Ranch Democrat, ran a similar resolution last year and is sponsoring it again this year alongside Rep. Larry Don Suckla, a Cortez Republican, and Sen. Marc Snyder, a Manitou Springs Democrat.
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