24-04-2025
Republican agenda gets rejected at Colorado Capitol
Republican lawmakers started this year's legislative session with a goal: Make Colorado more affordable.
State of play: In the state Senate, lawmakers introduced four bills that amounted to $4,500 in savings by their calculation.
Yes, but: None are expected to advance.
Why it matters: It's unsurprising that GOP bills are doomed to fail in a Democratic-controlled Legislature. But the legislation forced Democratic lawmakers to take difficult votes in favor of additional fees and taxes — which could haunt them on the campaign trail.
Zoom in: The GOP legislation attempted to repeal Democratic-authored regulations on landlords and builders to make housing more affordable.
Another targeted recently approved fees. It would revoke fees on transportation, deliveries, garbage disposal, shopping bags, nicotine products and other products to lower the cost of living.
What they're saying:"Affordability — that's what people are talking about," Senate Minority leader Paul Lundeen of Monument said.
The intrigue: In separate bills, GOP lawmakers proposed lowering the state's income tax and creating a DOGE-like task force to find efficiencies in government. Both failed to garner support.
