Colorado Senate

Colorado State Senate
Colorado State Senate
74th Colorado General Assembly
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	2 consecutive terms (8 years)
History
New session started	January 9, 2023
Leadership
President	Steve Fenberg (D) ; since February 23, 2022
President pro tempore	James Coleman (D) ; since January 9, 2023
Majority Leader	Robert Rodriguez (D) ; since September 8, 2023
Minority Leader	Paul Lundeen (R) ; since January 9, 2023
Structure
Seats	35
Political groups	Majority Democratic (23); Minority Republican (12);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article V, Colorado Constitution
Salary	$43,977/year + per diem
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 8, 2022; (17 seats)
Next election	November 5, 2024; (18 seats)
Redistricting	Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission
Meeting place
	State Senate Chamber; Colorado State Capitol, Denver
Website
	Colorado General Assembly
Rules
	Colorado Legislative Rules

The Colorado State Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123,000 as of the 2000 census. Senators are elected to four-year terms, and are limited to two consecutive terms in office. Senators who are term-limited become eligible to run again after a one-term (four year) respite.

The Colorado Senate convenes at the State Capitol in Denver.

History

The first meeting of the Colorado General Assembly took place from November 1, 1876, through March 20, 1877.^[2] Lafayette Head was the first state senate president.^[2]

The lieutenant governor served as Senate President until 1974 when Article V, Section 10 of the state constitution was amended, granting the Colorado Senate the right to elect one of its own members as President.^[2] Fred Anderson was the first state senate president elected after the amendment.^[2] Ruth Stockton was the first woman to become Senate's president pro tempore, serving from 1979 to 1980.^[3]^[4]

Terms and qualifications

The Colorado Senate has 35 members elected to staggered four-year terms. Half the chamber is elected in the same year as gubernatorial elections, with the other half elected in the same year as presidential elections.

State senators are term-limited to two consecutive terms, equivalent to eight years. Term-limited former members can run again after a four-year break. Vacancies in legislative offices are generally filled by political party vacancy committees, rather than special elections. Vacancy appointees who fill the first half of a state senator's term must stand for election at the next even year November election for the remainder of the state senate term for the seat to which the state senator was appointed.

Procedure and powers

With the notable exceptions listed below, the Colorado Senate operates in a manner quite similar to the United States Senate.^[5]

Regular sessions are held annually and begin no later than the second Wednesday in January. Regular sessions last no more than 120 days. Special sessions may be called at any time by the governor of Colorado or upon written request of two-thirds of the members of each house, but are infrequent. Some committees of the General Assembly work between sessions and have limited power to take action without General Assembly approval between legislative sessions.

Joint procedural rules of the two chambers require most legislation to be introduced very early in the legislative session each year, and to meet strict deadlines for completion of each step of the legislative process. Joint procedural rules also limit each legislator to introducing five bills per year, subject to certain exceptions for non-binding resolutions, uniform acts, interim committee bills and appropriations bills. Most members of the General Assembly decide which bills they will introduce during the legislative session (or most of them) prior to its commencement, limiting the ability of members to introduce new bills at constituent request once the legislative session has begun.

Most bills adopted by the General Assembly include a "safety clause" (i.e. a legislative declaration that the bill concerns an urgent matter) and take effect on July 1 following the legislative session unless otherwise provided. Some bills are enacted without a "safety clause" which makes it possible to petition to subject those bills to a referendum before they take effect, and have an effective date in August following the legislative session unless otherwise provided.^[5]

Colorado's legislature does not have an analog to the filibuster in the United States Senate requiring a supermajority for approval of any matter. The state lieutenant governor does not have the power to preside or break tie votes in either house of the General Assembly.^[2] New executive branch rules are reviewed annually by the legislature and the legislature routinely invalidates some of them each year.

The General Assembly does not have a role in the appointment or retention of state judges, although it must authorize the creation of each judgeship.

Many state agencies and programs are subject to "sunset review" and are automatically abolished if the General Assembly does not reauthorize them.

In 1885, the Colorado Senate appointed its first chaplain, Methodist circuit riding missionary, "Father" John Lewis Dyer.^[6]

The state budget process

The governor submits a proposed budget to the Joint Budget Committee each year in advance of the year's legislative session. Colorado's fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30.

Bills introduced in the General Assembly are evaluated by the non-partisan state legislative services body for their fiscal impact and must be provided for in appropriations legislation if there is a fiscal impact.

A state budget, called the "LONG Bill" (Legislation on Operations and Normal Governance) is prepared each year by the Joint Budget Committee of the General Assembly. The House and the Senate alternate the job of introducing the long bill and making a first committee review of it. Colorado's state legislature is required to obtain voter approval in order to incur significant debt, to raise taxes, or to increase state constitutional spending limitations. It is also required to comply with a state constitutional spending mandate for K-12 education. The governor has line item veto power over appropriations.

Current makeup

Based on the 2010 census, each state senator represents 143,691 constituents. The 2020 Colorado Elections resulted in the Democratic Party maintaining a majority of seats in the senate. Democrats currently hold a majority in the Senate in the 73rd General Assembly: 21 Democrats and 14 Republicans.

At the 2022 elections 17 senate seats came up for re-election. As a result the composition of the State Senate at the beginning of the 74th General Assembly will likely be 23 Democrats and 12 Republicans.^[7]

With the Democratic majority, Steve Fenberg serves as President of the Senate and the Majority Leader position is currently vacant.

Composition

↓
23	12
Democratic	Republican

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Ind	Republican		Vacant
70th General Assembly	17	0	18	35	0

Beginning of 71st General Assembly	17	0	18	35	0
End of 71st General Assembly	16	1	18	35	0

72nd Assembly	19	0	16	35	0

Beginning of 73rd Assembly	20	0	15	35	0
August 22, 2022^[a]	21	0	14	35	0

Beginning of 74th Assembly	23	0	12	35	0
Latest voting share	66%	34%

Leadership

Position	Senator	Party	District
President	Steve Fenberg	Democratic	18
President pro Tempore	James Coleman	Democratic	33
Majority Leader	Robert Rodriguez	Democratic	32
Assistant Majority Leader	Faith Winter	Democratic	25
Majority Whip	Julie Gonzales	Democratic	34
Majority Caucus Chair	Janet Buckner	Democratic	29
Minority Leader	Paul Lundeen	Republican	9
Assistant Minority Leader	Bob Gardner	Republican	12
Minority Caucus Chair	Jim Smallwood	Republican	2
Minority Whip	Barbara Kirkmeyer	Republican	23

Members of the Colorado Senate

District	Senator	Party	Residence	First elected	Next election
1	Byron Pelton	Republican	Sterling	2022	2026
2	Jim Smallwood	Republican	Sedalia	2016	2024^#
3	Nick Hinrichsen	Democratic	Pueblo	2022*	2026
4	Mark Baisley	Republican	Sedalia	2022	2026
5	Perry Will	Republican	New Castle	2023*	2024
6	Cleave Simpson	Republican	Alamosa	2020	2024
7	Janice Rich	Republican	Grand Junction	2022	2026
8	Dylan Roberts	Democratic	Eagle	2022	2026
9	Paul Lundeen	Republican	Colorado Springs	2018	2026^#
10	Larry Liston	Republican	Colorado Springs	2020	2024
11	Tony Exum	Democratic	Colorado Springs	2022	2026
12	Bob Gardner	Republican	Colorado Springs	2016	2024^#
13	Kevin Priola	Democratic^[b]	Aurora	2016	2024^#
14	Joann Ginal	Democratic	Fort Collins	2019*	2024^#
15	Janice Marchman	Democratic	Loveland	2022	2026
16	Chris Kolker	Democratic	Centennial	2020	2024
17	Sonya Jaquez Lewis	Democratic	Lafayette	2020	2024
18	Steve Fenberg	Democratic	Boulder	2016	2024^#
19	Rachel Zenzinger	Democratic	Arvada	2013*, 2016^[c]	2024^#
20	Lisa Cutter	Democratic	Evergreen	2022	2026
21	Dafna Michaelson Jenet	Democratic	Commerce City	2023*	2024
22	Jessie Danielson	Democratic	Wheat Ridge	2018	2026^#
23	Barbara Kirkmeyer	Republican	Brighton	2020	2024
24	Kyle Mullica	Democratic	Northglenn	2022	2026
25	Faith Winter	Democratic	Thornton	2018	2026^#
26	Jeff Bridges	Democratic	Greenwood Village	2019*	2024
27	Tom Sullivan	Democratic	Centennial	2022	2026
28	Rhonda Fields	Democratic	Aurora	2016	2024^#
29	Janet Buckner	Democratic	Aurora	2020	2024
30	Vacant^[9]	Republican			2026
31	Chris Hansen	Democratic	Denver	2020*	2024
32	Robert Rodriguez	Democratic	Denver	2018	2026^#
33	James Coleman	Democratic	Denver	2020	2024
34	Julie Gonzales	Democratic	Denver	2018	2026^#
35	Rod Pelton	Republican	Cheyenne Wells	2022	2026

*Senator was originally appointed

#Senator is ineligible for re-election due to term limits

Past composition of the Senate

References

^ Kevin Priola switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
^ Kevin Priola was elected as a Republican, and crossed the floor to the Democratic Party in 2022.^[8]
^ Zenzinger was appointed in 2013 and was subsequently defeated in 2014 but was later elected to the same seat in 2016

^ "Salaries for Legislators, Statewide Elected Officials, and County Officers". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Presidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A Biographical Portrait from 1876 Archived January 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Colorado.gov, 2013 Revised Edition. (accessed May 27, 2013)
^ "Colorado legislators past and present". Colorado State Legislature. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
^ "Ruth Stockton". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
^ ^a ^b How a Bill Becomes Colorado Law Archived October 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Office of Legislative Legal Services, October 2001 (accessed May 27, 2013)
^ "Verifiable Oddities in Colorado's History-The Snowshoe Chaplain of the State Senate". legisource.net. February 23, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
^ "Colorado Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
^ @KevinPriola (August 22, 2022). "#coleg #copolitics #Elections2022 #democracy #Republican #DemocratsDeliver #colorado" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ Kevin Van Winkle resigned after being elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners

External links

State of Colorado
- Colorado General Assembly
  - Colorado State Senate at Ballotpedia

39°44′21″N 104°59′05″W / 39.7392°N 104.9848°W / 39.7392; -104.9848

[8] Kevin Priola switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.

[10] Kevin Priola was elected as a Republican, and crossed the floor to the Democratic Party in 2022.^[8]

[11] Zenzinger was appointed in 2013 and was subsequently defeated in 2014 but was later elected to the same seat in 2016

[1] "Salaries for Legislators, Statewide Elected Officials, and County Officers". Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved July 7, 2023.

[cohistory-2] Presidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A Biographical Portrait from 1876 Archived January 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Colorado.gov, 2013 Revised Edition. (accessed May 27, 2013)

[3] "Colorado legislators past and present". Colorado State Legislature. Retrieved April 18, 2018.

[4] "Ruth Stockton". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 16, 2018.

[billprocess-5] How a Bill Becomes Colorado Law Archived October 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Office of Legislative Legal Services, October 2001 (accessed May 27, 2013)

[6] "Verifiable Oddities in Colorado's History-The Snowshoe Chaplain of the State Senate". legisource.net. February 23, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2014.

[7] "Colorado Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

[9] @KevinPriola (August 22, 2022). "#coleg #copolitics #Elections2022 #democracy #Republican #DemocratsDeliver #colorado" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[12] Kevin Van Winkle resigned after being elected to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners

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v t e Members of the Colorado Senate
74th General Assembly (2023–2024) President of the Senate Steve Fenberg (D) President pro tempore James Coleman (D) Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez (D) Minority Leader Paul Lundeen (R)
▌Byron Pelton (R) ▌Jim Smallwood (R) ▌Nick Hinrichsen (D) ▌Mark Baisley (R) ▌Perry Will (R) ▌Cleave Simpson (R) ▌Janice Rich (R) ▌Dylan Roberts (D) ▌Paul Lundeen (R) ▌Larry Liston (R) ▌Tony Exum (D) ▌Bob Gardner (R) ▌Kevin Priola (D) ▌Joann Ginal (D) ▌Janice Marchman (D) ▌Chris Kolker (D) ▌Sonya Jaquez Lewis (D) ▌Steve Fenberg (D) ▌Rachel Zenzinger (D) ▌Lisa Cutter (D) ▌Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D) ▌Jessie Danielson (D) ▌Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) ▌Kyle Mullica (D) ▌Faith Winter (D) ▌Jeff Bridges (D) ▌Tom Sullivan (D) ▌Rhonda Fields (D) ▌Janet Buckner (D) ▌Vacant ▌Chris Hansen (D) ▌Robert Rodriguez (D) ▌James Coleman (D) ▌Julie Gonzales (D) ▌Rod Pelton (R)
▌Democratic (23) ▌Republican (12) Colorado General Assembly Colorado House of Representatives Colorado Senate

v t e Colorado General Assembly districts
Senate	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
House of Representatives	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65

v t e State of Colorado
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