January 08, 2014 12:17 PM UTC

Any Wonder Why Colorado Legislature is More Effective than Congress?

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• by: Colorado Pols

With approval ratings for Congress at an all-time low (as in, no other organization has ever been so disliked in the history of polling), it's safe to say that the public is not particularly enamored with Republican House Leadership trying to spin as a positive the fact that they don't do anything. And coming off a record year of doing-nothingness, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is actually planning to do even less. From the New York Times:

Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader, is quietly playing down expectations for any major legislative achievements in the final year of the 113th Congress, which passed fewer laws in its first year — 65 — than any single session on record. The calendar, drawn up to maximize campaign time ahead of midterm elections in November, is bare bones, with the House in session just 97 days before Election Day, the last on Oct. 2, and 112 days in all.

In 2013, the House was in session 118 days before November and 135 in all.

In other words, the House is not even going to end up working a full year in 24 months, which is all by Republican design. Democrat Irv Halter, who is challenging Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn in CD-5, issued a statement this week criticizing the decision:

"When I was active duty in the Air Force, I didn't work for 97 days a year and then call it quits, but that seems to be a full year for Congressman Lamborn.  Spending time campaigning instead of addressing our problems is an embarrassment for our district, our state and this great nation."

The U.S. House may end up working just 112 days in 2014. The Colorado Legislature, which opens today, is in session through early May for a total of 120 calendar days. To be clear, all legislators aren't going to work full eight-hour days on the weekends, but many probably will come close. Depending on scheduling, the Colorado Legislature will likely do more work in 4 months than the U.S. House will do in a full year.