May 01, 2023 12:17 PM UTC

House Republicans Launch One Last Stupid Hail Mary

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• by: Colorado Pols

The 2023 Colorado legislative session is scheduled to come to a close one week from today. There is much work still to be done on a number of important issues, including a Democratic proposal to help reduce property taxes for Colorado families. House Republicans, meanwhile, are making one last-gasp effort to introduce a package of stupid that will inevitably and justifiably end up being killed in the State, Civic, Military, and Veterans Affairs committee.

These three resolutions are scheduled for consideration in the “State Affairs” committee this afternoon:

♦ HCR23-1004 (“Fundamental Rights for Parents”)

This resolution is sponsored by Rep. Brandi Bradley (R-Douglas County) and literally nobody else (though it is no doubt influenced by her legislative “aide,” current State Republican Party Chairperson Dave Williams). The resolution seeks to place a measure on the 2024 ballot so that voters can decide on a Constitutional Amendment to essentially establish children as private property. If the turnout from a March rally is any indication, there are literally tens of Coloradans who want to vote on such a proposal.

This is the right-wing “parents’ rights” argument on steroids; it would allow parents to do whatever they want, whenever they want, when making decisions about their children — particularly in relation to education and health care concerns. The resolution includes very specific and absurd language directing schools and teachers to meet individually with parents to develop lesson plans that diverge from reality if said parents reject to words like “racism” or “penis.”

♦ HSC23-1003 (“Constitutional Concealed Carry of a Handgun”)

[mantra-pullquote align=”right” textalign=”left” width=”50%”]“[Democrats] will say, ‘You’ve got your side of the argument and it’s the Constitution, but we’ve got real, live people on our side.’

“And we’re like, ‘We don’t care.’”

     — State Rep. Scott Bottoms (R-Colorado Springs), talking about gun violence prevention discussions.[/mantra-pullquote]

Sponsored by Reps. Matt Soper (R-Delta) and Ron Weinberg (R-Larimer County) — and co-sponsored by 17 of the 19 House Republicans — HSC23-1003 seeks to place another measure on the 2024 ballot by which Colorado voters could decide to allow people to carry concealed weapons anywhere, anytime, with a few potential exceptions for schools and some government buildings.

House Republicans have thrown a fit this legislative session over even the most benign and common sense gun violence prevention measures — in large part because the GOP just does whatever the no-compromise gun group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) demands of them. Strong Democratic majorities pressed on through the GOP’s lame filibuster attempts to enact important legislation anyway. Democrats were fulfilling campaign promises, but also reacting to more mass shootings and overwhelming public opinion on the subject.

There’s little reason to think that Coloradans WANT people to have the ability to carry concealed weapons everywhere they go, but House Republicans don’t care about public opinion. Or logic, for that matter.

♦ HCR23-1005 (“General Assembly Bill Limitations”)

The third of three idiotic ideas from House Republicans comes from Rep. Stephanie Luck (R-Penrose), who wants voters to approve a ballot measure to only allow lawmakers to debate legislative ideas ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS. Luck’s proposal is that the first legislative session following an election should be limited to just a “budget session,” whereby lawmakers convene for the sole purpose of approving the annual state budget and nothing else.

The irony here is obvious. Luck is one of a handful of MAGA Republicans in the State House (including “The Umabiguously Lame Duo” of Reps. Scott Bottoms and Ken DeGraaf) who only ever introduce red meat legislation that has no chance whatsoever of becoming law — or in most cases, even advancing out of a committee hearing. These Republicans take great pride in their efforts at wasting everyone’s time in hopes of preventing lawmakers from accomplishing anything. Of course, they’re also all too happy to participate in press conferences that try to blame Democrats for not moving quickly enough to discuss more legislation. Note that HCR23-1005 also fails to mention adjustments to legislative pay scales. In other words, Luck wants taxpayers to pay her the same amount of money for doing less work.

Republican lawmakers have taken great pains in 2023 to tell Coloradans who they are and where they stand on important issues. We should listen to them when they tell us who they are…

…and then do something else, because these are not serious people.