The 2021 legislative session is back in Colorado!

The 2021 legislative session is back in Colorado!

After the January mini session a batch of new Colorado state lawmakers was sworn in and the legislature passed about seven mostly minor bills. Today, Feb 16th there is s backlogs of popular bills that were sidelined in the pandemic-shortened 2020 session, plus many new priorities.

Democrats are still in control, now with an expanded Senate majority. Democrats have a strong 20-15 advantage in the Senate and in the House, it’s not even close — 41 of the 65 seats.

The legislature enters this session with about $1.5 billion in uncommitted funds for COVID relief and any other bill that comes with a price tag. That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s misleading; which means lawmakers will have to be strategic.

It is often the case that bills die — or never get introduced in the first place — not because of their merits but because lawmakers are nervous about how much they cost. We’ll likely be seeing a lot of that in 2021, given the budget outlook. Expect the legislature to work in reducing the prison population and reprioritize funding, expanding mental health programs, climate change, gun control, taxes, and always something cannabis related.

There’s plenty on the table for 2021, including codifying Governor Polis' executive orders for telehealth, curbside, online ordering, and finding ways to do more with expungement. With strong opposition to the THC Potency Cap Bill, not yet introduced.

Cannabis Bills introduced as of today:

• SB21-056 - Expand Cannabis-based Medicine At Schools

• HB21-1058 - Promoting Social Distancing In Marijuana Industry

• HB21-1090 - Criminal Marijuana Offenses

For public participation:

• Members of the public will have the opportunity to testify on bills in person, remotely or submit written testimony as they were able to do during the special legislative session, but it will likely be limited. People interested in testifying will need to sign up ahead of time at leg.colorado.gov.

• They can also contact their lawmakers directly. To find out who your legislator is, go to leg.colorado.gov/find-my-legislator. To contact lawmakers by phone or email, go to leg.colorado.gov/legislators.

• You can also watch televised sessions of the work conducted on the Colorado House and Senate floors at The Colorado Channel: coloradochannel.net.

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