The Senate Democratic Caucus Announces Committee Assignments for the 2019 Legislative Session

Denver, CO – The Senate Democratic Caucus today announced the committee composition and the majority party’s appointments to the Legislative Committees of Reference for the first session of the 72nd General Assembly which begins on January 4, 2019.“We have an incredibly diverse caucus that represents communities across this state – rural, suburban, and urban,” said President-designate Leroy Garcia. “I am confident that these leaders, who have worked on the issues of their respective committees for years, will put hardworking Coloradans first and work tirelessly to find solutions to the tough challenges facing our state so that we help move every community across this state forward.”“Coloradans elected us to find solutions to the issues they face and, under the leadership of these members, I believe that we will be able to pass better legislation to improve the lives of everyone in this state,” said Majority Leader Steve Fenberg. Agriculture and Natural Resources: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: Senator Kerry Donovan
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Jessie Danielson
• Member(s): Senator John Kefalas

“It is critical that Colorado have representatives who understand the importance of agriculture, natural resources, and water to our state’s economy and will be a champion on those issues in the Senate,” said Senator Donovan. “I am honored to be named Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and look forward to working with my colleagues on these issues so that we are able to strengthen and grow local economies across Colorado.” Appropriations: 10 Total Members – 6 Majority, 4 Minority

• Chair: Senator Rachel Zenzinger
• Vice Chair: Senator Dominick Moreno
• Member(s): Senator-elect Julie Gonzales; Senator Matt Jones; Senator-elect Robert Rodriguez; and Senator Nancy Todd

“In 2010, I worked as an aide to Senator Mary Hodge, who served as Chair of the Joint Budget Committee, and I am honored to follow in her footsteps,” said Senator Zenzinger. “I look forward to working across the aisle to ensure that we spend taxpayer dollars responsibly and in a way that moves every community across Colorado forward.” Business, Labor, and Technology: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: Senator Angela Williams
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Jessie Danielson
• Member(s): Senator-elect Tammy Story

“As champion for business in the Senate Democratic Caucus, my primary focus is opening up the lines of communication between government, business, and labor by creating a Legislative Business Caucus and Legislative Labor Caucus,” said Senator Williams. “I look forward to leading that effort and working with my colleagues this session to improve the climate in Colorado for both employers and employees.” Education: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: Senator Nancy Todd
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Tammy Story
• Member(s): Senator Daniel Kagan

“As a retired teacher of 25 years and a member of the Education Committee in both the House and Senate for 14 years, I am honored to have the opportunity to chair the Senate Education Committee,” said Senator Todd. “I look forward to working with all groups invested in providing the best education for every student in Colorado.” Finance: 7 Total Members – 4 Majority, 3 Minority

• Chair: Senator Lois Court
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Pete Lee
• Member(s): Senator Nancy Todd; Senator-elect Julie Gonzales

“Having served as the chair of the Finance Committee in the House, I am looking forward to once again taking on that responsibility in the Senate and helping steer long-term fiscal policy for the state of Colorado,” said Senator Court. Health and Human Services: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: Senator Rhonda Fields
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Brittany Pettersen
• Member(s): Senator-elect Faith Winter

“We are committed to preserving and ensuring fair access to affordable healthcare as well as addressing the mental health and addiction crises affecting our state,” said Senator Fields. “I look forward to working with my colleagues, who are both knowledgeable and passionate about these issues, to improve the life of every Coloradan.” Judiciary: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: Senator-elect Pete Lee
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Julie Gonzales
• Member(s): Senator-elect Robert Rodriguez

“I’ve practiced law for 25 years and have had the honor of serving as Chair of the Judiciary Committee in the House,” said Senator-elect Lee. “I look forward to continuing to use my experience to responsibly allocate state resources to improve our criminal and juvenile justice systems and to expand the use of restorative justice in our state.” Local Government: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: TBD
• Vice Chair: TBD
• Member(s): Senator John Kefalas; Senator Angela Williams; Senator Daniel Kagan

 State Affairs: 5 Total Members – 3 Majority, 2 Minority

• Chair: TBD
• Vice Chair: TBD
• Member(s): Senator Matt Jones; Senator Lois Court; Senator Rhonda Fields

 Transportation and Energy: 7 Total Members – 4 Majority, 3 MinorityDuring the legislative session, the Senate will put forth a resolution to remove Energy from the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy Committee and merge it with the Transportation Committee.

• Chair: Senator-elect Faith Winter
• Vice Chair: Senator-elect Brittany Pettersen
• Member(s): Senator Matt Jones; Senator Kerry Donovan

“I’ve worked for years in the House to improve our transportation infrastructure, and I am honored to have the confidence of my colleagues to take the lead on this issue in the Senate,” said Senator-elect Winter. “Colorado is growing rapidly, but our investments in our infrastructure haven’t kept pace. There is no ‘silver bullet solution’ to our infrastructure needs, but I am confident that my colleagues and I can work to find a fiscally responsible path forward that helps every Coloradan.” Joint Budget Committee: 6 Total Members – 3 Senate (2 Majority, 1 Minority), 3 House (2 Majority, 1 Minority)

• Chair: Senator Dominick Moreno
• Member(s): Senator Rachel Zenzinger

“I appreciate my colleagues for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading the Joint Budget Committee,” said Senator Moreno. “We face tough times ahead, but I am confident that our caucus is prepared to make the investments that matter most to Coloradans, whether it be school funding, affordable housing, or healthcare.”

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The 19 member Senate Democratic Caucus for the 2019 legislative session includes Senators Leroy Garcia, Kerry Donovan, Pete Lee, John Kefalas, Tammy Story, Matt Jones, Steve Fenberg, Rachel Zenzinger, Jessie Danielson, Dominick Moreno, Brittany Pettersen, Faith Winter, Daniel Kagan, Nancy Todd, Rhonda Fields, Lois Court, Robert Rodriquez, Angela Williams, and Julie Gonzales.