End of Session Report Details Highly Successful Legislative Year

This year, Democrats focused on revitalizing our economy, delivering urgent relief & forging a more prosperous future for Coloradans

DENVER, CO – Today, the General Assembly Democrats released the annual ‘End of Session Report’, detailing the many bills that were passed that will positively impact the lives of Coloradans. This session was one of the most productive in the last decade – with more than 500 bills passing both chambers, 94 percent of which had bipartisan support.

See the following excerpt:

In the midst of a global pandemic and a challenging year that has severely impacted the lives of Coloradans, Democrats came together to deliver urgent relief to struggling Coloradans and build our state back stronger. The legislature was able to deliver on promises that were years in the making – passing transformational legislation that will pave the way for a Colorado where everyone can thrive. By putting people over politics and working across the aisle to accomplish great things, 94% of our passed legislation received bipartisan support.

In order to recover faster and build back stronger, lawmakers developed a bipartisan state stimulus package to foster the Colorado Comeback, make monumental investments to strengthen small businesses, support Colorado families, invest in rural Colorado, and develop our workforce...

...In addition to passing state stimulus policies, state leaders worked collaboratively to enact Colorado’s roadmap to Building Back Stronger – embarking on a statewide listening tour to gather input on how to allocate nearly $4 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The resulting legislation immediately deployed hundreds of millions of dollars to make housing more affordable, provide emergency behavioral health services and help workers complete degree or skills-training programs. The roadmap also dedicated $1.3 billion in federal funds to protect critical state services in future years and set aside nearly $1.8 billion for future transformational investments in housing, behavioral health, education and workforce development, and economic stimulus and recovery that will be crafted through bipartisan interim processes.

Beyond tackling urgent needs and enacting once-in-a-generation stimulative plans, lawmakers prioritized addressing longstanding issues that have burdened Colorado for decades. One such issue is the inaccessibility and unaffordability of health care...

...Another long-standing issue that has held Colorado’s economy back for decades is transportation. After booming population growth yet insufficient funding, Colorado’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and modernization. That’s why we passed a historic transportation plan to support a dynamic economy, improve air quality, create jobs, and position Colorado to compete with other states....

...Sadly, the legislature was also confronted with the all-too-familiar issue of gun violence during the legislative session. After 10 people lost their lives in the Boulder King Soopers shooting, Democratic lawmakers crafted and passed three measures designed to save lives by expanding background checks, creating a resource office for gun violence prevention, and giving local governments the tools they need to craft community-based solutions...

...In 2021, General Assembly Democrats rose to the occasion and championed policies that will not only support people in the aftermath of the pandemic but pave a hopeful path forward by creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous Colorado for all.

To read the End of Session Report in its entirety, click here.