14 Jan Our 72 Hour Soft-Opening
What a week. What we witnessed in Washington, D.C. was an outright attack on our fragile democracy. Yet on the very same day, we saw the historic culmination of a decade of work in Georgia. That should be our lesson on how we respond in this moment of uncertainty: we must engage, participate, and recommit to problem-solving like never before.
And the Colorado General Assembly is ready to do so. We’re gaveling in today, and we’ll approach our work this year with a renewed sense of purpose, duty, and respect for our positions as public servants. Colorado has a strong history of bipartisan cooperation, and I’m confident that will continue this year. I’m sure there will be the usual disagreements and debates, but that’s what gets us to good policy that addresses the needs of every Coloradan.
However, the 2021 Legislative Session looks different this year. COVID-19 still presents too much of a risk to our regular in person work, so we’ve done our best to adjust. To keep Capitol staff, legislators, journalists and the general public safe – and to do everything we can to ease the burden on our healthcare workers – we’re having a three day ‘soft-opening’ session. We’ll take care of the most mission-critical work for three days, and then move into a brief recess. Our plan is to return in mid-February if it’s safe to do so.
During the recess, Senate Dems will be working to prep legislation to address the most urgent problems facing so many hardworking families. Several committees will keep meeting, we’ll keep holding virtual town hall events, and the wheels of state government will keep turning. Over the next few weeks, look out for my updates on what Senate Dems hope to accomplish to address economic recovery, health care, the climate crisis, and much more.
For the foreseeable future, I’ll continue to do virtual community events. In addition to participation at those events, I always welcome your input via email or phone. My work is most effective when I hear from and work with you, and I hope you’ll stay engaged this session.
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