The finger pointing continued today at the Colorado legislature over a crowded and crazy workload that has lawmakers working late nights with plans to come in Saturdays if needed.
“Given how long the debate is taking, I think it is very likely we will be here on Saturday,” House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, said this afternoon.
He said he would have a better feel tonight after what is expected to be another marathon debate, this time on an elections bill that Republicans oppose.
Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leaders, President John Morse of Colorado Springs and Majority Leader Morgan Carroll of Aurora, said they won’t be working this Saturday but Morse said there’s a chance they might have to on Saturday April 27 or Saturday May 4, depending on the calender.
“It’s like the weather forecast,” Carroll joked.
The news of a Saturday session didn’t sit well with House Republicans, who claim the calendar has been mismanaged by Democrats.
“My Saturday schedule will be forced to bend to the Democrats’ ‘aggressive political agenda,’” said Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch.
“Not me, baby. I won’t yield,” said Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument. “I’m not showing up Saturday. I’m going to a town hall meeting I’ve had planned for a month.”
The House minority chief of staff, Bill Skewes, tweeted: Did @COHouseDem intro 3 new HBs @ 10pm last night & still trying to claim it’s @COHouseGOP fault House working this wkd? #hilarious #coleg
Ferrandino said it’s a long-standing practice at the legislature to allow late bills to be introduced. He said he is telling lawmakers at this stage they need to meet three criteria to get late-bill approval: 1) the bill has been in the works for a long time and stakeholders have been involved; 2) the issue is something that just came up and cannot wait until next year to be resolved; 3) the bill has broad bi-partisan support and is not controversial.
He pointed out that as of Monday morning, the House had introduced only nine more bills than in 2011, when Republicans were in charge and Stephens and McNulty were the leaders in the House. Ferrandino said he could not speak for the Senate.
As of Monday morning, lawmakers have introduced 579 bills, 63 more than last year at the same time.
“It’s a rabbit through the snake,” Morse said, of dealing with the bills, adding it just takes the snake longer when there are six-hour debates on just one bill.
In the Senate, Carroll would make the decision whether to work on a Saturday.
“Every bill is going to get a debate and every bill is going to get a vote,” she said, adding if “time is needed, time will be added.”
Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said lots of things come up near the end of a session but the problem this year is lawmakers are handling measures “that should have been taken care of sooner.”
The session, which opened on Jan. 9, must adjourn by the end of May 8.
The last time lawmakers met on a Saturday was during a special session on illegal immigration in 2006.