by Carolyn Martin

After this past election, major changes are expected to come to our national government, which will have an impact on our state legislature. Unfortunately, the Colorado General Assembly remains in the hands of people who do not affirm God’s order and design for government. During their caucus meetings to elect new leadership, the majority party indicated that their priorities to push agendas that ultimately grow dependence on government and lessen our ability to live free remains the same.

It is clear that the leaders of the legislature are very concerned about what funding might be stripped from Colorado due to the newly-elected President’s policy plans around immigration, healthcare, education, and climate change, to name just a few. Even as this year comes to a close, the state is looking at an almost $1B budget deficit, which means they will have to find ways to cut spending or create new fees in an attempt to circumvent TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) limits and balance the budget.

During the first few days of session, which begins on January 8th, we will see the Governor and the leaders of the House and Senate lay out their plans for Colorado. Plans that hinge on Governor Polis’ desire to fundamentally transform Colorado – which he has been touting and implementing since his first year in office. Before any bills begin moving through the process, Executive Branch Departments and Agencies will go before various committees of reference to give brief reports on their activities and financial needs. If you go to the legislative website and follow the schedule, you can listen in and hear for yourself what they mean when they say they want to create a ‘Colorado for all’.