You did it! You made it to our final update for the 2021 Colorado legislative session. Thank you for hanging in there with us. Typically, the session ends in mid-May, but we stayed late this year to see the session to the very end, and every day was needed.

Now that the session is out, our legislative team has agreed to take a break, but just a short one! We’ll come back together at the end of the month to debrief the successes and struggles of the session this year and won’t waste a moment to start planning for the next.

So what can you expect from us next? By the end of this summer, we’ll release our 2022 Legislative Scorecard. If you’re interested in the Colorado legislature, but aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of the process, our scorecard is a great place to start. It’s a tool we use to connect our work at the Capitol to the impact these bills have on our members’ everyday lives. Next, we’ll set up in-district meetings with West Slope legislators. This is an opportunity not just to connect with our legislators and build a relationship, but also to identify lawmakers who may be interested in sponsoring the next bill our Alliance plans to work on. If you’re interested in joining the meetings scheduled with your legislator, let me know! No Capitol experience is necessary to meet and get to know the person who represents you in Colorado.

Overall, 2021 was a great session, and a huge reminder that who we elect really does matter. Despite a Democratic trifecta (the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s office all controlled by Democrats), there wasn’t surety in any of the bills we worked on. We saw all our priority bills pass this year because of the legislators who worked tirelessly to see it happen. Both Republicans and Democrats sponsored and championed our top bills, and it’s a reminder that here on the West Slope, when we focus on community needs, we have more in common than in difference. Our work is far from done, but we can rest easy, at least for a week or two.

Happy summer, and we’ll be in touch soon!