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Guide to the Legislature

A word about the process - 10 steps from bill to law
Who is my state representative? Who is my state senator?
What are they doing?
Who's doing what?
When are they doing it?
How can I participate in person?
Who else may have an interest in my issue?

1. When a representative introduces a bill, it is assigned to a committee in the House of Representatives. When a senator introduces a bill, it is assigned to a committee in the Senate. Committees consist of 7- 11 members. Whichever party has a majority in the chamber will have a majority of seats on the committees. Republicans have a majority in the House, so all House committees will have more Republicans than Democrats. Democrats have a majority in the Senate, so all Senate committees will have more Democrats than Republicans.



2. That committee is required to hold a public hearing on the bill. Any member of the public can testify at this hearing.



3. After the testimony, the committee can vote to pass the bill or to "postpone indefinitely" (kill it). They can also amend the bill and then pass it.



4. Depending on the bill, once it passes its first committee, it may go to full House or Senate ("the floor") or it may need to first go on to another committee. For example, a House bill to fund new road construction would first go to the House Transportation committee because it deals with transportation. If it passes that committee, it would also have to go to the House Appropriations committee because it will cost the state money.



5. After passing out of committees, the bill goes to either the House or Senate floor for "Second Reading". It will be debated in front of all the Representatives or Senators, but there is no public testimony (that came earlier, during the committee hearing). The bill may also be amended on Second Reading.



6. If it passes Second Reading, it goes to Third Reading. The bill may also be debated and amended during this reading, but that is rare-most of the action occurs in committee and on Second Reading.



7. If the bill passes Third Reading, it goes to the other chamber where the process starts over again, i.e. a bill that passes House committees and the full House then goes to a Senate committee(s) and to the Senate floor.



8. If the second chamber to hear the bill amends it so that it changes in a significant way, a Conference Committee is appointed to try and iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions. The Conference Committee includes both senators and representatives.



9. If both the House and Senate pass the same version of the bill, it goes to the Governor for his signature.



10. The Governor can sign the bill or veto it. His veto kills the bill. But a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate can override the veto.

To find out what state house and senate district you live in, call your county clerk's office. Then go to the Colorado General Assembly website and click on the directory of legislators. There's a list organized by district number and a list organized by last name. You can click on any legislator's name and be connected to information about each one, including their committee assignments, phone number, mailing address and e-mail address.

Don't use the Internet much? You can call toll-free outside the metro area and be connected to any legislator's phone. House of Representatives # is 1-800-811-7647, Senate # is 1-888-473-8136. Within Colorado, you can call the House at 303-866-2904, the Senate at 303-866-2316 and Governor Bill Ritter at 303-866-2471

There are a couple of ways to find out about bills being debated during the current session of the legislature:

Colorado General Assembly website lists all bills organized by their bill number. You can read the text of any bill on-line.

If you can go to the Capitol, go across 14th St (north side of the Capitol) to the "bill room" in the basement of the Legislative Services building, 200 E. 14th St.. You can get a free copy of any bill, any amendments to the bill, and the bill's "Fiscal Impact Statement" (how much money will this cost?). The bill room also has a list of bills organized by topic, rather than by number, so you can look for any key subjects of particular interest. You can call the bill room at (303) 866-3055.

Every bill has a sponsor. That's the senator or representative that introduces the bill and guides it through the legislative process. The sponsors name(s) is listed at the top of the bill. If you have questions about a bill, contacting the sponsor is a good place to start.

There's another document available on-line and at the bill room called the "Status Sheet". It lists every bill introduced during the session and what committee(s) will hear the bill. The status sheet is updated very day. As a bill moves along in the process, it will show what committees have heard the bill, if it passed out of a committee, and where it still has to go.

The on-line legislative directory and the folks in the bill room can also tell you which representatives are members of which committee. If you want to voice your opinion about a bill, it's a good idea to contact members of the committee(s) that will hear the bill. Contacting your representative and senator is a good idea, too, even if they are not a committee that will hear the bill you're concerned about.

The House and Senate both have a calendar, updated every week day. It's available at the Colorado General Assembly or from the bill room. The calendars are a schedule of what bills will be discussed on any given day. They list bills being heard by the full House and Senate, and bills being heard in committee.

The calendar is not infallible, it changes day-to-day and sometimes at the last minute. If you are planning on coming to the Capitol to testify on a specific bill, try to double check the date and time with the bill's sponsor or the bill room.

In addition to calling, writing and sending e-mail, any member of the public can testify in person at a committee hearing. Be sure to check the date and time of the committee meeting where the bill you're interested in is being heard. It's a good idea to arrive a little early and sign-up to testify.

Committee hearings are the only time the public can testify. Once the bill goes to the full House or Senate, it will be debated "on the floor" (in the House or Senate chamber) and only the representatives and senators are allowed to speak. The public can watch these proceedings from the House or Senate gallery-a balcony located above each chamber. Floor sessions start at 10 am on Mondays and at 9 am the rest of the week.

The Capitol is wheelchair accessible through doors on the north and south sides of the building. The building is open to the public from 7 am to 5 pm during the legislative session.

The House committee rooms are in the basement of the Capitol. Senate committee rooms are on the third floor. There are stairs and two elevators.

Parking is difficult around the Capitol. There is no specific public parking lot. Allow yourself some time to find a space. Or take the bus.

The Colorado Secretary of State maintains a list of campaign contributors to all elected state officals, including every representative and senator. Click on the "Elections Center".

Professional lobbyists are also required to register with the Secretary of State. You can find out who they are and who they lobby for on that same website.

Campaign contribution and lobbyist information is also available in person at the Secretary of State's office, on the second floor of 1560 Broadway.