The annual legislative session is under way and lawmakers are once again back at the state capitol. Gov. Hicknelooper laid out his priorities – like more bipartisanship and tackling the budget by addressing the hospital provider fee – in his State of the State. But how do those priorities translate for the legislators working under the gold dome for 2016?
Capitol Conversation Highlights
On the tone at the Beginning of the Session
Ed Sealover, Denver Business Journal: "Hickenlooper swoops in at the State of the State address, 'can you please work together?' It was almost a pleading speech."
Joey Bunch, The Denver Post: "Because it's an election year and a presidential election year in a swing state I think there's a lot of campaign writing going on."
On Areas of Compromise
Sealover: "There is going go be a search for bipartisan agreement on affordable housing. Republicans and some Democrats will say the key is to make it harder to sue for construction defects in condominiums. There are still a number of Democrats including Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst that don't like that idea."
Bunch: "Both sides say they want to together on the same issues but they have just very different paths on where we go on those solutions."
