When the seventieth session of the Colorado General Assembly convenes Jan. 7, 2015 the balance of power at the capitol will have shifted - slightly. Republicans now have control of the state Senate, but they are still in the minority in the House.
Republican Brian DelGrosso of Loveland has been the minority leader for the previous two years and was re-elected to continue that role in the 2015 session.
When the new session starts, one of his priorities - jobs - will overlap with the Dems. In fact, the Colorado Republican Party has announced their plan that, like the Democrats, will focus on "jobs and economy." There are differences though when it comes to other issues, like oil and gas regulation.
In an interview that aired during Morning Edition, DelGrosso discussed his thoughts on the upcoming legislative session and how his party will work with the gains in the House made in November to narrow the Democratic majority.
Interview Highlights
On Split Legislative Control
"We were pretty much in the hole by quite a few seats these last couple of years and now we were able to pick up a couple of seats and we're two seats down. That brings a different dynamic. If we're able to get two people to the aisle on any given subject we'll be able to pass something out of the house."
"I think it's going to force people to hopefully be a lot more collaborative."
On Legislative Priorities
"There's a lot of areas in our state that are continuing to struggle. We're seeing certain areas of the state where they still have high unemployment. For instance out west there were 150 coal miners that just got laid off. And so we're still seeing layoffs and economic struggles. You'll continue to see us push for policies that will be good for the entire state of Colorado and especially our folks out in rural Colorado. "
On Oil And Gas Legislation
"The reality is when you look at overall oil and gas regulations we have some of the strictest regulations in the country. You know we've heard that from the Governor we've heard that from industry, I don't think too many people dispute that fact that's out there."
