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Speaker Of The House Breaks Down 2017 Colorado Legislative Session

Speaker Duran unveiling the transportation bill with the Senate President and chairs of the transportation committees. The bipartisan bill ultimately failed.
Bente Birkeland
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Capitol Coverage
Speaker Duran unveiling the transportation bill with the Senate President and chairs of the transportation committees. The bipartisan bill ultimately failed.

Despite some setbacks, Colorado lawmakers are praising the now completed 2017 legislative session. Lawmakers avoided major funding cuts to hospitals and took a step toward jump-starting condominium developments. But they failed to send a measure to voters that sought to raise the state’s sales tax to fund road infrastructure repair.

Bente Birkeland spoke with Democratic Speaker of the House Chrisanta Duran about some of the major pieces of legislation that passed through the Democratic House and Republican Senate.

Interview Highlights:Democratic House Speaker Crisanta Duran said she thought lawmakers in both parties were able to focus on common ground and make the legislative session productive.

On how lawmakers in the split legislature were able to be productive given the divided national political mood:

In a time that has so much divisiveness we have to focus on those issues that bind us together rather than those that will divide us and this legislative session was an example of that. We really focused on problem-solving when it comes to some of the issues that matter most to Coloradans.

On what’s next for transportation funding when her bipartisan bill with the Republican Senate President failed:

We have to come up with a long-term solution to our transportation needs in the state of Colorado. In this session we were able to find common ground with many who were engaged and willing to have a conversation and come to the table through negotiations to figure out what was possible. Out of the House we passed a bipartisan solution and sent it over to the Senate. If the bill would have went to the Senate floor there would have been the votes to be able to pass it. We’re hopeful that for those who were not interested in being part of the conversation that they will come to the negotiating table at some point.

On whether she has any regrets about her first session serving as Speaker of the House:

No, there’s no regrets. What I would say is, is that I think we went big this session. We took on all of the tough issues. We encouraged people to have meaningful conversations about some of the topics that have been challenging to be able to find common ground on. We didn’t get everything done that we would have liked to.

Capitol Coverage is a collaborative public policy reporting project, providing news and analysis to communities across Colorado for more than a decade. Fifteen public radio stations participate in Capitol Coverage from throughout Colorado.

Copyright 2017 KUNC

Bente Birkeland has covered Colorado politics and government since spring of 2006. She loves the variety and challenge of the state capitol beat and talking to people from all walks of life. Bente's work has aired on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, American PublicMedia'sMarketplace, and she was a contributor for WNYC's The Next Big Thing. She has won numerous local and national awards, including best beat reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Bente grew up in Minnesota and England, and loves skiing, hiking, and is an aspiring cello player. She lives in Lakewood with her husband.
Bente Birkeland
Bente Birkeland has been reporting on state legislative issues for KUNC and Rocky Mountain Community Radio since 2006. Originally, from Minnesota, Bente likes to hike and ski in her spare time. She keeps track of state politics throughout the year but is especially busy during the annual legislative session from January through early May.
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