Holtorf reflects on legislative session

At the beginning of his fifth session representing the Eastern Plains in the state House, Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, moved into leadership of the House GOP caucus. He gained the title of minority whip, which means counting votes on the most controversial measures and finding the voices to contest the Democratic agenda. That included his own.

Holtorf has become known as a prolific speaker on agricultural and other issues in the General Assembly, but at times generating controversy over some of his remarks.

Nowhere was that more apparent than in 2023, which he called the hardest session he’s ever had, part of a caucus of 19 compared to 46 for the Democrats. It meant fighting against the agenda of progressive Democrats on issues such as abortion, guns and transgender rights. 

When he asked Democrats why they pushed so hard on these issues, which includes five major gun control bills and three bills tied to abortion and transgender care, Holtorf said he was told “We have the super majority and it’s our time.”

Where he said he felt he was most successful in 2023, despite the lopsided advantage for Democrats, was to show Coloradans that Republicans continue to be the voice of reason, with good-tempered governance. “We have tried to push back to the best of our ability despite many, many excessive rules and overreaching rules by the majority that hadn’t been invoked in decades,” he told this reporter recently.

Another issue was the number of bills in the 2023 session — 617 bills and another 64 resolutions — including more than 300 bills from the Senate. “Something is wrong in Colorado” when the number of bills coming from the Senate exceeds the space lawmakers have for them, he said. Lawmakers’ Senate file cabinets only go up to 300 bills, but the Senate introduced 306 this year. 

That’s the most coming out of the Senate since 2003.

Within the last week of the session, that included two measures on property taxes, with one that resulted in the House GOP walking out on the last day in protest over being denied an opportunity to offer amendments. They never returned for the rest of the day.

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