Board appointments under scrutiny

The state Senate spent time during the week of April 26 working through appointments to the Colorado State Fair Board of Authority as well as dealing with a bill that requires the governor to pick appointments more reflective of Colorado’s geographic diversity.

House Bill 1212 won unanimous support from the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on April 27 and a preliminary vote of approval from the full Senate on April 30.

Under the bill, in addition to requirements for appointments to the more than 200 boards and commissions the governor must make each year, the governor must take into consideration geographic and demographic diversity, including membership reflecting rural and urban parts of the state, and to appoint members of diverse political, racial, disability and cultural groups, and of diverse sexual orientation and genders.

Gov. Jared Polis has been criticized for excluding Republicans from some of the boards and commissions he’s appointed, as well as excluding representation from the Eastern Plains on boards and commissions that are significant to the Eastern Plains, such as the Colorado State Fair board and the Parks and Wildlife Commission. He pledged last year to appoint more Eastern Plains residents in a closed-door meeting with state senators from both parties.

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