Democratic and Republican leaders of the Colorado House on Wednesday decried the economic burden Coloradans face and vowed to lower costs for residents and businesses alike, but they also hinted of their divergent — and at times clashing — policy prescriptions.  

House Speaker Julie McCluskie and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese sought to set the tone in speeches during the opening ceremonies of the Colorado General Assembly’s new session, which began Wednesday. 

Their divergent views and points of convergence will likely play out on several issues this year. 

McCluskie said the General Assembly is committed to reducing the cost of living for Coloradans, citing measures from last session that provided tax credits for community college students, as well as proposed legislation this year to tackle what sponsors described as rent-setting algorithms by landlords. 

“Let’s foster an even stronger economy in this state by lowering costs for businesses and working families, and finding fair opportunity for all,” she said. 

Pugliese echoed that message but approached affordability from a different angle.   

“We as a legislature have to acknowledge the role that we have played in making Colorado unaffordable,” she said. “I think it is incredibly important that we have a conversation about fees. Literally, people are talking about these fees at the door and that they cannot afford to raise their families here. Seniors are scared that they’ll have to leave the state because they can’t live on a fixed income.”

She added: “The legislature did that. And when we talk about affordable and attainable housing, we, the legislature, we did that.”

In her speech, McCluskie praised House members for their accomplishments last session, including eliminating the state’s education budget stabilization factor, reducing property taxes, and placing regulations around the planting of uncertified potatoes.  

She also acknowledged that challenges are ahead, notably due to the state’s financial woes, which will require the General Assembly to trim nearly $1 billion from the budget this year. As a result, she said, there may be some “unpopular” decisions and “choices that put truly deserving efforts and priorities in competition with each other for funding.” 

Despite the budgetary difficulties, McCluskie said she is confident that the House’s Joint Budget Committee members — Reps. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction — are equipped for the challenge. 

McCluskie also talked about potential challenges the Democratic-dominated legislature may face with the upcoming Trump administration, particularly regarding immigration. 

“No matter where we come from, all Coloradans want the same things — to put a roof over our family’s heads, put food on the table, and pursue the American Dream,” she said. “Throughout our nation’s history, immigrants have been used as a political scapegoat to divide us and distract us from real challenges.” 

She added that Coloradans “do not support mass deportations, separating families, or detaining parents at their children’s schools. In addition to the devastating human cost, mass deportations will cause significant labor shocks and drive up the cost of health care, food, and housing.”

Long before reports of a Venezuelan prison gang infiltrating three apartment complexes in Aurora became international news, the arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants in America’s interior cities catapulted the crisis beyond the country’s border states.

In Colorado, some 43,000 people who illegally crossed the southern border have arrived in Denver since December 2022. About half have stayed — the equivalent of adding roughly 21,500 people, or a city the size of Golden, in less than two years.

The vast majority are from South and Central America, particularly Venezuela.

The sudden influx left officials scrambling to respond to hungry immigrants arriving in frigid conditions — often wearing sweatshirts and slippers in the snow — with nowhere to go.

Denver officials decided early in the crisis to provide — largely at the expense of taxpayers — temporary shelter and onward travel for newly arriving immigrants. That has cost more than $75 million.

During the presidential campaign, Trump identified Colorado as the launching pad for what he dubbed “Operation Aurora,” the start of what he promised to be the largest mass deportation in American history.

McCluskie mentioned Mountain Dreamers, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit based in Frisco; Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, who was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States as a child; and Rep. Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, Colorado’s first African immigrant legislator.

“We may face challenges from Washington, budget constraints, and distractions right and left, but I continue to find immense joy in doing the people’s work,” McCluskie concluded. “I know you all do, as well.”

Pugliese, too, mentioned immigration, saying her caucus supports immigrants who come to the United States legally in search of a better life. 

“We do support illegal immigrants who are violent criminals not being in this country and not harming people in our communities,” she said.

“I think this should be a bipartisan issue, and I would love to learn more as to why you don’t think that it is,” she said, in remarks directed at Democrats. 

Pugliese also echoed McCluskie’s commitment to making life more affordable for all Coloradans. 

“Affordability remains the forefront of our legislative priorities and you will hear a lot about that this session,” she said. “You will see us going to the mic and talking about the conversations we’ve had and the work that we can do together. I do believe we can do this work together to really change in a meaningful way.”

To Pugliese, the economic burdens on Coloradans can be traced directly to actions by the legislature. She criticized policies passed in recent years that she said have imposed more fees on Coloradans, making life even more expensive.

Pugliese mentioned her own two children in the audience and spoke of her dedication to advocating for Colorado families. 

“Whether that’s advocating for safer communities, promoting parental choice in education, ensuring that parents are in control of their children’s medical decisions, an issue that is very near and dear to my heart, we believe that families — parents, grandparents, whoever is raising these children — are in the best position to know what their children need,” she said. “We will continue to fight for the right of parents to advocate for their children in whatever setting they need to.”

Protecting the state’s education funding is crucial, even with the budget constraints the General Assembly will face this session, Pugliese added.

“We have, in the Constitution, a duty to protect public education funding, which includes charter schools,” she said. “This is the future of our workforce and keeping our children here in Colorado.”

Citing complaints from her caucus about speeches being limited by the speaker last session, Pugliese said she and McCluskie are working on new House rules to address those concerns. 

“I am so glad that we continue to have the conversation about protecting the First Amendment rights of every single member in this chamber and every constituent that comes through these doors in the peoples’ house and making sure their voices can be heard, even in hard conversations,” she said. “It is what our country was founded on, and we should give them the opportunity to tell their stories. We should no longer have a place where no one feels welcome. So, I reaffirm our commitment to work with (the Democrats) on protecting the First Amendment rights of the minority of our constituents on both sides of the aisle.”

In her closing remarks, Pugliese urged her colleagues to remember who they are there to represent, especially when things get contentious.

“We may not all vote the same on either side of the aisle, but we are doing what is right in our hearts for the people of Colorado, and we are putting them first,” she said. “So, let’s find a way to find a path forward, to find that middle ground of being able to deliver real results for the people of Colorado who send us here to do this.”