The Colorado General Assembly recessed on March 14 because of COVID-19 and it’s not clear when state lawmakers will return
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state legislature may extend its lawmaking term after taking a pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, breathing new life into Democrats’ policy plans and ending ambiguity swirling for weeks at the Capitol.
The Colorado General Assembly was originally supposed to adjourn on May 6, but after temporarily recessing on March 14 because of the new coronavirus outbreak, Democratic lawmakers wanted to use an emergency rule allowing them to continue past their planned end date.
Republicans challenged the rule — Joint Rule 44(g) — and said legislative sessions must end after 120 consecutive days under a constitutional amendment approved by voters in the 1980s. The rule was unanimously adopted in 2009 in the wake of the H1N1 flu epidemic and is triggered when the governor declares an emergency because of a health crisis.
But in a narrow, 4-3 decision handed down Wednesday afternoon, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the amendment is ambiguous and the legislature therefore can meet after May 6 to make up days it has missed because of the coronavirus.
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