Sen. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, is contributing a column to this week’s print edition. The Colorado Statesman is publishing the column in serial form online this week.

On Wednesday, April 15, 2015, Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, and I shared the honor of introducing Senate Joint Resolution 15-024 commemorating the 150th anniversary of the death of President Abraham Lincoln. The Resolution provided an opportunity to remind ourselves of the close connection that Colorado had and still has with the first Republican President of ‘these United States,’ as we were known prior to the Civil War.

Colorado became a U.S. Territory in 1861, the year that Lincoln was inaugurated and the year that the Civil War began. It’s fun in to share our history with groups of school kids and then to ask them the name of the streets that guard the Capitol to the west (Lincoln Street), east (Grant Street), and the street that intersects the Capitol north to south (Sherman Street). Yes, Colorado is the “Centennial State” as we achieved statehood 100 years after the nation was founded, but there is rich history to be found in the 15 years preceding statehood.

The next time that you’re at the Colorado Capitol, take a moment to visit the Civil War memorial below the west steps. Take time to consider the fact that the Colorado Territory saw a higher percentage of its population fight in the Civil War than any state at that time. Yes, ours was a relatively small population from 1861-1865, but that statistic points to both our diversity and our willingness to apply effort toward what we believe to be right.

Diversity of effort?

Yes, that’s the Colorado that I know and love. It’s why I am so grateful to the voters in my community who have allowed me the opportunity to serve in both the state House (2011-14) and now in the state Senate. The voters of 65 state House districts and 35 state Senate districts send us to the Capitol to represent our respective communities within a diverse assembly of effort.

Sometimes, there is considerable disagreement between members, parties or chambers. The press is gifted in their ability to tell you in great and sometimes unnecessary detail about such division. Other times, we find better ideas, encourage each other to craft better public policy, and pass legislation with broad bi-partisan support without either member, party or chamber having to give up half in order to get half. The press is somewhat less inclined to tell you in much detail about those efforts, but it does occur nonetheless. I’ve been privileged to see that happen on bills that I’ve introduced on subjects ranging from business personal property tax relief to increasing transparency regarding court appointed investigators.

It’s a worthy challenge to find better ideas and to bring people together. During my first year in office, Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, now Speaker of the House, referred to my 2011 attempt at business personal property tax relief as “the worst bill of the year.” I’ve since joked that such words coming from a Boulder County Democrat are high praise in conservative Douglas County. That year, some Democrats in the Senate had quietly pledged to Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Douglas County, that they would vote for relief of business personal property tax “when pigs fly.”

The better part of the story occurred during the 2012 session when Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella pushed Sen. Scheffel and I to find a better idea. It was Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, then chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, who found the answer. The solution was remarkably simple, but had been previously overlooked. We drafted what became House Bill 12-1029 and passed it through both chambers with a total of 98 “Yes” votes and two members excused.

Rep. Hullinghorst came to me on the floor of the House and explained that when she saw my name along with the subject of the 2012 bill, she had assumed that she would be opposed. However, after reading the bill, she embraced the idea, supported it, and encouraged members of her caucus to support it too. After passing the House, the bill was assigned to the Senate Committee on Finance where Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, then chairman of the committee, politely shared with Sen. Scheffel just prior to a unanimous vote, “Senator Scheffel, pigs are strapping on their wings!” You see, seemingly impossible things can be achieved, not always through compromise, but occasionally with better ideas.

Sen. Chris Holbert is a Republican representing northern and western Douglas County.