Zombies, beating-a-dead-horse, stick-in-the-eye, and Lazarus Legislation are all names for certain bills at the Capitol: the ones that die one year and rise the next.

The bills are introduced to force the sides to declare their colors. The “Offenses against Unborn Children” bills — HB16-1007 and SB15-268 — tell social conservatives that Republicans are pushing great red causes.

The “Employee Leave to Attend a Child’s Academic Activities” bills — HB16-1002 and HB15-1221 — let progressive Democrats know that the blue party has their back. So does the “Middle Class College Savings Act” version one — HB15-1347 – and version one again – HB16-1003.

A partial list of these bills shows how extensive this Phoenix-like rise from the dead is each year. Ammo magazine bills HB16-1113 and 16-1024 closely repeat HB15-1041 and 15-1009. The Same-Day Voter bill in 2016 copies the Same-Day Voter bill in 2015. Republican Rep. Justin Everett’s “Deadly Force Against an Intruder at a Place of Business” is in at least its fourth annual iteration.

Sometimes the bill concept is treated slightly differently, such as with the Pay Equity Commission bill in 2015 that evolves into the State Contractors Compliance with Equal Pay bill of 2016. The Senate killed pay equity in 2015 and it will put a knife in it again in 2016.

It’s not cheap to run bills over and over.

Here’s the process: A bill starts with the legislator who sends it to Legislative Council and its writers and lawyers. Go with roughly $75/hour per person for at least eight total hours at $600. Assume some revisions for another eight hours at $600. Then the bill moves to committee with 11 members in the House at $30,000/120 days, which comes to about $31/hour per member. If a bill hearing runs five hours, because these bills are contentious, it’s about $1,705. Often, the bill writer attends the hearing as does the committee secretary. Add another $500.

When the bill passes committee, it goes to the full chamber. The House zombies cost $31 x 65 members x two hours, again, because the bills are contentious. That’s $4,030. Staff has to put the bill into the calendar, read it across the desk, print it, etc. Crank out $1,000 for the administrative work. The bill may move quickly through third reading for $1,000.

The Senate dead horses cost about half the legislator time due to fewer members. Put the Senate bills at $$6,500. Since many of the bills will cross chambers, and they may acquire amendments along the way, and they may go to Appropriations Committees, throw in an estimated $4,000 more. The repeat bills will die in the opposing chambers. The rough estimate is $13,435. The true cost is probably in the $15,000 to $20,000 range, plus all the time consumed on legislative work that’s for making a point, not law.

If legislators resisted the Lazarus Effect, the session might finish early, saving both time and money and giving everyone more time to campaign in the election year.

Paula Noonan owns Colorado Capitol Watch, the state’s premier legislature tracking platform.