Rep. Matt Gray, a Democrat from Broomfield, is taking on the effort to expel fellow Democratic Rep. Steve Lebsock of Thornton, who is under fire for allegations of sexual harassment against Capitol colleagues.

In a statement Thursday, Gray said he would introduce a resolution at the beginning of the 2018 legislative session to expel Lebsock from the Colorado House. Gray has been calling for Lebsock’s resignation for several weeks, after a KUNC report that said Lebsock had sexually harassed a fellow lawmaker, a lobbyist and a legislative aide. State Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran of Denver and Gov. John Hickenlooper have also called on Lebsock to resign.

Lebsock continues to fight back. He told Colorado Politics Thursday that “I look forward to that vote, especially because the vote will happen after I tell my side of the story and the truth will be out.”

“As members of the House of Representatives, it is our job to make sure everyone who comes to the Capitol never has to fear being assaulted or harassed,” Gray said Thursday. “I believe Ms. (Cassie) Tanner, Ms. (Holly) Tarry and Representative Winter when they say they were harassed or assaulted by Representative Lebsock. Representative Lebsock first said he didn’t remember what happened, then he said he knew he didn’t do anything criminal, then he apologized, then he said the women were lying. No matter how many times his story changes, one thing is true: No woman who comes to the Capitol to help shape Colorado law should have to worry about interacting with Representative Lebsock again.”

Gray included with his statement a memo from the Office of Legislative Legal Services that explained how a member of the House can be expelled.

The memo outlines the process and legal background, stating that each chamber of the General Assembly “may expel a member upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds of its members, and a court will not inquire into the reasons for the expulsion.” The memo added that this authority is granted to the General Assembly by the Colorado Constitution.

While lawmakers have been censured – former Rep. Doug Bruce, who served time in jail for tax evasion, was censured for kicking a Rocky Mountain News photographer in 2008 – the Legal Services memo pointed out that no member of the General Assembly has been expelled since 1915, when Rep. William Howland was kicked out for committing perjury. In that case, however, the expulsion was done by a committee report, not a resolution.

The General Assembly begins its 2018 session on January 10.