The issue of harassment at the state Capitol took a turn Friday, when a Democratic member of the House claimed he’d been harassed by another member, a fellow Democrat, and threatened to call for an expulsion resolution.

Rep. Donald Valdez of La Jara took to the House microphone Friday morning to complain that he had been harassed by another lawmaker. He didn’t identify the lawmaker, however, Colorado Politics learned the other lawmaker was Rep. Jovan Melton of Aurora.

Valdez told his fellow House members that he was “not going to sit by and not say nothing. I’m going to stand up. Enough is enough of the harassment, of getting in my face” multiple times.

Valdez said he has already been in touch with the General Assembly’s new human resources director to discuss the matter. He claimed the other member had pulled him out of a committee hearing twice on Wednesday and took what he indicated was an aggressive stance in front of his House floor desk on Thursday.

“I’m not going to tolerate this. No one should have to be harassed anywhere. If something is going to change it will change with us,” Valdez told the House.

His remarks were greeted with applause, and a response from Republican Rep. Lois Landgraf of Fountain.

“Thank you for being brave enough to come up here and say something that should have been said long ago,” Landgraf said.

She added that the House used to conduct itself with a level of decorum but that has deteriorated over time.

“We have an opportunity to follow in Rep Valdez’ footsteps,” she said. “It’s not a joke, not a circus, and we have turned this place into a circus. I, for one, don’t like it.”

Her comments also were met with applause.

Colorado Politics learned that the confrontation started after Valdez breached the secrecy of a little-known practice by House members, as well as claims that Valdez doesn’t understand certain parts of the legislative process.

The initial incident Valdez referred to took place Wednesday during an seven-hour hearing on House Bill 1067, the “Right to Rest Act.” Melton was one of the bill’s cosponsors, along with Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton.

Valdez was one of four Democrats on the House Local Government Committee to vote against the bill, which failed on a 10-3 vote.

Valdez commented during the hearing about an agreement made among House Democrats during a pre-hearing caucus. He also complained that the sponsors were submitting a “strike-below” amendment and hadn’t given the committee enough time to review it. The sponsors had given the committee members the amendment, which basically re-wrote the bill, more than 24 hours before the hearing and in accordance with a request by the committee chair, Rep. Jonathan Singer of Longmont.

Those two incidents, and a less-than-friendly exchange between Valdez and Salazar during the hearing, appears to have led Melton to call Valdez out of the committee, not once but twice, to discuss legislative process, including that the pre-hearing caucus is not something that is exactly well-known. Valdez would not comment to Colorado Politics about what Melton said or did.

During the hearing, Valdez and Salazar got into a brief exchange about hunting. During his opening remarks, Salazar noted a Boulder shelter refused to open on a recent cold night because it was 21 degrees, and the shelter opens only when it is 20 degrees or below. Salazar commented that he understands how cold 20 degrees is as he is a hunter and hunts in the cold.

Valdez later asked Salazar where he hunts, which prompted Melton to ask several times what that had to do with the bill. Salazar responded that he hunts in his native San Luis Valley, and occasionally catches a squirrel or rabbit.

Eventually, Melton asked Valdez to leave the hearing to talk.

The second time Valdez and Melton spoke outside of the hearing, it led to a physical confrontation in front of the office of Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran of Denver.

Wasn't going to report this, but now that Rep. @DonaldValdezCO is at House well talking about harassment, context is needed. He had an incident with Reps in his own party that resulted in sergeants pulling him and that lawmaker apart just outside speaker's door. #coleg

— Charles Ashby (@OldNewsman) March 16, 2018

Valdez was also taken to task during the Wednesday hearing by a constituent who drove four hours to the Capitol to address him about issues affecting homeless veterans in the San Luis Valley.

Ana Sofia Cornelius of Center also testified on the bill last year, pointing out that the issue is not just about homeless in Denver. She admonished Valdez during the hearing over what she considers a flippant attitude toward the issue.

Cornelius told Colorado Politics that Valdez made a mockery of the proceedings and that she has tried to talk to him about homeless issues in the Valley, to no avail. Cornelius told Valdez during the hearing that she was “appalled that you would begin these proceedings with contempt for the Democratic processes.”

She was interrupted by Singer, who told her comments needed to address the bill, not her grievance with a member.  She left, but not before telling the committee that she would report on how the hearing turns out to the community.

“What a bully,” Cornelius told Colorado Politics.

She thinks Valdez doesn’t understand the homeless problem, which she said in the Valley includes a shelter, La Puente, that has a “move along” policy that she said criminalizes the homeless and denies services to veterans.

Duran met with each of the three lawmakers after the House adjourned. She and House Majority Leader KC Becker of Boulder issued a joint statement at 1:30 p.m.:

“House Democratic leadership is working to mediate the situation and taking the advice of the new HR director on how best to respond. In addressing the issue, we want to re-emphasize for all members the need to treat one another professionally and respectfully.”