How would stakeholders on some of Colorado’s top policy issues respond if they were granted three wishes by the legislature for the 2020 session? We asked eight of them.

Some of the issues have perennially bedeviled state lawmakers, like transportation, funding for public schools, addressing climate change, and regulating oil and gas development. Others, like the growing concern in some quarters over the social impact of legal recreational marijuana, are perhaps just now starting to pop up on the legislative radar.

The contributors we’ve asked to weigh in span the political spectrum and represent wide-ranging topics. They include guardians of the state’s social safety net from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy; champions of private enterprise from the Colorado Chamber of Commerce; defenders of our natural wonders at Conservation Colorado, and advocates for the oil and gas industry — a cornerstone of the state’s economy — at the Colorado Petroleum Council.

Some of their input is as familiar as the issues themselves — a potent reminder that the calls for action aren’t going away.

At least one of the wishes — from Colorado Springs Mayor and longtime Republican politico John Suthers — may be unlikely to see action anytime soon. But it gets points in our book for thinking outside the box even it was offered mostly tongue in cheek: “Shorten the annual legislative session to 90 days. That would reduce anxiety levels for many Coloradans.”

READ THE COMMENTARIES:

Kelly Nordini: Build upon 2019’s strides on climate, land, water and health

Lynn Granger: Take a deep breath, include stakeholders before passing more oil & gas regs

Sandra Hagen Solin: Congestion, failing roads are undermining Colorado’s quality of life

John Suthers: Fund our highways; forget family leave — and take pot’s perils seriously

Tiffani Lennon: A holiday wish list for Coloradans facing poverty

Loren Furman: Don’t heap more costly mandates on Colorado employers

COMING FRIDAY

Luke Ragland: More choices in public ed — for teachers as well as students

Jason E. Glass: A school super’s plea: Revise funding; reassess testing