The lighter side of the state Capitol, usually.

A recent Senate Dems news conference allowed state Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Vail, to talk about a bill she’s sponsoring that would clarify the laws – or lack thereof, as the situation currently stands – around allowing dogs on restaurant patios.

Donovan said state law is actually silent on this issue and that there’s confusion on just what’s permissible.

The list of dogs endorsing this bill in the state Capitol is growing, beginning with Donovan’s dog, Gary; Sen. Faith Winter’s dog, Queso, and Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg’s dog, Ellie. 

No word on whether the bill will be endorsed by the First Dog, Gia.

The cat lobby is said to be mounting opposition to the bill.

De-press-ing situations

To quote the late comic Rodney Dangerfield: we don’t get no respect.

Last week, the General Assembly passed a resolution banning parking on the sidewalks along the north side of 14th Avenue. Not mentioned in that resolution was who would be banned: the members of the Capitol Press Corps. Few lawmakers knew this when they voted for it, based on those who’ve talked to Capitol M about it.

The parking ban has caused a bit of angst for the press corps, given the lack of parking around the Capitol. While 10 of us (Capitol M included) do have parking permits for parking outside of the Capitol Complex, the rest – as many as two dozen – are scrambling, especially when it’s reporters who aren’t here every day but need to pop in for bill hearings.

This also has created a problem for TV reporters and their camera crews, who have to lug a lot of heavy gear into the building and have for years been allowed to park on the sidewalk to facilitate early morning broadcasts. Reporters have been careful (mostly) to use only a portion of the sidewalk as to not block public access, but someone fussed about it, so it went away.

Around 30 years ago or so, there was a proposal to pave over the whole area along the north side of 14th Avenue, from Sherman to Grant, and to set that up as parking. But there are five trees that would have to come down. So planners were told to make like a tree and leave … them alone.

And the hits keep coming: One of the protocol standards for the House and Senate involves who wears a suit jacket and when, at least for the male lawmakers. One who doesn’t wear a jacket at the appropriate time gets fined. Tuesday, the first fine in the 2020 session for not putting on a jacket was levied in the Senate, and it wasn’t to a Senate member. It was to the Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul, who was fined $1 for not putting his coat on at the right moment.

It was even announced, to cheers from the senators (thanks a LOT!) by Sen. President Leroy Garcia.

Here’s a moment of totally perfect irony: this week is News Literacy Week. The House did a media tribute, led by Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, on Wednesday.

It’s all in good fun and we all get along pretty well. Mostly.

Tip of the hats: Colorado lawmakers spent $16,000 to help young people at this year’s recently-concluded National Western Stock Show.

They ended up with two lambs and a steer, all shown by Colorado teens and auctioned off on Jan. 23 during the Junior Livestock Auction.

The Cowboy/Cowgirl Caucus, as it’s known, paid $7,500 for the reserve champion blackface lamb, shown by David Vetter of Bennet. They also went in with several other people to buy the first place blackface lamb, shown by Lauren Frink of Eaton.

Finally, they were part of a group that purchased, for $18,000, a crossbred steer, shown by Lea Richardson of Yuma. The group included Occidental Petroleum, Johnson Family Farmers and the Growing Minds Combine, which supports 4-H and Future Farmers of America. 

State Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said Colorado steers were in demand this year; last year the caucus was able to buy a steer shown by a Colorado youth for about $12,000. They were going for upwards of $17,000 this year, often well above what was being paid for non-Colorado steers. 

“Monk-like solitude”: Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, who reflected recently on the cacophony of the House, and how the Senate operates a little differently.

One less toxic thing in the state Capitol this week: the Capitol Building Advisory Committee has gifted the building (and those who dwell within) with a filtered water fountain, located in the basement near the committee rooms.

The water fountain situation has been the bane of many around the Capitol for many years: the stream isn’t big enough to properly fill a bottle and it makes a mess. This new water fountain is automatic. You have no idea how exciting this is – people are treating it like the best thing since sliced bread around here.

Yes, it doesn’t take much to get people all excited and happy around here. 

At the time the photo at left was taken, there was a steady stream of people waiting to fill up.

“I”m a proud and excited supporter of the water fountain,” said John Frank of the Colorado Sun.