It shouldn’t have been much of a fight. Tuesday, the state Senate had before it a bipartisan bill to strengthen civic education, what proponents thought was a worthy proposal in light of the current political climate.  

“In the wake of events that we’ve seen in the last several months in the nation’s capital and around the country, [civic education] is more important than ever,” and this is a way to highlight that importance as the state Board of Education updates its standards, according to Senate Bill 67 sponsor Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver.

His co-sponsor, Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, said the bill started out with Sen. Lois Court and several members of Congress, including then-U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R) and Sen. David Skaggs (D). “It shows we can reach common ground,” he told the Senate. 

Sen. Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, noted his favorite part of his job is when he gets the opportunity to be a guest teacher in civics classes in his district. He offered an amendment to ensure that students are not only told about the structure around government but how to become an engaged citizen, an amendment adopted by the Senate.

The debate was moving right along until Sen. Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, reached the podium and asked the Senate to vote the bill down. Kolker, a former civics high school teacher, said the standards proposed in the bill already exist and that the bill is unnecessary. The failure of education isn’t in the standards, he said; it’s in the funding of the schools. 

The standards identified in the bill include teaching the three branches of government and how they interact, how laws are enacted at the federal, state and local government levels, how citizens shape and influence government; and the historical and modern significance of the Declaration of Independence. All that is already being taught, Kolker said, in a 15-minute explanation.

“I love civics! It’s changed my life!” said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Douglas County, who frequently shares with his colleagues and constituents information about how the legislature, executive branch and state Constitution work. But he also said that while he appreciated what the bill sponsors were trying to do, the decision on standards rests in the hands of the State Board of Education.

Kolker’s objections didn’t go over well with some of his colleagues. 

“We need to engage young people in civics, we need to teach the future,” said Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. “They should be able to engage in this topic in schools.” 

The need for civics education isn’t only limited to schools, as Coram later explained. He said he gets daily phone calls and emails, some asking him to impeach Donald Trump. Many times it’s an issue related to the federal government or to local government. “They do not understand, and these are adults who I know have had civics but didn’t retain it.”

The bill won a preliminary voice vote and will be up for a final Senate vote Wednesday. 

Then it was on to another civics lesson, this time on guns. 

Senate Bill 78 requires those who own firearms to report when those weapons are lost or stolen within five days. It’s a bill that was set aside in the 2020 session due to the pandemic.

The debate on Tuesday was the epitome of polite, contrasting the fight over guns that took up the first two days in the House this week. It also came just 24 hours after a shooting in Civic Center Park, across the street from the Capitol, that led to a 30-minute lockdown of the state Capitol and the death of the shooting victim. 

Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, pointed out that failure to comply is a petty offense with a $25 fine, which he said contradicts the sponsors’ claim about the importance of the bill. 

“You can’t have it both ways,” he said. Gardner briefly attempted to send the bill to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee but withdrew that motion.

Sen. Jim Smallwood, R-Parker, asked how the law would work. “I don’t understand how this will reduce gun violence,” which the proponents claims is the bill’s purpose, he said. “The gun is already on the streets, yet the bill is intended to keep guns off the streets,” he said. 

Stolen guns lead to crime, responded bill sponsor Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont. Law enforcement backs the bill, she added, naming former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen and several district attorneys.

That one Denver police chief says he’s OK with it does not mean sheriffs back this, said Sen. John Cooke, R-Windsor, a former Weld County sheriff. 

A gun is stolen every two minutes, according to Fields. While Gardner claimed the bill is a “feel-good” measure, anyone who has experienced gun violence does not believe that’s a good thing, Fields said. 

The bill prompted Sen. Rob Woodward, R-Loveland, to comment that the recurring theme in the 2021 session appears to be to charge victims and law-abiding citizens with crimes. 

Senate Bill 78 won a preliminary voice vote and will be on the schedule for a final vote on Wednesday.