A bill requiring the governor to make appointments more representative of rural Colorado cleared its final House committee and is just a few votes away from heading to Gov. Jared Polis’s desk.

Supporters say Senate Bill 22-042 reflects the frustration rural lawmakers have had over the last several years over how Polis makes appointments, especially to boards and commissions that deal with rural issues.

Among the most notable had been with the appointments Polis made in his first three years to the Colorado State Fair board of authority. 

Rural lawmakers have pointed out that the state fair is Colorado’s crown jewel for agriculture and livestock but that Polis in the past excluded representation from the Eastern Plains, home to the top ten agriculture-producing counties in the state, on its board. In 2020, that complaint led to a last-day clash among Senate lawmakers that eventually drew in the governor, who pledged to include more rural representation on the board.

Lawmakers complain it hasn’t always worked out the way they had hoped. 

Senate Bill 42, sponsored by Sen. Don Coram, R-Montrose, House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo and Rep. Perry Will, R-New Castle, last month won unanimous approval both from the full Senate.

Current law requires gubernatorial appointments on the 11-member board to include two residents from Pueblo County, one resident from each of the seven congressional districts, and one person who holds an at-large seat.

Under SB 42, board members would be appointed from the state’s four agricultural districts, instead of congressional districts. The bill also requires at least one member from each agricultural district to be involved in production agriculture, at least three members must be unaffiliated for at least one year prior to appointment, and no more than six can be members of the governor’s political party. The bill retains the language around membership from Pueblo County.

SB 42 also requires that at least one member reside east of both US 87 and Colorado 287, ensuring representation from the Eastern Plains.

As amended by the Senate, current members of the board will serve out their terms. The Senate also expanded the board to 13 members, with 12 appointed by the governor.

During a brief Monday hearing in the House Agriculture, Livestock & Water Committee, Esgar said the addition of a new congressional district makes the current board obsolete and gives the legislature a chance to celebrate Colorado’s ranchers, farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs. The bill ensures the board better represents geographical diversity within the state and gets rid of an outdated model, Esgar said.

Will, the New Castle Republican, added that changes to the board ensure agricultural communities across the state have adequate representation. The current makeup of the board shows some areas of the state are not represented, including the northwest and southeast regions of the state, Will said, adding, “This represents our state better.”

Rep Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, said the appointments are important to him.

“Lately, the appointments made by the governor that affect ag for the people in my district have not been welcomed,” he said, adding his district doesn’t want to see “more appointments” of people he described are not agriculture-friendly or who don’t support the industry 110%. 

The bill passed on a 10-0 vote and moves on to the full House for debate.