Halfway through this year’s session, the Republican legislative agenda is not looking good, with more than 50% of the party’s “Commitment to Colorado” bill package already dead.

Republican lawmakers unveiled the 44-bill package in January to address three core goals: affordability, education and public safety. As of Monday, Democrat-controlled committees have rejected 25 of them. Only five of the bills have advanced so far, with 11 still awaiting their first committee votes and three not yet introduced.

Democrats hold the majority in both the state Senate and House of Representatives, with Republican lawmakers accounting for only 39 of the 100-member legislature. Of the 25 bills indefinitely postponed, 21 were rejected along strict party-line votes.

Here’s a look at which bills from the package were struck down and which still have a shot:

Affordability

Republicans and Democrats alike listed affordability as a main priority this legislative session. As the cost of living rapidly rose in Colorado in recent years, Republicans have blamed Democratic policies, such as tax and fee increases, and vowed to reverse the policies.

One of the biggest bills in the package, House Bill 1062, has yet to be voted on. If passed, the bill would exempt all food from sales tax to lower the costs of groceries. It was introduced at the beginning of the session and assigned to the House Finance Committee, though its first hearing has not been scheduled. The bill has garnered support from restaurants and other eateries, but opposition from local governments.

Another highly publicized bill, Senate Bill 93 sought to double property tax exemptions for seniors and veterans but was voted down last month. Other proposed tax changes include House Bill 1125, which seeks to temporarily reduce income tax by 0.05%, and House Bill 1021, which decreases the income tax from 4.55% to 4.4%. Both bills died in committee on Monday.

Republicans are still promising a bill to repeal SB21-260, though it hasn’t been introduced yet. SB21-260, which the legislature passed last session, is a $5.4 billion, 10-year plan from Democrats to build out Colorado’s roads and bridges, create more electric vehicle charging stations, boost mass transit and mitigate air pollution. Republicans say their bill would repeal and replace parts of SB21-260, redirecting the funds to transportation infrastructure projects.

Education

The focus on education comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted schools, resulting in K-12 students struggling through online classes and criticism from many Republicans regarding the quality of public education.

The most successful bill so far – House Bill 1057 is the only measure in the GOP package passed by the House and Senate – is now on its way to Gov. Jared Polis’s desk.

If enacted, the bill would temporarily waive the limit on days a retired teacher can work as a substitute to help address teacher shortages during the pandemic. House Bill 1126, which creates an income tax credit for classroom expenses, is also moving forward, after having received approval from the House Finance Committee on March 3.

Five of the 10 education bills have met their end, including House Bill 1066, which would have required schools to post their curriculums, House Bill 1069, which sough to allow parents to request reforms for low-performing schools, and Senate Bill 39, which tried to give $723 million to the state education fund, fully repealing the budget stabilization factor starting in 2023. The budget “factor” is a budgeting tool that proportionally reduced the amount of total funding for each school district. The factor reduces state aid to districts.

Two planned education bills have not yet been introduced. The first, a Senate bill, would create the means for equitable funding for all charter school students. The second, a House bill, would provide $5,000 vouchers for students to leave “failing” public schools and instead attend private or charter schools.

Public safety

Spurred by rising crime rates nationally and statewide, public safety is at the forefront of public consciousness this session. Polis, for example, unveiled a $113 million public safety package, which is currently advancing through the legislature.

One of the bills in the Republican package, a grant program to hire police, combined with a similar Democrat-backed grant program to create the bipartisan Senate Bill 145. The bill seeks $30.5 million for three law enforcement grant programs to fund the following: crime prevention and intervention in high-crime areas; law enforcement recruitment, retention, tuition and training; and, improving law enforcement diversity. The bill is scheduled for the Senate Local Government Committee on March 22.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 67 would designate $50 million for a safe neighborhoods grant program to provide critical incident training to local law enforcement agencies. The Senate Judiciary Committee skipped tackling the bill on March 3, and it has not yet been rescheduled for a vote.

The other three public safety bills under the package have all been killed. This includes Senate Bill 41 to establish a mandatory cash bail for repeat or violent offenders, Senate Bill 101 for $5 million to hire school resource officers and Senate Bill 111 to expand the Nursing Home Innovations Grant Program.

Others

In addition to its core three goals, “Commitment to Colorado” also features secondary priorities, including environmental conservation, employment and protecting the right to vote on new taxes.

The package contains three bills on alternative energy: Senate Bill 73 to study the feasibility of using small nuclear reactors for energy, Senate Bill 118 to reclassify geothermal energy to match solar energy and House Bill 1140 to add green hydrogen as a state-defined renewable energy resource. Lawmakers voted down SB-73 last month, but advanced SB-118 to a second committee. HB-1140 hasn’t been voted on yet.

On employment, Senate Bill 116 aims to bolster Colorado’s workforce by making it easier for people coming from other states with a military occupational specialty to be credentialed here. The Senate approved the bill, and it is scheduled for its first House committee on March 23. Other employment bills were rejected, including Senate Bill 88, which sough to create a $650,000 scholarship program for trade education.

Finally, House Bill 1059 is still on the table. The bill aims to require two-thirds approval from legislators for the creation or increase of any fee. Introduced at the beginning of the session, the bill is scheduled for its first vote on March 21 in the House State, Civic, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee.