It’s going to be a busy three days.

The 2022 General Assembly must adjourn by law by midnight on Wednesday. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.

According to Monday’s report from the Office of Legislative Legal Services, 240 bills, or more than a third of the total 657 introduced this session, still await resolution.

The backlog remains worse in the House than in the Senate, with 150 bills on the House’s plate versus 90 in the Senate.

As of last Wednesday, the number of bills awaiting resolution stood at 303, so the two chambers have only finished work on 63 bills since then.

One thing to watch is the number of bills postponed indefinitely this week. So far this session, 109 bills have been killed, and that’s only up by five from a week ago.

Major bills still on the agenda and awaiting final action, include:

House Bill 1326: fentanyl. The session’s most significant public safety bill won a 24-8 vote in the state Senate last week, including an amendment to strip language that triggers the felony charge for drug possession only when someone knew or should have known there’s fentanyl in an illicit substance. The bill is awaiting action from the House on whether it would concur on that amendment (chances are the chamber won’t). If that happens, the bill heads to a conference committee, which will need to resolve the differences between the House and Senate.

Senate Bill 230: collective bargaining. The measure is up for a final vote in the House on Monday. The Senate watered down the bill to allow counties to reject collective bargaining agreements with their workers, and the House exempted 14 counties from the bill, including those with populations under 5,000. A senate amendment had already exempted the state’s two home rule counties, Weld and Pitkin, although Pitkin does have a collective bargaining agreement with its county workers. 

House Bill 1131: juvenile crime. The bill, which raises the age from 10 to 13 for charging juveniles with all crimes except for murder and felony sexual assault, is awaiting a final vote in the Senate. It was amended by the Senate Appropriations Committee last week to add funding, and, if adopted by the Senate, the bill heads back to the House for review of that amendment.

House Bill 22-1064: flavored tobacco. The measure is on the agenda for review by the Senate Appropriations Committee after winning a 35-27 bipartisan vote from the House on May 4. Sources indicate Gov. Jared Polis wants the bill killed because it would affect revenue that pays for the Department of Early Childhood and state-paid preschool. The bill’s background here.

Senate Bill 22-223: early TABOR refund. The check pledged by Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic leaders in advance of the November election is awaiting a final vote in the House. If passed, it would head back to the Senate for review of House amendments.

Senate Bill 234: unemployment benefits. A final House vote is scheduled for the lone effort to pay back some of the $1 billion in federal loans the state had to take out to cover unemployment benefits arising from the pandemic and its resulting recession. The bill would put $600 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money toward the $1 billion debt, with solvency surcharges expected to cover the rest. The bill has a number of other provisions that would change eligibility for unemployment insurance. If adopted, the bill goes back to the Senate for review of amendments.

House Bill 1244: air pollution. A top priority by environmental groups, the bill, which intends to create health-based regulations to address air pollution, is awaiting its first Senate committee hearing Monday. The law would allow the Air Quality Control Commission to regulate toxic air contaminants based on adverse health effects. The AQCC would develop a list of those contaminants by Jan. 1, 2024 and update it every five years. The list would become part of a statewide monitoring program under the state Department of Public Health & Environment. 

House Bill 1233: optometry sunset. The bill, which is among the health-related bills generating lots of attention and ads, would allow optometrists to perform eye surgery after completing a four-year doctor of optometry degree. It’s garnered major opposition from eye surgeons and physicians. The bill is awaiting a final vote in the Senate and then back to the House to consider amendments.

House Bill 1370: prescription drug costs. The bill, which was initially opposed by the health insurance industry, would change the rules around “step therapy,” a process that requires patients with chronic conditions to first take a less-expensive drug before moving on to a more expensive one. It also mandates rebates that insurers and pharmacy benefit managers receive for bulk purchasing of expensive drugs to be passed on to consumers and small businesses. The bill is up for a final vote in the Senate Monday and, if adopted, goes back to the House.

House Bill 1355: recycling. The bill, which sits on the agenda for second reading debate Monday in the Senate, sets up a statewide recycling program, to be run by a nonprofit, that would charge producers and manufacturers of certain kinds of packaging “dues” to pay for the recycling program.