Colorado state House Speaker-designee Julie McCluskie on Monday announced legislative assignments for 11 committees, trumpeting the fact that eight of those panels will be chaired by women in the upcoming session.

But it didn’t go unnoticed in the Democratic caucus that every committee chair is white.

The lack of inclusion of people of color among committee chairs got the attention of Rep. David Ortiz, D-Littleton, who tweeted out his views Monday.

Ortiz said he has talked to McCluskie, D-Dillon, about his concerns.

“The consensus is this is the team, and we will support each other,” he said.

McCluskie told Colorado Politics it’s a big puzzle to put together committee appointments. She said she’s excited about a historically diverse caucus and that Colorado is the second state to have a majority women legislature in the country. Nevada was the first, in 2022.

For the first time, the House is led by three women, and a diverse group of women, she said.

The incoming 2023 General Assembly is majority women for the first time in history, with 51 out of 100 women within the two chambers. In the House, 39 out of 65 lawmakers are women, also the highest number in history. Thirty-four Democratic women and five Republican women currently serve in that chamber.

The House Democratic caucus also boasts at least 17 lawmakers of color, though the most experienced among that number aren’t available to chair committees. That’s because they are looking for a new job that would relocate their offices west by two blocks, which McCluskie noted to Colorado Politics was a factor in assigning committee chairs. 

Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez is seeking a Denver City Council seat while Reps. Leslie Herod and Alex Valdez are both vying for mayor’s office. 

Valdez chaired the House Energy & Environment committee in the 2021-22 sessions. Herod was chair of House Appropriations, a role given to a member of the Joint Budget Committee. Gonzales-Gutierrez was expected to be majority leader after previously serving as a deputy to that role, but decided to run for the city council seat instead.

The solution, McCluskie said, has been to lift up new members, including lawmakers of color, into vice-chair roles. That gives them the opportunity to learn from a chair. It’s about “building the bench for future leadership with a diverse caucus…giving those opportunities where we can will be important.”

Of the 11 House committees, six have lawmakers of color as vice-chairs. 

There are also four lawmakers of color among the House leadership.

Rep. Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge is the incoming House majority leader; Rep. Jennifer Bacon of Denver is the assistant majority leader; Rep. Iman Jodeh of Aurora is co-majority whip; and Rep. Mandy Lindsey, also of Aurora is one of two caucus co-chairs. 

However, McCluskie also chose a new speaker pro tem on Monday, replacing a lawmaker of color with a someone who isn’t. Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy will take over the role from Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, who begins her fourth term in 2023.

One notable absence in the committee assignments was vice-chair for the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee. In the past two sessions, that committee has been vice-chaired by Republican Rep. Marc Catlin of Montrose. Catlin is expected to take that vice-chair position again in the 2023 session.

House committee leadership

Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee: chair, Rep. Karen McCormick (served as chair in 2021-22)

Appropriations Committee: chair, Rep. Emily Sirota; vice-chair, Rep. Shannon Bird

Business Affairs and Labor Committee: chair, Rep. Judy Amabile; vice-chair, Rep. Naquetta Ricks

Education Committee: chair, Rep. Barbara McLachlan; vice-chair, Rep.-Elect Matthew Martinez (McLachlan served as chair in 2021-22)

Energy and Environment Committee: chair, Rep. Cathy Kipp; vice-chair, Rep.-Elect Jenny Willford

Finance Committee: chair, Rep. Marc Snyder; vice-chair Rep.-Elect Junie Joseph

Health and Insurance Committee: chair, Rep. Lindsey Daugherty; vice-chair, Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy

Judiciary Committee: chair, Rep. Mike Weissman; vice-chair, Rep. Jennifer Bacon (Weissman served as chair in 2021-22)

Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee: chair, Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet; vice-chair, Rep. Mary Young (Michaelson Jenet served as chair in 2021-22)

State, Civic, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee: chair, Rep. Steven Woodrow; vice-chair, Rep. David Ortiz

Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee: chair, Rep. Meg Froelich; vice-chair, Rep.-Elect William Lindstedt

Senate committee leadership

Agriculture & Natural Resources: Sen.-elect Dylan Roberts, chair; Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, vice-chair

Appropriations, Sen. Jeff Bridges, Chair; Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, vice-chair

Business, Labor, & Technology: Assistant Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, Chair; Sen. Jessie Danielson, vice-chair (Rodriquez served as chair in 2021-22)

Education: Majority Caucus Chair Janet Buckner, Chair; Sen.-elect Janice Marchman, vice-chair

Finance: Sen.-elect Kyle Mullica, Chair; Sen. Chris Kolker, vice-chair

Health & Human Services: Sen. Rhonda Fields, Chair; Sen. Joann Ginal, vice-chair (Fields served as chair in 2021-22)

Judiciary: Majority Whip Julie Gonzales, Chair; Assistant Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, vice-chair

Local Government & Housing (a new name for the committee, incorporating housing): Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Chair; Sen.-elect Tony Exum, Sr., vice-chair

State, Veterans, & Military Affairs: President Pro Tempore James Coleman, Chair; Sen.-elect Tom Sullivan, vice-chair (Coleman served as chair in 2022)

Transportation & Energy: Sen. Faith Winter, Chair; Sen. Kevin Priola, vice-chair (Winter served as chair in 2021-22)