For the third legislative session in a row, Rep. Marc Catlin will be the only Colorado Republican to hold a committee leadership position. 

The Montrose Republican was this week reappointed to again serve as vice chair of the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee. The appointment comes after the November election increased Democratic dominance in the state House of Representatives, with Democrats flipping an additional five seats to create a 46-19 party split. As a result, Republicans lost their percentage of seats in eight out of the 11 House committees and, as the minority party, will not chair any of the panels. 

“It is a great honor to be named vice chair of Ag, Water and Natural Resources for the 74th General Assembly,” Catlin said in a statement. “I will be able to highlight the value of agriculture and rural Colorado while bringing ag and water issues to the forefront of the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this committee.” 

House Speaker-designate Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, said her reappointment of Catlin as a bipartisan move. 

“Marc has a proven record of putting people over politics,” McCluskie said in a post on Twitter. “I know he’ll bring his Western Slope values and dedication to water preservation to the committee.” 

Catlin has served in the House since 2017, being reelected for his fourth and final term in November. His agricultural experience includes working as a farmer, an agricultural loan officer, manager of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association and a water rights development coordinator for Montrose County. 

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, praised McCluskie’s decision online, calling it a “testament to putting people over politics and focusing on collaborative problem solving.” 

However, former Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, a Republican, questioned Catlin’s appointment as disingenuous. 

“As long as we are ‘putting people over politics,’ why not make him the chair of the committee?” Brauchler responded to Weiser’s post. 

Catlin will serve under committee chair Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont. The pair have led the Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee since the 2021 session, when McCormick was elevated from vice chair following the mid-session departure of then-Rep. Jeni Arndt resigned to become mayor of Fort Collins. Arndt was among those who lobbied for Catlin to fill the vacant vice chair post.

In the House, Democrats had a three-member advantage in all 11 committees last year. Democrats now have a three-member advantage in three committees, and a five-member advantage in the other eight committees. The Senate also decreased Republican representation in three of its 10 committees.