Colorado Senate President Steve Fenberg offered a simple message for his 34 fellow senators on the opening day of the new session – “don’t mess it up.”

Fenberg said while they are “political actors” with “agendas and ideologies” – or candidates on the campaign trail or talking heads on the nightly news – they transform into senators once they step into the Senate chamber.

“You’re simply a moment in time,” Fenberg said on Wednesday, the start of the new legislative session. “You are one of 35 who have the honor – the responsibility – to ensure there will be moments in time after you leave,” he said. “It may seem like a low bar, but our first job is to not mess it up.”

And on the subject of civility, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen agreed with his Democratic counterpart.

“Decorum is fundamental to the success of our work, and fundamental to achieving the goals created in representation the sovereignty of the people whom we represent,” Lundeen said. “We must be able to bring disparate conflicting ideas together in a way that is rich with the values presented, and equally rich in respect for the process in the people in whom we engage with that process.”

The two spoke during the ceremonies of the first day of the Colorado General Assembly’s new session. 

Fenberg also cautioned against populism and simply – or perhaps solely – advancing one’s political agenda.

“Because if this institution-this thing we call democracy-was simply just a shell to be filled with political agendas every two or four years, it would be a recipe for a volatile government that probably would’ve collapsed generations ago,” he said. “If this place was simply a vessel for the populism of the day that swings with the blowing winds of trends and slogans, the pendulum would eventually swing off its hinge. It would result in the erosion of the institution. Of democracy. Perhaps even civil order itself.”

In calling for the Senate to be “caretakers” of democracy, Fenberg said, “the way we approach debating ideas and how we treat each other – in other words, how we show up in our democracy – impacts the stability of our institution itself.”

After emphasizing civility and respect for the institution, Lundeen also laid out priorities to consider in the next 120 days.

Lundeen talked about Colorado’s rising cost of living, pointing to a CNBC poll that once ranked the state as the fourth best place to do business in the nation.

Now, Lundeen said, Colorado is ranked No. 11 and slipping.

“Our state’s cost of living has received a dismal D+ rating, and the inflation rate for food has reached levels not seen since 1979, and I graduated from high school in 1977- that was a long time ago,” he said.

The cost of living is driving residents away, Lundeen stressed. Once known for its growth and prosperity, Lundeen said Colorado is now ranked No. 9 for highest outflow of residents in the country.

“People who have called this state home for generations are tapping out and leaving because daily life is becoming increasingly unaffordable, frequently at the hands of the policies we produce in this chamber,” he said.

Lundeen said affordable housing and easing burdens on local businesses should also be a focus in the new session.

“The future of our state, the prosperity of our people, and the survival of our small businesses are all hanging in the balance,” he said. “It is our solemn duty to provide relief to the people and businesses of Colorado.”