The lighter side of the Capitol, usually. And happy news! The House appears to be gaining its sense of humor back!

It’s on!

During a beseeching to his colleagues to approve the daily motion to approve the House journal, Rep. Ron Weinberg threatened to read the long bill at length if the motion was not approved.

As is often the case, the motion, although declared approved by the Speaker, really wasn’t.

Y’all asked for it.

It’s on, part two

There’s a long-standing and usually humorous tradition of pranking new lawmakers. It usually comes in the form of killing their first bill. 

This week, it was Rep. Manny Rutinel’s turn.

Rutinel had the misfortune of presenting his very first bill as a lawmaker before the House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee Tuesday, and it wasn’t an easy lift. The bill, House Bill 1007, co-sponsored by Rep. Javier Mabrey, was on prohibiting occupancy limits in residential housing. 

The hearing came to its conclusion, and then came the vote.

It was unanimous — to kill the bill. Rutinel slumped in his seat, dismayed and confused about what had happened. There are eight Democrats on that committee, and not one voted for it? Unthinkable.

As it turns out, Rutinel was a victim of first-year lawmaker pranking. Rep. Andrew Boesenecker asked for a reconsideration vote, and HB 1007 passed on a party-line 8-3 vote.

Rutinel told Capitol M that he will get even, and soon.

A word to the wise to the other three newbies, which Reps. Tim Hernandez, Julia Marvin and Chad Clifford — Your time is coming.

What moustaches?

To be completely transparent, this was not Capitol M’s idea, but once the idea was suggested, it needed someone to execute it. 

Someone in the press corps recently suggested we should all wear moustaches to the next Senate Democrats’ media availability. That opportunity came on Tuesday.

Senate President @SteveFenberg: “So what’s with the mustaches?” Reporter @MGoodland: “What mustaches?” pic.twitter.com/eOyNw0EHp7

— Jesse Bedayn (@BedaynJesse) January 30, 2024

A good time was had by all, probably.

Mea maximus culpa (apologies to you Latin enthusiasts out there and to Rep. Meg Froelich)

Last week’s Capitol M took several lawmakers to task for not wearing helmets on a recent e-bike ride, and singled out Rep. Meg Froelich (who also was without a helmet) for what Capitol M thought was an improper right turn signal. Thanks to a reader who pointed out that Colorado law does in fact allow for the kind of hand signal Froelich was using. Mea culpa, Rep. Froelich who is a much better sport about this than the reader who wrote in and seemed to be rather offended by the error. Sheesh, really?

What you didn’t know about…(a new Capitol M feature)

Rep. Rick Taggart of Grand Junction, who was recently appointed to the Joint Budget Committee, the busiest committee in the lege, is also a champion cyclist. He’s the reigning state champion in his age group (70+) for the road race, and recently brought in the spoils of victory. 

Taggart has qualified several times for the national championships, but an accident in 2022 – and a broken collarbone – kept him out of the 2022 nationals. He returned to form last year, winning the Cache Gran Fondo in Logan, Utah as well as the Colorado state championship.

And left without further comment…

Goliath II has been eating his Wheaties.