Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: State Rep. Bob Stephenson, R-Colorado Springs, created an uproar in the chambers of the House of Representatives after he proposed a rule change that would ban the governor’s lobbyists from the House floor during the session.

Stephenson argued that the governor’s lobbyists had recently abused their 100-year-old privilege when one of them was seen sitting in a legislator’s gold-embroidered chair.

But Democrats loudly protested, arguing it was a partisan attack on Gov. Dick Lamm.

“Not so,” Stephenson said. “it’s more of a question of separation of powers. If we, as a legislature, are going to be suing the judiciary and suing the executive, we ought to allow ourselves the right to function on the floor without interference. The governor’s lobbyists can get their crack at the legislative process just like everyone else: in the committee room.”

Rep. W.H. Becker, R-Colorado Springs, did not agree and when the rule change was brought up before the House State Affairs Committee said it was “kid stuff … confrontational politics … childish.”

The House State Affairs Committee voted on party lines, 6-4, to send the measure to the House, but a Republican caucus vote alerted leadership that 13 Republicans would defect and they would lose the vote. The measure was then diverted to Rules Committee Chairman Frank Randall, R-Colorado Springs. 

The Denver Post noted, “Randall has capacious pockets, and the provocative resolution will probably stay nestled in among his keys, movie stubs and lip balm until session’s end.”

Twenty-Five Years Ago: During a discussion of an early form of the bill to transfer $10 million in surplus money from natural gas reserves to help assist the poor in paying their utility bills, Rep. Frank Weddig, D-Aurora, proclaimed into the microphone that he might support the measure if the sponsor, Rep. Jim Snook, R-Alamosa, would support legislation that would provide more long-term relief.

House Majority Leader Lola Spradley, R-Beulah, immediately rushed to the microphone and accused Weddig of horse trading (voting). Spradley reminded the House that under Colorado law it was illegal for legislators to “trade” their votes.

Weddig, a former state senator, said that he meant no harm and stressed that he clearly didn’t mean to suggest his vote was for sale, but rather wanted to make the point that other solutions were needed as well.

Twenty Years Ago: For the third time Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, introduced a bill (Senate Bill 06-051) that would prohibit certain elected officials from accepting monetary gifts. A previous version of Tupa’s bill (SB05-040) had passed both chambers of the legislature in 2005, but was vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens.

“This is an opportunity for the governor to do the right thing and put words into action,” Tupa said. “There is no reason this year, given the governor’s own remarks about reasons for vetoing a bill, why this measure should not be made law. We need to show the public that we work for them and not special interests.”

In 2006, Colorado was one of only five states that had not passed laws prohibiting legislators from accepting monetary gifts.

“In light of recent national scandals which reveal a serious system failure it is simply unacceptable for legislators to accept contributions from lobbyists,” said Pete Maysmith, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. “In a worst case scenario, this leads to the kind of situation we see in Washington today. At a minimum, contributions of any kind from lobbyists during the legislative session must be curtailed.”

At the end of the 2006 legislative session SB06-051 became law.

Rachael Wright is the author of several novels including The Twins of Strathnaver, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing columnist to Colorado Politics, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Denver Gazette.