Colorado lawmakers introduce hundreds of bills each year. Bills in Brief cuts through the noise by explaining which proposals matter, what’s at stake, and how decisions at the Capitol could affect everyday life across the state.

A bill set for its first hearing later this month would bar Colorado lawmakers from holding more than one elected office at a time, reviving a recurring debate over conflicts of interest at the Capitol.

Senate Bill 59 aims to address an issue that has surfaced at least six times in the last few years: lawmakers holding more than one elected office at a time.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, and Rep. Mandy Lindsay, D-Aurora, is slated for a Feb. 24 hearing in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.

Under SB 59, a member of the Colorado General Assembly, or a member-elect, would be prohibited from holding another elected office. That also includes legislators chosen by vacancy committees. Cutter told Colorado Politics she does not intend to impact anyone currently serving in the legislature and another elected office, an issue she will resolve when the bill heads to committee.

While rare, several legislators have held dual elected offices.

Take the case of then-Sen. Dominick Moreno, D-Adams County, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2017. That year, he was chosen to represent Senate Democrats on the Joint Budget Committee, the busiest of all committees.

In July 2018, while serving on the JBC, Moreno was picked to serve out the term of an Adams County 14 school board member who stepped down, a position he held through the end of the term in November 2019.

Moreno served the JBC chair in 2019.

Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, was a member of the Boulder City Council when she was elected to the House in 2022. She served out the remainder of her term on the city council, which ended in 2023. She told the Boulder Beat in 2022, “I get my mandate from the voters, and they put me in there for a full term of four years. I’d like to honor that as much as I can.” 

Assistant House Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, simultaneously represented House District 7 and served on the Denver School Board. She was first elected to the school board in 2017, serving until November 2021. She began her first term in the House in January 2021.

Rep. Katie Stewart, D-Durango, was elected in 2024 to represent House District 59, while serving on the Durango school board. She stepped down from the school board at the end of 2025.

Most recently, Rep. Lori Goldstein, D-Westminster, was chosen by a vacancy committee to fill out the term of Rep. Shannon Bird, who stepped down to focus on the primary for the 8th Congressional District. Goldstein continues to serve as chair of the Adams County 12 school board.

Rep. Kenny Nguyen, D-Broomfield, is the only recent lawmaker to resign from another elected office — the Broomfield City Council. He stepped down when he was chosen by a House District 33 vacancy committee to replace Rep. William Lindstedt, who was chosen by a vacancy committee to fill out the term of the late Sen. Faith Winter.

The issue of lawmakers serving in other elected offices has raised the potential for conflicts of interest, including in a 2022 memo from Legislative Legal Services.

Other notable election bills

House Bill 1113, sponsored by Reps. Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, deals with almost every facet of elections, such as elections held in jails, presidential electors, access to ballots by candidates, congressional vacancy elections, mail ballot elections, voter registration and election offenses.

It also would require the governor to appoint a person “who is a member of the same political party as the former United States senator to fill a vacancy in that office.” That person would serve only until the next general election.

If it sounds familiar, it should. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., is vying to become Colorado’s next governor. His Senate term doesn’t end until 2028, and if he were to win the gubernatorial election, he would appoint his successor.

The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee will review the bill on Feb. 23.

The right to sue

House Bill 1137 bill would create a right to sue when a campaign consultant represents competing candidates without the candidates’ knowledge or permission.

HB 1137, sponsored by Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, along with Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, and Cutter in the Senate, has been assigned to the House State Affairs Committee. No hearing date has been announced yet.