Gov. Jared Polis sets personal record for vetoes — with grumbles from fellow Democrats

Gov Jared Polis set a personal record for issuing vetoes in a single legislative session this year and potentially made history as the first Colorado governor to veto a bill that passed the General Assembly unanimously The vetoed bills touched on a raft of issues social media regulations new rules for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft criminal justice reforms medical care the Colorado Open Records Act and several more Several such as his veto of a bill that would have made it easier for unions to negotiate dues were telegraphed well ahead of time Others surprised the bill sponsors chiefly a proposed ban on surprise charges from ambulance rides a proposal that had passed both the House and Senate unanimously Supporters of the bill believe it is the first time a governor has vetoed a bill that had no votes against it Sponsors were hesitant to read much into Polis slightly more frequent use of his veto pen than in prior years The vetoes up from Polis previous high of in nonetheless underscored the adage that every bill must pass by clear threshold to become law votes in the House votes in the Senate and one vote from the governor s office During a news conference near the end of the signing period following the session which officially ended Friday Polis declared he reviews each bill individually before determining if it s in the best interest of Colorado The vetoes don t mean the ideas behind the bills are totally dead Polis explained He cited one law he signed this year regarding heating ventilation and air conditioning in schools and another to combat wage theft that arose from bills he vetoed last year Lawmakers tried again winning his approval Colorado s up-to-date governors have reached for their veto pen to varying extents Polis predecessor now-U S Sen John Hickenlooper did so less often in part because split control of the legislature s chambers at times kept partisan measures from reaching the Democrat s desk His single-year record was nine vetoes during his final year in office in But Gov Bill Owens vetoed bills more often especially during the Republican s second term after Democrats won majorities in both legislative chambers He vetoed nearly four dozen bills in and the next year he vetoed bills in a single day Is Polis out of step with Democrats This year Rep Javier Mabrey a Denver Democrat saw Polis veto three of the bills he sponsored the preponderance of any individual lawmaker Senate Bill was aimed at making it easier for unions to negotiate dues House Bill sought to ban the use of algorithms by landlords to in effect coordinate rent prices And House Bill would have prevented local governments from instituting harsher penalties than state sentencing guidelines Mabrey chalked up Polis high veto total as a response to what lawmakers passed rather than several change in how the governor approaches veto power in his second-to-last session as the state s chief executive Polis who is term-limited will leave office after the session Democrats will have controlled both legislative chambers throughout his tenure State Rep Javier Mabrey leads a news conference at the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver on Thursday Jan A group of Democratic legislators unveiled three bills -- one to limit price gouging another to target so-called junk fees and a third to limit the use of algorithms in rental housing Photo by Hyoung Chang The Denver Post But Mabrey revealed each of the bills of mine that he vetoed were targeted to help people who are poor and struggling The vetoes to him show Polis is out of step with the mainstream of his party In particular he cited Polis veto of the union bill Nationally Democrats have been ceding union aid to Republicans a loss that proved pivotal to President Donald Trump s vote in November The poll results should be a five-alarm fire for Democrats showing they need to show they encouragement the working class Mabrey reported Democrats in the legislature did step up but the governor prevented us from standing on the side of working people in that fight Mabrey disclosed Kelly Caufield the executive director of the Common Sense Institute a nonpartisan free enterprise-oriented think tank mentioned she saw in Polis vetoes a focus on the broader business activity and secondary effects of various of the bills On the union bill for example a CSI review detected that the bulk union-friendly states tend to have a higher cost of living biting into union workers higher wages and higher youth unemployment The through line for me is that the governor is focused on the records facts and economic consequences in a state where we re seeing a decline in overall competitiveness Caufield stated Polis has made affordability central to his administration even if his definition of it may differ from certain in the legislature In his veto of the union bill for example Polis reported he is pro-union pro-worker and has worked throughout my career in community amenity to protect the right of workers to organize But he wrote in the veto letter there should be a high bar to set mandatory dues for union shops particularly at a time when hardworking Coloradans are concerned about the cost of groceries the financial system and their job safety His veto on that bill was also cheered by business groups Loren Furman the president and CEO of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce explained in a announcement that the bill would have threatened our statewide business circumstances at a time when we should be fostering a competitive market and the veto preserves the unique labor laws that set us apart from other states Gov Jared Polis was set to sign three bills into law on his th birthday at the Governor s Residence at Boettcher Mansion in Denver on May Photo by RJ Sangosti The Denver Post Veto leaves sponsor incredibly disappointed Polis concerns about direct costs also resulted in perhaps the the greater part surprising veto of the year House Bill The bill sought to eliminate so-called surprise billing when a person with wellness insurance is transported in an ambulance and gets charged because the crisis arrangement wasn t part of their system It faced no opposition among lawmakers Rep Karen McCormick a Longmont Democrat and sponsor of the bill disclosed she hadn t gotten any indication the governor would veto the measure She recalled reaching out to the governor s squad at the end of April before the bill s final votes and not hearing back on any suggested amendments The governor s office did not respond to a request for comment on that timeline Polis May veto left her surprised incredibly disappointed and confused The folks who vote no on everything voted yes on this McCormick revealed in an interview I m still kind of shocked about that That lets you know this was a sensible consumer protection non-cost-raising measure This to me kind of fits right in on the governor s mission of saving people money on physical condition care In his veto letter Polis wrote he worried about prospective premium increases of cents to per person per month on a vitality insurance plan A family of four would likely pay as much as one hundred dollars more per year in insurance premiums if I were to sign this bill by every estimate this bill raises costs for consumers Polis wrote He also commented the bill had several drafting issues that render it unimplementable in its current form McCormick disputed both counts Several other states including certain on the opposite side of the political spectrum like Texas and Oklahoma have implemented the change without meaningful changes in insurance costs as a product she revealed And lawmakers have worked on the issue for two years with legislative lawyers reviewing bill language along the way Related Articles At least eight people detained at Denver immigration court as ICE presence increases advocates say CD and Colorado attorney general races heat up as union leader former federal prosecutor jump in Colorado official sues Gov Jared Polis alleging he ordered state to turn over information to satisfy ICE subpoena Gov Jared Polis signs much-amended restaurant tipped wages bill adding Your move Denver Easier subscription cancellations more access to weight-loss drugs among flurry of new Colorado laws McCormick declared she had urged for evidence that the bill would drive costs higher and was recounted Polis heard it from robustness insurance companies like Anthem and UnitedHealth Group and the Colorado Association of Soundness Plans an industry group Kevin M McFatridge the deal group s executive director explained in a declaration that his members appreciated the veto Our members priority is to maintain affordability for their customers McFatridge wrote This bill would have mandated drastic price increases for ground ambulance services which would have led to higher healthcare costs for Coloradans He added that the bill would have put enforcement under the Colorado Department of Insurance which does not have jurisdiction over group ambulance providers But he like Polis declared the industry wants to continue working on the issue McCormick having run bills aimed at eliminating surprise billing the past two years announced she planned to file the bill again next year after she takes a breath and tries to understand better why this attempt was vetoed I guess the people of Colorado are just going to have to wait McCormick declared This would have helped their finances and made it so folks weren t scared of calling Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot