< Back Emily Sirota Chair of JBC Emily Sirota represents House District 9 in the Colorado Legislature as a social worker and proud progressive Democrat with years of experience working in government and in the southeast Denver community. Rep. Sirota is the Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Before her election to the Colorado House of Representatives, Emily helped run an early learning center in Denver. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University and received her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver. Emily has previously worked in community organizing and policy development for Colorado non-profit organizations. Emily also served as a policy aide to a Democratic U.S. Senator, a Democratic congressman and a Democratic governor. In those roles, she worked on health care and budget policy, and helped oversee a program to expand health care benefits for workers and small businesses. As a Representative for House District 9, Emily has championed worker's rights, campaign finance and election reform, a healthy and vibrant public education system, environmental justice, and fiscal policy that prioritizes regular Coloradans, not the billionaires. Emily is married to writer David Sirota, and they are the proud parents of two amazing kids and their dog, Grover.

< Back September 19, 2019 SPEAKER BECKER ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPION GWEN FARNSWORTH TO UTILITY CONSUMERS’ BOARD Senior Energy Policy Advisor at Western Resource Advocates (WRA) has decades of experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean power policies. DENVER, CO– Colorado House Speaker KC Becker today announced that she has appointed Western Resource Advocates Senior Energy Policy Advisor Gwen Farnsworth to the Utility Consumers’ Board. “Gwen is a dedicated advocate for our environment and is exactly the kind of person Coloradans should have advocating for them at the Utility Consumers’ Board,” said Colorado House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder. “Gwen has led successful initiatives to reduce our reliance on dirty fuels while increasing the availability of renewable energy. I’m excited to see her continue her advocacy on behalf of small businesses and people across our state who are benefiting from cleaner, cheaper electricity.” “I’m thrilled to get to work on behalf of the people of Colorado,” said WRA’s Farnsworth. “We have an incredible opportunity to continue the progress we’ve made keeping electricity costs low while protecting our air and water and growing our clean energy economy. It’s a privilege to serve on this board, and I look forward to advancing policies that both protect our environment and benefit all Colorado consumers.” The Colorado Utility Consumers’ Board within the Office of Consumer Counsel of the Department of Regulatory Agencies is an 11-member panel that represents the interests of Colorado utility consumers and ratepayers to advocate for them before the Public Utilities Commission. The governor makes seven appointments to the board, one from each of the state’s seven Congressional districts. The four remaining members are appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leaders of the House and Senate. Farnsworth’s appointment became effective September 4, 2019 and ends September 4, 2023. Previous Next

< Back March 17, 2022 BILL TO REDUCE YOUTH RECIDIVISM, PREVENT CRIME PASSES HOUSE DENVER, CO – The House passed a bill today on Third Reading and Final Passage that would improve public safety and prevent juvenile justice involvement. HB22-1003 passed by a vote of 41 to 22 and is part of the Colorado House Democrats’ first ten bills . “When it comes to public safety, we need to invest in communities first,” said Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver . “This bill will provide funding for support and intervention programs to prevent youth recidivism and build a safer Colorado for everyone. This is a modern approach to public safety that will help us build safer communities and prevent more youth from entering the juvenile justice system in the first place.” “We’re taking a multi-layered approach to public safety and that includes making smart investments to reduce recidivism,” said Rep. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada. “This bill invests in collaborative, community-based programs that give youth the support and services they need. We’re meeting Colorado’s youth where they are, making investments to reduce crime and delinquency and moving Colorado forward.” HB22-1003 , sponsored by Representatives Lindsey Daugherty and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, would establish the Delinquency Prevention and Young Offender Intervention Pilot Grant Program. The program would award two-year grants to local governments, American Indian Tribes, school districts, charter schools and nonprofit organizations to fund projects that prevent crime among youth. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate a community-based response involving collaboration with multiple agencies to reduce crime. Previous Next

< Back June 12, 2020 SWEEPING POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY REFORM PASSES THE HOUSE DENVER, CO – The House today passed Representative Leslie Herod and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez’s bill to ensure transparency, integrity, and accountability of Colorado’s law enforcement, and to finally make justice possible for victims of police brutality. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 52-13. “This historic bill stands as a testament to the tireless work that advocates, protestors, and justice-seeking Coloradans have done for generations,” said Rep. Herod, D-Denver . “We’ve come a long way and we still have a long way to go. But today I’m proud to say that my co-sponsor Rep. Gonzales-Gutierrez and I took action to enact sweeping reform and correct the injustices that Black and Brown communities have suffered at the hands of law enforcement for far too long.” “It’s not every day we have the opportunity to vote on a true life or death issue in the legislature, but that’s exactly what we did today,” said Rep. Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver . “The bill we passed today will make lasting, overdue change to our law enforcement system and will hopefully prevent the deaths of Black and Brown people at the hands of police in Colorado. I am honored to have accomplished this work with another woman of color, Representative Herod. This long-fought struggle for true justice has been going on for generations, and although this is a great victory for the movement, our work is nowhere near done.” SB20-217 , the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act, would enact several provisions to prevent police brutality and increase transparency and accountability in our law enforcement. Among these provisions are the following: Mandate body cameras. The bill requires officers to wear body cameras and record interactions with members of the public that have potential for enforcement, and for footage of an incident of misconduct to be released to the public within 21 days. The bill includes privacy provisions for victims, witnesses, and juveniles, or when footage contains highly personal circumstances such as nudity, and it ensures the victim of the officer misconduct and the victim’s family receive the footage 24 hours prior to public release. Require public reporting on policing. All law enforcement agencies would be required to track and publicly report data for any contacts they initiate for law enforcement purposes. That data would include any use of force (both the type and severity), civilian searches, forced entries into homes, the unholstering and discharge of a firearm, and demographic information on race, ethnicity, sex and age of the person contacted. Rein in use of deadly force by officers. It would bring Colorado law in line with Supreme Court precedent holding that an officer may only use deadly force, including on someone who is fleeing the police, when there is an imminent risk of danger to human life if their apprehension is delayed. It also repeals an officer’s authority to ever use dangerous tactics like the chokehold. Prevent the rehiring of bad actors. If an officer is convicted of, or pleads guilty to, any inappropriate use of physical force, their POST certification would be revoked. Officers who are found untruthful, terminated for cause, or decertified would be listed in a public database to prevent them from moving from one agency to another. Hold individual officers liable for their actions. It would allow victims of police misconduct to bring a lawsuit for the violation of their constitutional rights within a two-year statute of limitations, and officers convicted of misconduct would no longer be shielded by the doctrine of qualified immunity. It would make the failure to intervene during another officer’s inappropriate use of physical force a class 1 misdemeanor Restricts the use of chemical agents and projectiles. In light of incidents at recent protests, this bill would prohibit law enforcement officers from using tear gas without first verbalizing orders to disperse a crowd and allowing individuals adequate time to comply. The bill prohibits officers from targeting rubber bullets at someone’s head, torso, or back. Previous Next

< Back Yara Zokaie Yara Zokaie is the State Representative for House District 52 in Fort Collins. Representative Zokaie is a first generation child of immigrants and the first Iranian American to serve in the Colorado General Assembly. Rep. Zokaie serves on the House Judiciary, Finance and Appropriations committees. Representative Zokaie is an attorney with a masters in taxation and former Deputy Assessor. As a tax attorney, she has represented hundreds of individuals and small businesses against the IRS and Colorado Department of Revenue. Rep. Zokaie also founded a non-profit that worked to bring resources to marginalized communities in Northern Colorado, including COVID vaccinations during the pandemic and voter registration drives. Rep. Zokaie is committed to using her expertise to champion policies that bring meaningful and lasting improvements to the lives of working class families and marginalized communities. Her priorities include strengthening public education, supporting workers’ rights, creating affordable housing, increasing access to affordable health care, addressing climate change, and creating an equitable tax code. Representative Yara Zokaie is a mother to three young boys, and enjoys spending her free time with her family and crafting for her children’s school parties and projects.

< Back February 19, 2020 BILL TO ABOLISH COLUMBUS DAY PASSES THE HOUSE DENVER, CO — The Colorado House today passed a bill to remove state recognition of Columbus Day, a holiday named after the perpetrator of numerous crimes against humanity, and instead create a holiday that recognizes humanitarian Frances Xavier Cabrini. The new holiday would be the first state holiday named after a woman and would honor Cabrini’s tireless work on behalf of Colorado’s children. The bill was approved by a vote of 37-26. “I’m glad to finally see the House vote to end our state’s recognition of a holiday that brings pain to indigenous people in Colorado every year,” said Rep. Adrienne Benavidez (D-Adams County). “I’m proud that we were able to get this done after so many years trying — this is a momentous day. I’m especially glad that at the same time as we ended our recognition of Columbus, we were able to take a step towards establishing the first state holiday in Colorado to honor a woman.” “I’m proud to see the House vote to set the historical record straight,” said Rep. Kyle Mullica (D-Northglenn). “The legacy and memory of Columbus are a very present source of pain for many communities in our state, and I’m glad we took a step towards putting this pain behind us.” HB20-1031 would establish Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October as a state holiday. It would be a paid holiday for state employees, and the bill would remove state sanction of Columbus day, which occurs one week later. The holiday would recognize Cabrini’s humanitarian values and lifelong dedication to service, especially to the Italian American immigrant community, who faced discrimination and difficulty as they immigrated to America. She worked tirelessly to support the Italian-American community in the United States, including through several projects in Colorado. In 1904, Cabrini established Denver’s Queen of Heaven Orphanage for girls. In 1910, she founded a summer camp for the orphanage’s residents in Golden, Colorado. Currently, a shrine stands in her honor in the original location of the summer camp in Golden. The shrine includes the “Stone House”, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Columbus Day is one of the few holliday’s named after a person, and its continued existence perpetuates the pain and suffering he inflicted. He was responsible for the kidnapping, rape and murder of thousands. Over 50,000 indiginous people commited suicide rather than comply with his rule, and within two years of his landing in the bahamas, over 125,000 people died, half the population. The bill aims to end the state sanctioned pain this holliday The bill passed on Third Reading this morning; the bill will now move onto the Senate. ### Previous Next

< Back April 30, 2021 BIPARTISAN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISASTER RESPONSE ADVANCES Bill would establish the Community Behavioral Health Disaster Program to support Coloradans after major disasters and emergencies DENVER, CO– The House Committee on Public & Behavioral Health & Human Services today passed Representative Cutter’s bipartisan bill to support the work of behavioral health organizations responding to community behavioral health needs in the wake of an emergency or disaster. The bill passed by a vote of 11-2. “There is a clear need for a more holistic response to disasters like wildfires, pandemics, floods, and even mass shootings,” said Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County. “This bill will support the great work of our state’s behavioral health organizations striving to meet the needs of communities left reeling in the wake of a disaster or an emergency. With many community mental health centers already operating programs to help Coloradans deal with the effects of COVID-19, today we’re seizing a unique opportunity to help them continue their important work and build resiliency.” HB21-1281 , also sponsored by Representative Perry Will, creates the Community Behavioral Health Disaster Preparedness and Response Program in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The program is intended to enhance, support, and formalize behavioral health disaster preparedness and response activities of community behavioral health organizations. Community mental health centers are already operating a number of programs that would fall within the scope of this fund, especially as they relate to COVID-19, but funding for them is fragmented and much of the federal funding will soon be withdrawn. Previous Next

The four sponsors of HB26-1430, legislation to mitigate the deeply harmful impacts of Initiative 175, today released the following joint statement after road building contractors walked away from a proposed agreement that would put Colorado on a path to better fund transportation: < Back June 9, 2026 JOINT RELEASE: Contractors Reject Road Funding Solutions, Pursue Reckless Ballot Measure Instead Denver, CO – The four sponsors of HB26-1430, legislation to mitigate the deeply harmful impacts of Initiative 175, today released the following joint statement after road building contractors walked away from a proposed agreement that would put Colorado on a path to better fund transportation: “We could be working right now on a solution to better fund our roads, but instead the road building contractors walked away. Now, Coloradans are left with only bad choices when what we deserve is better roads and transit. It is troublesome that this still-harmful ballot measure is moving forward after we made several good-faith efforts to find an agreement, and it is a shame that instead of pursuing a solution, special interests are selling Coloradans a false promise so they can line their pockets. The legislature has worked hard to support transportation funding the last several years even as we have faced difficult budget environments. We remain open to options that are responsible, sustainable and do not slash funding for healthcare or education.” During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers passed HB26-1430, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, Representative Emily Sirota, D-Denver, and Senators Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, and William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield. The bill mitigated many of the harmful state budget impacts of Initiative 175, which otherwise would have slashed funding for K-12 education, raised tuition costs, and forced steep cuts to rural hospitals while siphoning off resources for DUI prevention and road safety if passed. HB26-1430 only temporarily blunts the impacts of Initiative 175. If passed at the ballot in November, the initiative would still require the state to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on just highway projects in three years that would otherwise go to K-12, healthcare or higher education. It would place strict limits on what types of transportation projects can receive state funding. It would immediately reduce TABOR revenue that would otherwise be refunded to taxpayers, or directed to children and education should the measure referred to voters in SB26-135 pass in November. Lawmakers made several good-faith efforts to reach a compromise with the backers of Initiative 175 through the legislative process that the contractors ultimately rejected. This included creating a working group to address road funding and establishing a new enterprise with $7.5 million in seed funding to direct additional dollars to roads that could serve as the beginning of a sustainable fix. The working group followed a model with demonstrated success used in similar efforts, such as the Artificial Intelligence Policy Workgroup and the RTD Accountability Committee, that led to successful legislation this year. Similar to previous working groups, the recommendations generated would have provided the General Assembly and Joint Budget Committee a solid framework for legislation next session. Barring reconsideration of this decision, the deadline stands statutorily at June 15th for the contractors to withdraw the initiative and instead establish the enterprise and working group. Previous Next

The House today advanced legislation sponsored by Representatives Andrew Boesenecker and Junie Joseph on a preliminary vote to prevent gun violence and save lives prohibiting the possession, sale, or transfer of unserialized firearms, frames, and receivers. < Back May 4, 2023 Legislation to Crack Down on Ghost Guns Advances DENVER, CO - The House today advanced legislation sponsored by Representatives Andrew Boesenecker and Junie Joseph on a preliminary vote to prevent gun violence and save lives prohibiting the possession, sale, or transfer of unserialized firearms, frames, and receivers. “Homemade guns created from untraceable and unserialized parts allow a gun owner to evade federal and state firearm laws that protect communities and prevent crime,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins. “All too often, these ghost guns can end up in the hands of people who are at risk of harming themselves or others. This legislation cracks down on ghost guns to better protect our communities from senseless gun violence and improve accountability for victims and their families.” “Gun violence has devastated communities throughout Colorado, and gun crimes are becoming an increasingly common threat,” said Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder. “Now, through DIY kits or 3D printers, almost anyone can access a gun on demand without having to go through a background check process. This bill is a critical step in preventing Colorado youth and criminals from accessing an unserialized gun to protect our communities.” SB23-279 aims to prevent further gun violence by cracking down on “ghost guns”, which are unregulated and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home. Ghost guns are designed to avoid all gun laws and are available to purchase without a background check, serial number, sale record, or other protections. Under the bill, if an individual has an unserialized firearm, frame or receiver, they have until January 1, 2024 to have it serialized. A background check would be required before the owner could receive their item after it had been serialized. Serialization records must be kept and available for law enforcement. It also prohibits the possession of a “machine gun conversion device” which turns a firearm into a machine gun and imposes the same penalties as in current law for possessing a machine gun. Ghost guns are often constructed using unfinished frames or receivers and are easily accessible through a 3D printing device. Once assembled, ghost guns look, feel, and function exactly like traditional guns and are equally as deadly and dangerous. These weapons have been connected to suicides, homicides, mass shootings, robberies, and domestic violence throughout the country. Since 2016, the number of ghost guns used in crimes throughout the USA increased by 1000% , yet over 99% of those guns can’t be traced back to a user or owner. When a gun used in a crime is untraceable, it can be impossible for a gun violence victim and their family to seek accountability. Previous Next

< Back May 20, 2019 GOV SIGNS SINGER-DURAN FOSTER SIBLINGS BILL OF RIGHTS (May 20) – Gov. Jared Polis signed a bipartisan bill today sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Singer and Rep. Monica Duran that outlines protections for siblings when they are placed in foster care passed unanimously out of the House. “Siblings share a special, lifelong bond often being each others’ first friends, and foster care should not change people’s status as siblings,” said Rep. Singer, D-Longmont . “These kids are survivors of abuse and have done nothing wrong. This bill says we should do everything in our power to keep siblings connected to each other.” HB19-1288 strongly emphasizes the importance of the sibling relationship to youth in foster care. It outlines protections that siblings should receive, such as placing siblings together, having regular contact and communication, and having their relationship encouraged despite their involvement in the foster care system. “Many studies have shown that relationships with siblings benefit their emotional and mental well-being,” said Rep. Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. “This new law was brought to us by foster youth who got through the horrible experience of being ripped away from their siblings. We need to keep these kids together and avoid any further mental trauma to them.” Previous Next

< Back Alex Valdez Chair of the Energy & Environment Committee Representative Alex Valdez serves as the Chair of the House Energy & Environment Committee and represents House District 5, which includes Denver’s downtown urban core. Rep. Valdez is passionate about environmental issues and champions clean, renewable energy resources and technology under the gold dome. Born and raised in Denver, Rep. Valdez fights for equality and better air quality so all Coloradans enjoy better, cleaner air. He’s also spearheaded legislation to combat animal cruelty, foster small business growth in Colorado and pave the way for EV technology across the state.

< Back Reps. Bacon & Willford: Ready to Fight Legislatively to Provide Air-Quality Win for Coloradans Feb 21, 2024 See more This story was originally published in Colorado Politics here . Colorado’s legislative session lasts just 120 days. It is a sprint from January to May, racing against the clock to get as much good work done for the people of Colorado as we possibly can. But like every dedicated athlete or weekend warrior, we know wins come from the months of dedicated preparation leading up to a race, and that is exactly what we’ve been up to since last spring and in the first few weeks of the legislative session. Last year we fell short of a decisive win with House Bill 23-1294 , the Protecting Communities from Air Pollution Act. Our goal was to improve Colorado’s broken air quality permitting and enforcement system, which has worsened the state’s ozone crisis and kept any marginal improvements from making air in our communities more breathable. And though the version of the bill that passed took a few important steps in the right direction (requiring rule-making on cumulative impacts, updating complaint processes and eliminating loopholes for polluters), we knew our work needed to continue in 2024. Last fall, the Legislative Interim Committee on Ozone Air Quality heard testimony from hundreds of Coloradans who bravely shared their stories about the ways poor air quality has negatively impacted their lives. We also made sure to bring state agencies and industry voices to the table — all of these perspectives were important for us to consider as we pondered and debated the best ways for us to address what is truly a crisis for so many Coloradans. The American Lung Association's 2023 State of the Air report reflects data so many of us know to be true anecdotally: air quality along the Front Range continues to get worse. Every county in the Denver metro area received a failing grade. But up to this point, that evidence, coupled with more bloody noses, increased instances of asthma and lung disease and days of school and work missed because of unbreathable air, have not been enough to make changes that would put Colorado back on the right track. No more — we’re at the starting line, revved up and raring to go as we and our colleagues prepare to launch three bills we believe everyone who cares about the health of their loved ones, communities and the planet, to boot, can get behind. Up first: permitting. Colorado’s permitting processes are standing in the way of ozone attainment by failing to adequately consider the air quality impacts of minor sources — including almost all oil and gas sources. The bill we are sponsoring will ensure emissions from proposed projects are aggregated so regulators get an accurate picture of the emissions a project will produce. It will also require greater scrutiny for permits in the nonattainment area, and require oil and gas operators to obtain a permit to pollute from the Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) before the Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) can issue a permit for drilling or fracking. Immediate reduction measures are also critically important for the health of our communities, and our colleague, state Sen. Kevin Priola, is sponsoring a bill to address this. His bill targets a number of different emissions sources: cars, trucks, home appliances and oil and gas operations. By implementing seasonal restrictions on oil and gas production, creating standards for non-road engine emissions, finding ways to make electric appliances more accessible to more people, and setting goals for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) we will have a fighting chance at getting back into compliance with federal air quality standards. None of those measures will matter, however, if the state doesn’t have the appropriate mechanisms to enforce them. That is where the bill of state Sen. Faith Winter and state Rep. Meg Froelich comes in. Right now, it is often more economical for polluters to pay paltry fines rather than comply; their bill will require repeat violators to pay mandatory fines, in part into a fund that will support environmental mitigation projects. It will also create a public right to enforce the APCD’s regulations if the APCD is not pursuing enforcement. It further takes steps to increase transparency. Our laws should do what they were passed with the intention to do. Communities along the Front Range and across the state, especially low-income and communities of color, have suffered for far too long. Thanks to the work of the Interim Committee, our constituents and advocates, we’ve begun this legislative session more prepared to fight for a win than ever before. Previous Next