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Colorado Free Press obtained a copy of Friday's Colorado House GOP Press release concerning more Democrat Supermajority work to shut down minority free speech in the Colorado State House of Representatives. Here is a link to the bill: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024A/bills/2024a_hr1004_eng.pdf
Here is the press release:
(Colorado State Capitol, February 2, 2024) -- Today, the Republican House Caucus protested House Resolution 24-1004, passed on a party-line vote, setting the stage for the future silencing of Coloradan’s voice.
“On behalf of our caucus, we object to this Resolution, especially the suspension of the rules in the last 10 days of session. As many of us remember, during the last 3 days of session when the rules were suspended, our voices were silenced. We were not allowed to represent the people of Colorado that elected us to be here,” said House Minority Leader Pugliese (R-Colorado Springs).
Despite unanimous opposition from all 19 House Republicans, the Resolution, including Section 36, allowing rule suspension in the last 10 days.
Minority Leader Rose Pugliese expressed the sentiment of the entire Republican Caucus when she said, "the Speaker, in her opening, and the Governor during the State of the State talked about “disagreeing better.” But disagreeing better by suspending the rules and not letting us speak as the majority has done in the past, is not acceptable and we will not stand for it,” said Pugliese. “This is not a partisan issue; this is not a Republican-Democrat issue. This is making sure every single one of us gets our voices heard and can represent our constituents in the way we were elected to do,” Pugliese added.
The passage of HR24-1004, following the Democrats' unprecedented use of Rule 14 (the ability to limit debate) last session, raises serious questions about the commitment to free speech in the House. Section 36's allowance for rule suspension during the critical final days of the legislative session infringes upon the core principles of free speech and contradicts the constitutional rights safeguarded by the 1st Amendment in the Colorado Constitution.
The Republicans' unanimous opposition to HR24-1004 emphasizes the urgency for bipartisan collaboration in defense of free speech. The Democrats' history of their excessive use of Rule 14 last session, compounds the gravity of the current situation. The Republican Caucus urges Coloradans to demand accountability from their house officials.
We stand united against any measure that undermines the principles of transparency, accountability, and open dialogue and discourse. The passage of HR24-1004 on strict party lines underscores the pressing need for a bipartisan commitment to protect the constitutional freedoms that define our great state.
Minority Leader Pugliese’s full remarks can be found here.
