Gov. John Hickenlooper is diligently courting lawmakers and pushing a legislative agenda as part of a more hands-on approach to the General Assembly this session.
The strategy, evident as the session nears the halfway point Saturday, marks a departure for a governor who often tries to remain above the fray of lawmaking.
Part of a broader rebound, the effort also involves rekindling relationships with Republican lawmakers after alienating them in the two prior sessions.
“The governor was pretty clear in his State of the State about the things he wants to get out of the legislature,” said Alan Salazar, the governor’s chief strategist, who said the outreach is more “substantive and frequent” than in any other session.
But the test of whether it proves effective will come in the final 60 days of the term, as the Democrat champions his legislative priorities and lawmakers pressure him to negotiate partisan disputes on major issues, such as state spending, affordable housing, and oil and gas.
The new approach is possible thanks to a split legislature that insulates Hickenlooper from the most polarizing issues. He enjoyed a similar dynamic in his first two years that boosted his popularity, only to see his clout erode as Democrats pushed a more contentious agenda in the past two years.
The balance this session is liberating for him, said Rep. Lois Court, a Denver Democrat.
“Perhaps he is a bit more active than he was last session because last session was so highly political. I sense he is settling into his final term,” she said. “Our governor is a centrist, and he wants very badly to create good policy for Colorado. And he will work with both chambers.”
Hickenlooper is seeking a relaunch at the onset of his second term after surviving a tough re-election bid in 2014 and publicly announcing he was dating after separating from his wife in 2012.
“He is a million times happier than he was last year at this time,” said Tracee Bentley, his former chief lobbyist, echoing the thoughts of other administration officials.
Engaged in process
Democratic and Republican legislative leaders who meet with Hickenlooper on a weekly basis say he is engaged in the legislative process.
“He is up to speed on topics,” said Senate Majority Leader Mark Scheffel, R-Parker. “I find him good to work with. He’s got a great personality. But so far it’s been broad-brush discussions.”
By his own admission, Hickenlooper is often content to remain behind the scenes when it comes to the legislature, letting lawmakers set the direction and tone.
“When the legislature is negotiating something, I am very careful not to express (my opinion),” he said in a recent interview. “Trust me, I learned that the hard way. The best way to make sure my solution is not in the final version (of a bill) is to express it.”
The discussions will shift in the second half of the session, as lawmakers rush to finalize the details of dozens of bills before midnight May 6.
Hickenlooper arrives at this critical juncture without his chief lobbyist. Bentley left her job Friday to run the newly formed Colorado Petroleum Council.
As a Republican who grew up in Gunnison, she helped repair the governor’s relationship with GOP lawmakers and rural Colorado after the tumultuous 2013 session when the Democratic-controlled legislature pushed through gun-control measures and rural renewable-energy standards despite vehement objections from Republicans.
More importantly, Bentley, who joined the administration shortly after the 2013 session, didn’t pull any punches with a governor who has a penchant for wanting to be liked.
“I would say, ‘That’s not a good idea, and here’s why,’ ” she said in an interview before her departure. “The governor had to have a hammer.”
Hickenlooper hired former private lobbyist Lori Fox as an interim replacement to cover the rest of the session.
Fox, a Pueblo native, most recently served as a vice president for communications at Pinnacol Assurance, a state-chartered workers’ compensation company, and previously was a longtime lobbyist for United Airlines.
Fox is a Denver Democrat who raised money for Hickenlooper’s campaign and worked for former Vice President Al Gore.
Her task is clear. Hickenlooper outlined a specific — although modest — legislative agenda for the 2015 term, calling on lawmakers to pass his budget priorities, reduce student testing, re-examine teacher evaluation, approve a felony drunken-driving bill and pass a measure to add a fiscal impact statement to ballot initiatives.
The budget and education measures remain a work in progress, but the two bills he endorsed in his State of the State address — each with bipartisan sponsorship — are stalled in the House, where his party holds the majority.
One bill to make repeat drunken-driving offenses a felony is delayed by concerns that it costs too much. And the other to revamp ballot initiatives has not yet received a hearing.
House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst said the chamber is working to advance the measures. She is among the lawmakers who were surprised by the governor’s mention of the bills in the speech to open the session.
“Quite frankly, from the time he’s been governor, he hasn’t initiated a lot of legislation,” the Boulder Democrat said. “He has supported legislation that other folks are promoting. But from my perspective, I don’t believe he really sees that as a major role.”
Breaking gridlock
On other issues, Hickenlooper will face pressure to break the gridlock between two chambers on major issues where the parties disagree.
The governor’s task force on oil and gas issues left fracking activists and environmentalists unhappy, raising the possibility of more legislation that once again puts him on the hot seat.
At the moment, two of the administration’s supplemental spending bills — typically perfunctory measures — are caught in a political tug of war concerning contentious amendments.
“The governor will do what he always does, which is work quietly, do his shuttle diplomacy, see if he can get consensus and move things,” Salazar said.
House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso said Hickenlooper’s outreach to Republicans in private is different this session, but he suggests it’s merely because the party holds more sway this time.
The Loveland Republican would like to see Hickenlooper show even stronger public leadership.
“I personally think the governor should take a more active role, especially if it’s something that is a big deal,” he said.
Senate President Bill Cadman, a Colorado Springs Republican who ripped the governor during the 2013 gun-control debate, said it’s way too early to tell how the session will turn out. But he is optimistic.
“The governor is in a role he has played before — bringing a split legislature together for the mutual goals he believes best serve Colorado,” Cadman said. “And if he puts forward proposals that aren’t consistent with our shared interests, Senate Republicans are here to stop them.”
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels
