Senate District 19 Newsletter
December 30, 2022
2022 Year in Review: Top ten moments

I hope everyone enjoyed the December holidays and made it through the frigid weather unscathed!

It's been awhile since I've written a newsletter. The main reason for the long delay is my lack of free time. The Joint Budget Committee has kept me very busy! We have spent the last six weeks listening to detailed budget briefings and conducting hearings with all the state departments about their budget requests. Now we will take a brief pause to allow for the start of the new legislative session. But before I start talking about next session, I wanted to review some highlights from 2022.

The last two years have been challenging for Colorado. Between pandemic-induced inflation, civil unrest, catastrophic wildfires, and the rising cost of living, people were feeling stressed. That’s why, in the 2022 legislative session, we focused on positioning our state to become stronger, safer and healthier. Here are my top ten highlights from our work this session:

  1. Chair of Senate Education Committee: As a former teacher, it was a privilege to Chair the Senate Education Committee, particularly since education is my passion. We tackled a number of big items including the establishment of the Department of Early Childhood, expanded access to higher education, addressed equity gaps among foster youth and students living in poverty, increased funding for special education, and provided more mental health support for our educators and students. For the second year in a row, I was honored to sponsor the School Finance Act, which significantly increased funding across the board. Of all the issues we tackled this session, I believe education saw the greatest gains.
  2. Affordable Housing & Behavioral/Mental Health: When the legislature became aware of federal relief funds coming to Colorado to address the pandemic, we formulated a plan to address two major concerns: Affordable Housing and Behavioral/Mental Health. We created two "Transformational Task Forces" to focus on each topic and spent over $1 billion in legislation to address the needs. I had the privilege of serving on the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force, and I look forward to seeing the impact of the legislation we passed in the years to come.
  3. Significant one-time money from ARPA: As I just noted, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help states recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were dispersed across the state through various programs and local governments; and the legislature received over $3.8 billion to direct to areas of greatest need. In addition to the two priorites listed above, we also invested in workforce and economic development initiatives, wildfire prevention & mitigation, healthcare, and more. Despite the one-time nature of the funds, I believe the impact of these investments will truly help Colorado build back stronger.
  4. Change in leadership: In February, President Leroy Garica was offered a position at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and resigned from the legislature. This created a shift in leadership. Our Majority Leader, Steve Fenberg, stepped into the President's role and JBC member, Dominick Moreno, becoming our new Majority Leader. This left a vacancy on the Joint Budget Committee. I was elected to fill-in on the JBC and switched over mid-session. I still maintained my Education Committee assignment (although, not as Chair), dropped Transportation and Energy, and picked up Senate Appropriations as its Vice Chair.
  5. Expanding health care access and affordability: Every Coloradan deserves access to quality, affordable health care. From codifying the right for all Coloradans to access abortion and reproductive care, to improving access in rural areas, to ensuring frontline health care workers have the support they need, we worked hard this session to create a healthier Colorado for us all. I played a small part with my focus on ambulance services & sustainability, increasing the minimum wage for nursing home workers, and curbing health-care staffing agencies.
  6. Sponsored 60 pieces of legislation: Last session, I was the prime sponsor of 60 pieces of legislation, including 23 Senate bills, 32 House bills, and four resolutions. For the sixth year in a row, I earned a 100% bipartisan record of support on all my sponsored legislation. Nearly all (97%) of my bills received bipartisan sponsorship. Additionally, twelve of my bills passed unanimously in the Senate, and 99% of the bills on which I voted “yes” were bipartisan. 
  7. New interim committee assignments: One of the perks of NOT being up for election this year, was the opportunity to serve on an unusually high number of interim committees. I kept my appointment to the two year round committees, the JBC and Statutory Revision. I also continued my service on the CHFA Board of Directors, SIPA Board of Directors, and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, School Finance Interim Committee, and the CDOT Efficiency and Accountability Committee. Then, I added two new assignments: The EMS System Sustainability Task Force, and the Early Childhood and School Readiness Commission. I really enjoyed my service on each committee, and I learned quite a bit of new information on a variety of topics!
  8. Democratic majorities grew: Last November's election results turned out favorably for both the House and Senate Democrats in Colorado. There are 35 Senators that make up the State Senate, and the Democratic majority grew to 23 members (12 Republicans). There are 65 members that make up the Colorado House of Representatives, and the Democratic majority great to 46 members (19 Republicans). Colorado also made history by electing a record number of women to the state legislature. I look forward to serving with the new legislators, both Republican and Democrat, that have joined the Senate.
  9. Awards and recognitions: I was honored to receive recognition from several organizations for my legislative work this past session. Those honors include: “Legislator of the Year” from Fostering Colorado; “Legislator of the Year” from the Colorado BioScience Association; “Golden Ambulance Award” from the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado; “Champion of Industry Award” from the Colorado Association of Independent Auto Dealers; “Legislative Leadership Award” from the Colorado Civil Justice League; “Common Sense in the Courtroom” from the Colorado Civil Justice League; “Walking Stick Award” from CAMES Colorado Association of Medical Equipment Services, “Legislative Leadership Award” from the Colorado Association of Physical Therapists; “Friend of Trucking Award” from the Colorado Association of Motor Carriers; "Education Policy Leader Award” from the Colorado Association of School Executives; and “Legislative Champion Award” from Young Invincibles.
  10. Elected Chair of the Joint Budget Committee: Post the November election, and upong winning the Majority, my colleagues elected me to continue serving on the Joint Budget Committee. And, as I was the only returning member, I was selected to Chair the Committee. The JBC is charged with studying the management, operations, programs, and fiscal needs of the agencies and institutions of Colorado state government. The budget is approximately $38 billion and the committee will work on producing a balanced budget that will meet the needs of the State of Colorado. This is a tremendous honor and a huge responsibility, not to mention a really nice way to end the 2022 legislative year!

There you have it! My top ten highlights from 2022. I look forward to sharing with you what the 2023 session may hold at our Legislative Town Hall Meeting in January (see details below or here). I will continue hosting these public events on the third Saturday of the month with my House counterparts Rep. Titone, Rep. Daugherty, and Rep. Bird. May you have a happy and healthy New Year!
In the News


















Events
Legislative Town Hall Meeting: 2023 Legislative Preview

Our first town hall meeting of the 2023 legislative session will be on Saturday, January 21 from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm at the Standley Lake Library in Arvada. We will be discussing our first five bills, committee assignments, and how to engage with your representatives this session. For more information, click HERE.
Chalkbeat’s 2023 Legislative Preview

Join Chalkbeat Colorado for their annual discussion of key education topics likely to surface during the upcoming legislative session. This year’s conversation will be held virtually on Zoom Webinar from noon - 1:30 MT on Thursday, Jan. 5. This year, we’ll discuss a potential rewrite of the school funding formula, student discipline and school safety, the state of math instruction, the future of the accountability system, the impending launch of universal preschool, and how to make higher education pay off. Guest speakers include:

  • Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument
  • Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Janet Buckner, D-Aurora
  • House Education Committee Chair Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango
  • Joint Budget Committee Chair Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada
  • House Education Vice Chair Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista

To RSVP, click HERE.
About Senator Rachel Zenzinger
Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) was re-elected to a second term in the Colorado State Senate, representing District 19 (Arvada & Westminster) in November 2020. Previously she served on the Arvada City Council. Senator Zenzinger is the Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and Vice Chair of Senate Appropriations.

200 East Colfax, Denver, CO 80203 | SenatorRachelZ@gmail.com
303-866-4840 office | 303-748-0770 cell