May 11, 2023

Ep. 8 - Elections Have Consequences: The Legislative Session From Hell (Brandi Bradley, Roger Hudson)

52 minutes

Elections have consequences, boy did we get a lesson in that over the last few months. Colorado’s General Assembly, which is the state Senate and state House combined, meets annually, beginning in January and continuing for 120 days. There were over 600 bills introduced at the Capitol this year, 220 of them making it through the General Assembly to Jared Polis now waiting on his desk for sign-off. This hot mess of a legislative session will only drive Colorado more into the ground. Heidi interviews state representative Brandi Bradley and Deputy Chief of Staff for the House GOP Roger Hudson.

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Full Episode Breakdown:

*All bills discussed are linked on Heidi's Substack channel HERE if you'd like to do a deeper dive!

Part 1 (0:00-20:27): Heidi exposes her list of the most terrible bills that passed during, what she is calling, “the Session from Hell”. She talks about:

The WINS from this year’s General Assembly — including Kayden’s Law, an effort through her charity Mom’s Fight Back focused on family court reform, indecent exposure going from a misdemeanor to a felony, and Polis’ landmark housing bill being shut down.

18 of the WORST bills passed through this session, broken down into housing, property tax and the elimination of TABOR, kids, abortion, crime and drugs, and lastly, guns.

Why elections MATTER and how the legislature’s supermajority combined with a governor who drives their agenda is putting government takeover by the Democrat party in Colorado in overdrive.

Part 2 (20:27-31:44): State Representative (House District 39) Brandi Bradley shares her unique experience being one of 19 Republicans in the House of Representatives during her first-ever Colorado General Assembly. She discusses:

The frustration she felt representing 46% of the population yet still feeling silenced, and the unfortunate reality that most Dems are told how to vote, rather than listening to their constituents.

How bills presented this session did not represent the reality of issues everyday Coloradans face today.

The surprising attacks on landlords and employers, as well as the most controversial bills for constituents — Polis’ land use bill and wolves.

She built relationships across the aisle while standing firm in her principles.

Brandi Bradley: Attend the May 22nd Town Hall | Contact Brandi | Facebook | Twitter

Part 3 (31:44-52:19): House GOP Deputy Chief of Staff and Castle Pines City Councilman Roger Hudson shares the roller coaster he experienced over the past 120 days. He discusses:

How hard it was to find middle ground on tough topics like abortion, housing, kids, and guns.

The dark reality of how bills today will affect Coloradans in 10, 20, and 30 years, and the historic consequences to taxes passed this session.

The shocking lack of focus on issues related to our kids, especially with the record number of women and moms in the House of Representatives.

The importance of paying attention to local issues, electing the right local officials, and doing a better job at anticipating what bills will be brought to the table during legislative sessions.

Roger Hudson: Contact Roger | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

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By Heidi Ganahl