The Colorado General Assembly [Hardcover]

John A. Straayer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1990

The Legislature is the dominant branch of government in Colorado. Yet until now, there has been no single study that so richly portrays this powerful institution and the nature of its membership.

The Colorado General Assembly is based on years of author John StraayerÂ’s first-hand observations, his review of original documents and secondary sources, and hundred of conversations with lawmakers, lobbyists, members of the legislative staff, executive branch personnel, and journalists.

In this lively, informative book, Straayer describes the formal structure of the Legislature, as well as the all-important process by which bills become or do not become law, and how the power center within the institution can move or kill legislative initiatives. He also examines the clout of the lobby corps, which outnumbers the elected lawmakers five to one; the way the Legislature dominates the budget process; and the manner by which divisions between the two parties, the two houses, and the legislative and executive branches impact the conduct of the publicÂ’s business under ColoradoÂ’s gold dome.

The Colorado General Assembly fills a major gap in our knowledge of state government. It will appeal to students and practitioners of politics as well as to those with general interest in civic life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John A Straayer --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado; 1 edition (May 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870812106
• ISBN-13: 978-0870812101
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,009,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insights into Colorado Legislature, April 28, 2005

By 

LEON L CZIKOWSKY (Harrisburg, Pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Colorado General Assembly (Hardcover)

"Politics is serious stuff, and the stakes are high. Why else do clients pay $50,000 to $200,000 in fees to lobbyists who represent their interests" asks a book written about a part time legislatur, and this was back during the 1980s. "The Colorado General Assembly" is in insightful book into the Colorado legislative process.

Colorado prides itself as being a "citizen's legislature" and voters in Colorado approved a Constitutional amendment limiting the Colorado legislature to a 120 day limit for sessions. Unlike the more professional full-time legislatures in some more populous states, the lower pay and limited days of sessions leads to a high turnover rate amongst Colorado legislatures. One major difficulty this creates a lack of professional legislators with strong institutional knowledge. Thus, lobbyists are seen as being more powerful in Colorado than in many other states. In Colorado, lobbyists outnumber legislators by a 5 to 1 ratio. The lobbyists command much of the knowledge upon which legislators rely and, with a full-time professional commitment towards crafting favorable legislation, they have become very influential in Colorado. Many lobbyists are former legislators who have decided to use their legislative experiences to earn more money. The author notes circumstances where legislators have asked if lobbyists have come to agreement on legislation amongst themselves, rather than it being legislators guiding the process.

In 1986 in Colorado, political action committees accounted for 62% of all contributions to State Senate campaigns and 59% of all contributions to State House campaigns, compared to 29% of contributions to candidates for Governor and 25% of all contributions to other statewide campaigns. This helps cement the bonds between Colorado legislators and lobbyists.

The role of lobbyists takes on greater influence when it is recognized that Colorado's budget process gives the legislature a stronger role compared to many other states. The author states Colorado has a strong legislative-centered budget and that, although the Governor submits an annual budget to the legislature, the Colorado legislature has long protected its powers over determining much of the budget. Still, the results are similar to most others states' budgets: namely budgets that are incremental adjustments to previous budgets. Colorado, though, is known for its relatively smaller budgets and for pushing a relatively greater portion of the tax budget onto local governments.

The public can have a more direct role in creating laws in Colorado. The public is permitted to initiate legislation in addition to allowing citizens to place statutory proposals onto the general elections ballot. The author notes many political analysts, though, find this a poor way to create law as the result is often "sloppy and unrefined," yet, as the author notes, "it does makes for fun and interesting politics."

Constituents rarely contact Colorado legislators, according to the author, and, with few staff, most representatives have slow to respond to their mail. Some observers note some Colorado legislators let the mail pile up on the desk and then just throw it all away. Colorado legislators look to other legislators and lobbyists for information on legislative issues. As such, the author notes that good testimony at a legislative hearing has been observed to make a difference as it can sometimes be the best way to inform some legislators on key matters. Still, this does not guarantee that legislators will be expert at their jobs, for as State Sen. Ralph Cole once noted "it's really hard to legislate against the stupidity of the legislators."

The author notes that legislative leaders and committee chairs work more cohesively in the Colorado House than in the Senate, which may be the opposite of what would be expected for the larger sized House. Yet, the House leaders and committee chairs had a greater tradition of meeting and coordinating activities more often than in the Senate, and this creates this difference.

In sum, Colorado has an interesting legislature. Yet, the lack of professionalism and reliance upon lobbying interests should allow most to conclude that it is a system upon which improvements could be made.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book describes the Colorado Leg. very well, June 9, 2002

By 

Aaron Harris - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Colorado General Assembly (Hardcover)

This book is a good read with good case studies on items that have plagued the Colorado Leg.