Session Preview with the Speaker

Speaker of the House Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (D-Boulder) is entering her second year as the leader of the chamber; she is also term limited at the end of the session. As part of our series previewing the legislative session statehouse reporter Bente Birkeland talked to her about her priorities.

Interview Highlights.

On the Key Issues Around the Budget and TABOR:

“We are in a situation where all the additional revenues we collect has to be capped and refunded, generally speaking it’s not very much, to residents of the state of Colorado….They would much prefer to have that invested in important infrastructure like transportation and making sure we have the best education for our kids,” said Hullinghorst.

On the Fracking Debate:

“We have members that are looking at oil and gas legislation. Whether or not they introduce them will depend on the stakeholder processes they’re involved in and trying to find good ways to legislate. But this goes directly to in my opinion, the Colorado quality of life. We have serious interface issues,” said Hullinghorst.

On Managing the Chamber in her Final Year:

“When I first started almost eight years ago, I never imagined I’d be doing this. But I also consider it a great honor and privilege to be Speaker,” said Hullinghorst.

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