Policy & Research
The primary responsibilities of the Policy and Research Section of Legislative Council Staff are:
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staffing committees of reference, interim, and select committees ;
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completing research requests for members of the General Assembly and;
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responding to constituent inquiries.
Staffing Committees
During the legislative session, each committee of reference is assigned a staff person who is involved with the day-to-day committee operations. The staff person assists the chair in managing and providing notice about the committee's calendar, preparing a committee report for each bill, and providing information to the public and government officials about the operations of the committee.
For interim committees, the assigned staff person prepares research reports on the issues before the committee, arranges meetings and agendas, compiles minutes, provides information to the public about the committee's work, and prepares the committee's final report.
Research
The Legislative Council Staff prepares research memoranda at the request of any General Assembly member. These research requests frequently relate to background for bill requests, constituent concerns on specific questions, bills going through the legislative process, background for speeches or meetings, or simply topics of interest. The Legislative Council Staff is a nonpartisan office and, therefore, cannot respond to requests that are partisan in nature.
Constituent Services
The Legislative Council Staff assists members by providing information to answer constituent questions. At a legislator's request, the staff will provide factual material directly to a constituent to answer his or her question or will provide the information to the legislator. However, the Legislative Council Staff does not provide legal opinions or intervene in disputes between a citizen and any other unit of government.
Summary of Major Legislation by Year
Summary of Legislative Bill Tracking by Year
Issue Briefs
Economic Chronicles
School Finance in Colorado
Criminal Justice Committees
Reapportionment
Health Care Resource Book
Report on the State Education Fund
Colorado Public School Accountability
An Overview of the Colorado Adult Criminal Justice System
Colorado K-12 Student Assessments
Amendment 23: A Brief Overview