A Colorado bill would enable the Legislature to hire a security administrator in an effort to tighten personal security for lawmakers, nearly one year after a Minnesota state representative and her husband were shot and killed at her home.

House Bill 26-1422 passed its first committee hearing on Monday on an 8-3 vote.

The security administrator position considered in the bill would be responsible for the “day in, day out view for member security,” bill sponsor Representative Chad Clifford, a Centennial Democrat, told fellow lawmakers Monday. The administrator ideally would have an understanding of legislation moving through the Capitol and advise members on security measures at public events like town halls.

“Most of this is forward thinking. A lot of this came from the realization that we were asleep at the wheel when it came to the Melissa Hortman situation,” he said, referring to the murdered Minnesota lawmaker. 

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The bill is also sponsored by Senate President James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, and Senator Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican.

The administrator could train other people who provide security at the Capitol, coordinate home security installation at lawmakers’ homes, and coordinate with Colorado State Patrol on safety matters. CSP currently oversees security in the Capitol, and Clifford emphasized that the bill is not a result of dissatisfaction with that agency’s performance. The administrator and CSP would act as partners in monitoring threats and offering guidance to lawmakers.

CSP Chief Matthew Packard said Monday that he is concerned that the bill would essentially create another police agency. The administrator could be certified by the same body that certifies police officers in the state.

“The potential for having another police agency in the building causes me concern about our ability to work together to keep this building safe,” Packard said.

This was the most contentious part of the bill.

“There is no intention for anyone who takes this position to be the police in the Capitol or put hands on people,” Clifford said. “However, if we hired someone who had been doing that for 30 years, I don’t want to tell them they can’t.”

Protected persons

Another provision of the bill expands the definition of “protected persons” in statute to include elected officials, legislative staff, current or former judges, and judicial staff. That means personal information like home addresses, which are included in financial disclosures and candidate documents available on the secretary of state’s website, couldn’t be published online. Currently, the secretary of state’s office can redact some of that information, which about 30 lawmakers requested following Hortman’s death. HB-1422, as introduced, would have removed those records and make them available via request.

That got pushback from Tim Regan-Porter, the CEO of the Colorado Press Association. Those records provide transparency, he said, and journalists use them to check the basic eligibility requirements of candidates, such as whether they live in the district they wish to represent, as well as conflicts of interest. An amendment Monday allows the records to be posted online, but it requires redaction of a person’s address. Clifford said there will likely be more amendments on that part of the bill when it gets to the House floor.

HB-1422 would also increase the existing surcharge on docket and jury fees from $5 to $10. That money would go to grant awards for security measures at courts around the state. Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Monica Márquez told committee members that security is one of the biggest challenges in the state’s judicial system.

Márquez said that her “deepest nightmare” is losing a court worker, lawyer or other person to violence while she is chief. Last year, a man attacked a defense attorney at an Arapahoe County courthouse.

The legislative session ends on May 14.