Sen. Steve Fenberg Poised to Replace Leroy Garcia as Senate President

This past Thursday, Colorado Senate President Leroy Garcia announced that he is resigning from his role effective Feb. 23 to take a position in President Joe Biden’s administration. Sen. Garcia has been president of the Colorado state Senate since 2019 and was only three weeks into his final session when he made this announcement.

While Sen. Garcia’s surprise resignation caused many incumbents to call their next moves into question, Sen. Steve Fenberg from Boulder is poised to be the next Senate President after winning the support of his Democratic colleagues.

Although President Pro Tempore Sen. Kerry Donovan from Vail also expressed initial interest, Sen. Fenberg was the only running candidate when Senate Democrats met on Wednesday morning. Though Sen. Fenberg is currently presumed to be the next Senate President, he will stand for an official election later this month that the entire Senate will vote on. If he wins the formal election, then he will officially replace Sen. Garcia as Senate President. With Democrats holding a 20-15 majority in the Senate, he is poised to win the vote.

With Sen. Fenberg awaiting confirmation as president, Sen. Dominick Moreno of Commerce City will replace him as Senate Majority Leader, which does not require a full Senate vote. Stepping in to fill Sen. Moreno’s role on the Joint Budget Committee is Sen. Rachel Zenzinger of Arvada, who served on the committee from 2017-2020. Her previous experience allows her to hit the ground running when crafting the 2022-2023 budget.

The full Senate election is scheduled for Sen. Garcia’s last day, Feb. 23.

Here are the bills we took a stance on this week.

Support

House Bill 1099 requires that online marketplaces collect, verify and disclose information about third-party sellers using their platform. It attempts to protect retailers from the unauthorized resale of their products and protect online marketplaces from disreputable vendors.
Senate Bill 115 clarifies the scope and meaning of landowner liability from the Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, Inc. V. Wagner (Wagner) case, which was decided placed unreasonable liability standards on businesses. This bill instructs the judiciary to use previous interpretations of the Colorado Premises Liability Act (CPLA).
Senate Bill 124 makes the SALT Parity Act that passed via HB21-1327 and enacted in 2021 retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018, adding important flexibility for small businesses.

Oppose

Senate Bill 94 requires property and casualty insurers to settle claims for more than they believe is reasonable to avoid paying additional costs later.
Senate Bill 97 duplicates existing laws that protect whistleblowers.

Read our justifications for these positions and more on our current legislation page.

Have questions or concerns about policy? Contact our Public Affairs team.