The Colorado House of Representatives on the floor approved House Joint Resolution 1002 to authorize a joint session with the Senate to hear a message from the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court and took routine procedural actions including approving the journal and recessing for the scheduled State of the State joint session.

House members adopted the resolution after the House clerk read its title. “House joint resolution 1002 by Representative Duran, also Senator Rodriguez, concerning a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the purpose of hearing a message from the chief justice of the Supreme Court and appointing a committee to ****** the chief justice,” the clerk read. The majority leader then moved for adoption, saying, “I move for the adoption of house joint resolution 25 dash 1002.”

Why it matters: The resolution formalizes the House’s participation in a joint legislative session with the Senate to receive an address from the chief justice, and it appointed members to the committee that will accompany the chief justice’s message. The chamber also prepared to convene a separate joint session later for the governor’s State of the State address and enacted security procedures for that session.

On routine business earlier in the meeting, Representative Lukens moved to approve the journal of Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2024, ``as corrected by the chief clerk.'' The speaker announced, “The ayes have it. The motion is adopted,” and the journal was approved.

Votes at a glance: House Joint Resolution 1002 — Adopted. The majority leader moved adoption; the clerk opened the machine for recorded votes and the chair recorded specific votes during the roll call, including Representative De Graaf voting yes and Representative Caldwell voting yes after experiencing a brief video disconnect. The clerk announced the final result as “With 58 I, 6 excused, and 1 vacant, the resolution is adopted.” The resolution was sponsored by Representative Duran with Senator Rodriguez listed as a co-sponsor. Journal of Jan. 8, 2024 — Approved. Representative Lukens moved approval “as corrected by the chief clerk”; the speaker announced the motion adopted. Recess until after joint session — Approved. The majority leader moved that the House stand in recess until after the joint session to allow a security sweep and for the State Patrol to complete identification procedures.

Chamber security and schedule: Members were told the joint State of the State session would begin at 11 a.m. and were asked to return to the chamber no later than 10:45 a.m. wearing a yellow lanyard provided at each desk. A staff announcement said State Patrol requested the yellow lanyards “as a secondary form of identification” and that a security sweep of the chamber and gallery would require everyone to leave the chamber until the sweep was completed.

What was not decided: The text of the resolution as read included redacted language (noted in the transcript as “******”), and the clerk’s reading did not provide additional details about the committee’s duties beyond appointing members to accompany the chief justice. The meeting record did not include a full roll-call list of how each member voted; the clerk announced the final tally and recorded a few individual yeas during the voting process.

The House then recessed to allow the scheduled joint session and security sweep to proceed.