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House adopts amendment to replace 'his excellency' with 'the honorable' in State of the State resolution

Colorado House of Representatives

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Summary

Representative De Graaf successfully moved an amendment to Senate Joint Resolution 2 to replace the ceremonial honorific 'his excellency' for the Governor with 'the honorable'; the amendment passed 53–12 and SJR2 was adopted as amended 60–5.

Representative De Graaf led a floor amendment to Senate Joint Resolution 2 that would substitute the phrase "the honorable" for the ceremonial "his excellency" when referring to the Governor in the joint‑session resolution scheduling the State of the State address.

De Graaf argued that "his excellency" has no statutory basis in the Colorado Revised Statutes or the Colorado Constitution and said the phrasing evokes monarchical traditions inconsistent with republican governance. He referenced recent "no kings" rallies and urged the chamber to adopt language that treats the Governor as a public servant rather than elevating the office with archaic honorifics. "This honorific ... has been used for many years in legislative journals," De Graaf said, "but the excellency part has always struck me as odd."

Representative Garcia spoke in support of the amendment, saying a more appropriate term for a duly elected governor is "honorable." The House adopted the amendment L001 to SJR002 by a recorded vote of 53 yes, 12 no, 0 excused. The House then voted to adopt SJR002 as amended, setting the time and date for the State of the State address, by a vote of 60 yes, 5 no, 0 excused.

Why it matters: the change is ceremonial and nonbinding on statutory authority, but it drew an extended floor debate about institutional language and symbolism. The amendment and subsequent passage show the House majority coalesced behind the revised phrasing for the State of the State invitation.

Procedural note: the move to suspend the rules and consider SJR002 immediately passed earlier in the session (55 yes, 10 no, 0 excused), allowing the chamber to debate and vote on the amendment and on SJR002 the same day.

Next steps: SJR002 (as amended) sets the time and date for the State of the State address; the committee named by the House will escort the Governor to the joint session.