DENVER — The Colorado Senate scrapped a vote on Friday to override Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of an open records bill, marking the second time this week lawmakers have failed to override a veto.
Last Friday, the Colorado Senate voted to override Polis’ veto of Senate Bill 86, which would have imposed more regulations on social media companies.
It takes a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers to override a veto.
The last time that happened was in 2011 when lawmakers overrode then-Gov. John Hickenlooper’s veto of spending instructions that were part of that year’s budget.
The last time lawmakers successfully overrode a veto of an actual bill was in 1988.
“I really believe that a veto override as a mechanism for us to assert our will is an important one,” said Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie.
But exercising that power isn’t easy.
“It is one thing to vote for a particular bill; it is another thing to vote for a veto override,” said McCluskie.
Overriding a veto could be politically embarrassing for the governor and his party and could fracture relationships.
“I had members express to me very deep concerns about the position they found themselves,” McCluskie said. “I could tell that they were uncomfortable taking this vote, even if they supported the policy.”
In the end, the House decided not to pursue the override of Senate Bill 86
House Majority Leader Monica Duran said it was a matter of simple math.
“The reality is that the votes were not there,” said Duran.
On Friday, the Senate tried to override a second veto of Senate Bill 77, which would have changed the state’s open records law.
But the sponsors weren’t able to get the votes needed, and that effort failed as well.
Both of the governor’s vetoes stand.
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