{"id":53667,"date":"2020-05-29T15:11:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T21:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-a-handful-of-colorado-lawmakers-are-afraid-to-go-to-the-capitol\/"},"modified":"2020-05-29T21:11:10","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T21:11:10","slug":"why-a-handful-of-colorado-lawmakers-are-afraid-to-go-to-the-capitol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-a-handful-of-colorado-lawmakers-are-afraid-to-go-to-the-capitol\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a handful of Colorado lawmakers are afraid to go to the Capitol"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat, poses for a portrait on her porch on May 28, 2020. Buckner, who is immunocompromised, was among a handful of at-risk Democrats in the House and Senate that stayed home, as the legislature got back to work after a two-month pandemic pause.<\/span>Moe Clark\/ The Colorado Sun<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

As House Speaker KC Becker, a Boulder Democrat, called the roll on Tuesday for the first time since<\/p>\n

Except instead of listening from her seat in the first row of the House chamber, she was watching her colleagues on her computer from her home office in Aurora. When her name was called, the word \u201cexcused\u201d echoed through the chamber.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to scream out and say, \u201cI\u2019m here! I\u2019m right here!\u201d Buckner said.<\/p>\n

Buckner, who is immunocompromised, was among a handful of at-risk Democrats in the House and Senate who stayed home, as the legislature got back to work this week after a two-month pandemic pause, fearful of catching the disease that has killed more than 1,000 Coloradans. For them, an infection could be fatal.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, a new policy was enacted that allows for remote votes to be cast during chamber floor debates \u2013 but only when a public health emergency has been declared by the governor. Legislators and members of the public still must show up in person to participate during committee meetings.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun<\/a> spoke with the three House Democrats who were absent \u2013 all members of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus \u2013 and found themselves at the center of a heated and lengthy discussion about remote participation, which became a partisan fight at the Capitol.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew there was going to be a debate, just around more like the logistics,\u201d said Rep. Jovan Melton, an Aurora Democrat, who is recovering from pneumonia and has had heart complications. \u201cBut, I didn\u2019t expect it to be so personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Jovan Melton, an Aurora Democrat, poses for a portrait in Utah Park in Aurora on May 28, 2020. Melton, who is recovering from pneumonia and heart complications, was among a handful of Democratic legislators that decided to not return to the Capitol after the legislative pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/span>Moe Clark\/The Colorado Sun<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Melton was a part of a group of lawmakers who tested the video conferencing system being used to allow legislators to participate from home.<\/p>\n

As the legislature debated Wednesday whether to allow senators and representatives to participate remotely, Rep. Larry Liston, a Colorado Springs Republican, said lawmakers must make sacrifices on behalf of their constituents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey expect us to be here and that the voting should be a matter of conviction not just a matter of convenience,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd yes, we have to make sacrifices even in difficult times, even if it puts us in a dangerous situation.\u201d During the discussion, Rep. Richard Holtorf, an Akron Republican, worried about members voting while drunk at home. And he compared absent lawmakers to soldiers who were \u201cabsent without leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melton was shocked listening to the discussion while he paced around his living room. \u201cI was like, \u2018You know what? There\u2019s no better voice than your own.\u2019 And I threw on a suit jacket and raced down to the Capitol.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Dominique Jackson, an Aurora Democrat, who was also listening from home, was equally stunned by the direction the conversation took.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo insinuate that in any way shape or form that I\u2019m not fighting tooth and nail for my constituents \u2026 it was just incredibly hurtful,\u201d said Jackson, who chose to stay home because she is immunocompromised. She receives a transfusion of plasma every two weeks to treat an autoimmune disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get down there and fight for absolutely everything that my constituents deserve and to have their voices represented,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when your doctors are telling you, \u2018Be careful. Don\u2019t do that. Don\u2019t go there,\u2019 it feels like my back is up against a wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Jackson plans to go into the Capitol, but only when absolutely necessary. She chaired the House Energy and Environment committee in person on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be there for the budget. I\u2019m going to be there for my bills. But when I don\u2019t have to be there, I\u2019m not going to be,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to die. My husband is a cancer survivor. I don\u2019t want him to get sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three lawmakers representing Aurora \u2014 a hot spot for the coronavirus<\/p>\n

Buckner has stuck to her routine during the legislative pause. She wakes up, makes coffee, meditates and prays in the flower garden behind her house, then starts wading through emails, voicemails and meeting requests. Her grandchildren frequently drive by to say hi and tell her about their days.<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t expect too much to change while the legislature is in session. She is disappointed that she won\u2019t be able to participate in committee meetings, though she said she will be listening closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not gonna be able to be a part of the appropriations decisions. I\u2019m on the Education Committee. I cover for KC when she\u2019s not in the well. I am her trusted confidant. So it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s hard to watch from afar,\u201d Buckner said.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.
Rep. Janet Buckner, an Aurora Democrat, holds a photograph of her and her husband, John Buckner, on May 28, 2020. It&#x2019;s been five years since John died due to a respiratory illness. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives from Jan. 9, 2013, until his death on May 28, 2015.<\/span>Moe Clark\/The Colorado Sun<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The decision to steer clear of the Capitol was difficult, Buckner said. But she\u2019s acutely aware that she is especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. She has a rare form of arthritis that makes her immunocompromised. She\u2019s over age 65. And she\u2019s African American.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack people are dying at a much higher percentage than the rest of the population,\u201d Buckner said. \u201cAnd I\u2019d be putting my family at risk \u2014 my kids and my grandkids. I\u2019m not taking this lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

State health officials have shown that black people make up approximately 7% of COVID-19 deaths, while making up just 4% of the population \u2013 a trend that\u2019s been seen across the country.<\/p>\n

She said it\u2019s important that the lawmakers who represent Aurora stay as healthy as possible to continue to represent their districts. She said when she realized that the only House members missing during the first two days of the season were representatives of Aurora districts, and were all African Americans, \u201cIt really hit me between the eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing more cases here than anywhere else,\u201d Melton said. \u201cSo, if we\u2019re not there to at least have some voice in this, then that\u2019s ignoring probably the hardest-hit community in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of May 28, about 42% of the 8,055 coronavirus cases reported by Tri-County Health Department \u2013 which is the public health agency for Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties \u2013 have been in Aurora. Denver has reported 5,434 cases.<\/p>\n

On May 28, 2015, Buckner\u2019s husband, Rep. John Buckner, died from a respiratory disease. Buckner was selected by a vacancy committee to represent his southern Aurora district.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe kept going to the Capitol every day, even though he was struggling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why it was really offensive, some of the things that were said \u2014 that we\u2019re not working hard,\u201d she added, referencing the House discussion related to remote participation. \u201cIt was just really sad to hear that from my colleagues. I know they were talking to their base, but that does not make it acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Melton arrived in the House chamber, Buckner shot up from her desk chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just stood up in respect for him,\u201d she said, \u201cfor what he was saying, knowing how difficult that was for him and knowing how sick he\u2019s been. It was so moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melton has been sick on and off since December. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, and for the first few weeks of the legislative session, he kept a tank of oxygen in his office and used it regularly. In March, he started to feel worse. \u201cI just started feeling really tired all the time. And I started retaining a lot of water.\u201d<\/p>\n

In early April, he was on a short walk and nearly collapsed. \u201cSo I called my doctor and we did a bunch of tests and determined that I was also going through heart failure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, journalist-owned news outlet exploring issues of statewide interest. Sign up for a newsletter and read more at coloradosun.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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