RBC | By return phone call this week, Rio Blanco County’s State Senator, Randy Baumgardner (R-Hot Sulphur Springs), confirmed that he has been passed over by Senate Republican party leadership for committee assignments in the 2019 Colorado General Assembly, at least for the time being.
Democratic and Republican party leadership in both the State House and Senate have been setting the table for the January start of the 2019 legislative session. In November’s elections, the Democrats increased their majority margin in the State House and, in somewhat of a surprise, took over majority control of the State Senate.
Baumgardner, 62, is entering the last two years of his allowable two Senate four-year terms. He previously served two, two-year terms in the State House. When the Senate Republican leadership announced their 2019 appointments last week, Baumgardner did not receive any committee assignments.
At the beginning of this year, Baumgardner was chairman of the critical Joint House and Senate Capital Development Committee which oversees how state capital construction and real property dollars are spent. He was chair of the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee, an important slot for the western slope. He was also the vice-chair of the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources Committee.
Even though Baumgardner narrowly avoided an expulsion vote this last session due to what were termed “credible” allegations of physical, sexual harassment of women staffers at the Capitol, he was nevertheless removed from committee leadership then.
For his part, Baumgardner told the HT that the Democrats have downsized the agriculture committee from 11 to five members, leaving only two slots for Republicans. The number of Republicans on all Senate committees has been reduced due to the change in the majority. There were some committee possibilities, he said, that really didn’t interest him. Baumgardner explained that the Republican leadership wanted to appoint members to the limited number of slots who had more time left in their current or potential Senate tenure.
Baumgardner says he’s plenty busy and that he looks forward to continuing to work in the Senate on transportation issues for this district as well as water and property rights, and defending the Second Amendment which he sees as continually under attack. He appreciates those that have and continue to support him. He said he welcomes a break from demanding committee schedules.
Baumgardner’s Colorado Senate District 8 is composed of Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit Counties. He worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation for a decade before running for public office. He continues to own and operate a ranch near Granby with his wife, Lori.
