Peter Marcus

For outgoing lawmakers who lost elections in 2012, the transition from public to civilian life is both sudden and uncertain. But five legislators interviewed by The Colorado Statesman say they are anticipating life outside the Gold Dome as they prepare their personal and business lives for a new chapter.

Lawmakers are likely to wage a divisive battle over health care in the upcoming legislative session that begins on Jan. 9. Issues over expanding Medicaid, asking voters to approve universal health care, and the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange currently top the list.

Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, is leading the ambitious health care agenda for Democrats. Her most contentious battle could be over expanding Medicaid, which Republicans are weary of doing without containing spending.

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday unveiled proposals for comprehensive reforms to the state’s mental health system in the wake of senseless shootings in Colorado and across the nation that have ignited a polarizing conversation on prevention.

Colorado’s county clerks have gotten off to an early start lobbying the legislature for election reforms after the previous session in which several proposals were killed during a divisive election year.

The County Clerks Association met with lawmakers on Monday for an informational session to outline several proposals ranging from an all-mail ballot delivery system to shortening voter registration deadlines and eliminating contention surrounding mailing ballots to inactive voters.

The debate over whether state regulators can responsibly govern hydraulic fracturing is leaving few parties satisfied — causing a rift between regulators themselves, the governor’s office, legislators and environmental and industry stakeholders. The upcoming legislative session, as a result, is likely going to offer heated disagreements over the growing conversation, including bills that compete with state rulemaking.

A University of Denver panel charged with making recommendations for campaign finance reform was told on Wednesday that the best way to stop money from corroding the political system is to offer public financing and free advertising airtime for campaigns.

The 19-member task force has been holding a series of meetings with experts to determine whether there should be campaign finance regulations, and what those regulations should look like. Panel members include Joe Blake, former chancellor of the Colorado State University System and former chief executive of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Dick Robinson, chief executive of Robinson Dairy, attorney John Moye, a partner with Moye White, LLP, former state Sen. Polly Baca, D-Greeley, and Stephanie Villafuerte, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, to name a few.

State lawmakers on Thursday outlined an extensive legislative agenda related to energy for the upcoming session that begins on Jan. 9. The legislature is likely to address establishing a renewable thermal standard, incentivizing so-called “green” construction and capturing methane gas, increasing the value for diseased trees to be used as fuel, accelerating the use of alternative fuels for state fleets, and establishing a clean energy commercial building program.

Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, is crafting legislation that would allow some small-batch microbreweries to sell full-strength beer in grocery and convenience stores in Colorado. But the craft beer industry isn’t quite sure it’s ready to toast the measure quite yet.

Priola points to skyrocketing demand for micro beers in Colorado, with the state having become known as the sort of “Napa Valley of craft beer” for its burgeoning microbrewery scene.

Six years after state lawmakers backed a measure that instituted a strict immigration-reporting law in Colorado, critics say enforcement by local communities has cost $13 million statewide.

Senate Bill 90, passed in 2006, requires a police officer who has probable cause to believe that an arrestee is an undocumented immigrant to report the incident to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE).

State lawmakers may look at a more narrow focus for telecommunications reform in the upcoming legislative session after a massive undertaking by the legislature earlier this year ended in political gridlock and inter-party fights over subsidies and deregulating telephone service. But legislators are first watching steps being taken by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules that will serve as a framework for similar efforts.