There's interesting things happening right now in the Colorado legislature, and I'm being kind when I use the word interesting. And one of the things that we have seen get exponentially worse, I think in my time here is the urban rural divide. And it seems like what used to be disagreements on how money was sort of divided now seems to be the urban corridor doesn't really want to
hear from the rural corridor at all. And joining me now Representative Dusty Johnson to talk about one way to sort of push back on that, and that is a new legislative Caucus. Representative Johnson, Welcome to the show.
First of all, Hi, thank you Mandy for having me.
So tell me about the new rural coalition that has been formed in the legislature.
Yes, and you hit it spot on. There's a huge urban rural divide. And we know our voices are aut numbered being from rural communities just because less population means, you know, less amount of people in a district that have a representation. So the Rural Caucus is a joint chamber, bipartisan effect. There's seventeen of us on it, so seventeen
out of one hundred. We have seventeen percent of the voice just with this caucus alone, just to stand unified in what rural Colorado needs and making sure we are doing this together, just because you know, when you're in rural Colorado, we're very good at being independent, We're very good at being firm and what we need. But that doesn't work when Eastern Plains, Western Slope aren't working together
because we already have a splintered voice. So by adding it, you know, coming together at the table for the Rural Caucus, we're making our voice stronger just in hopes that we can have our colleagues from the Metro area urban areas listen to it. And then also part of this caucus is an educational outreach that we are hoping to then help bridge the divide by saying, hey, come look at our communities so you can see what we're talking about.
Well, not only that, I mean you would think and I grew up in a small town. I grew up in a rural kind of community, and there was a much greater sense of civic involvement. Now that was also a long time ago, I understand that, but it's been my experience that historically I think that rural people tend to be more civic minded, and yet there's a lot of people in the rural areas that don't vote, and that is like, well, you've already got a representation issue
in terms of the numbers that you have. The last thing you need is people sitting on the sidelines. Is that something that this is going to address.
Yeah, we're very much hoping.
I mean, it gives hope because when you're used to not being listened all the time, sometimes the thought is our vote doesn't matter.
Why are we doing it right?
And this pushes back saying, hey, you're representatives and your senators who you elected from you rural communities are pushing back. We're making sure we have a seat at the table, but we need you also to back it. And when we invite our colleagues to the communities, it does give that hope saying, look, we're doing things, but we do need more numbers, so can you please show up to the polls next time?
Right?
So, what are some of the biggest issues that you guys feel like are either being overlooked by the current legislature and that you'd like to see addressed in the near future.
And I will put this one to good friend Senator Dylan Roberts, who is also on to give the Senate perspective, and he's also more senior than I.
He's saying, for a little bit longer, I should have introduced you as well. Senator.
I'm sorry I got I jumped in with Representative Johnson and then just I'll just let him sit there and wait to be asked.
Sorry about that. So, Center, we're good.
What are some of those issues that you think are the most important.
Yeah, there are some issues that are might be top of mind more specific to rural Colorado, and therefore us as rural legislators work on them more. But I think what we hope to do with this caucus is focused those issues for the entire legislature and talk about how things like water impacts the whole state.
It is top of mind for.
Me and Representative Johnson and our constituents and our rural districts every single day, you know, preserving our water, making sure we have enough water for agriculture and for outdoor recreation, and for folks on the front range. You know, they don't think about water as much because you know, they turn on the they turn on the faucet or the shower and water comes out, and that's about it.
But we know that if we don't make.
The right decisions here at the capital about our water resources, it could impact the whole state. So I think that is first and foremost one of the biggest.
Priorities that we will talk about as a caucus.
We also need to talk about when we pass statewide policy at the Capitol, how does that impact smaller towns, how does that impact rural and frontier areas where they may be good intention and they may be coming from ideas that are more specific to urban areas or suburbs, could have an unintended negative consequence on the rural areas. And so that's what our hope is is to organize as a group of rural legislators and then effectively go
tell that story to our colleagues. And that's why this is a bipartisan caucus too, is because you know, I'm a Democrat, represent Johnson's a Republican. We can work together to determine what our caucus feels is important as a real caucus and then go talk to our respective parties about why they need to listen to us as ural colleagues.
Does it give your rural bills or legislative issues more gravitazed when you say, look, we're running this bill and it's got seventeen co sponsors, you know that sort of span both parties.
Do you think that's going to be more helpful in getting these bills across the finish line?
Yeah, I definitely think it's going to be. We have so no one knows everything in this building, and there are definitely those spaces, those leaders that people look to, saying while if they support it both sides of THEIH liberal chambers, then more and more inclined to because we trust their judgment.
On rule or water or agricultural topics.
So by having a coalition of seventeen and we're not saying all seventeen always have to back it, but you know, more times than not, rule does stand together. So having that coalition the name saying we'll go talk to so and so if they're on your side of the party or in your chamber, it just helps bridge that divide even more and crosses the aisle saying well, this is a bipartisan issue. We're seeing it on the West slope, we're seeing it on the Eastern plans.
It just gives that.
More respect aspect and even more of.
I don't know what you'd say, but it is that, you know, more saying, hey, look at them. They're doing it and you respect how they vote, so look at them.
So, Senator Roberts, how many members do you have on the Senate side?
Yeah, so we have. Off the top of my head, we have at least seven senators and Rep. Johnson correct me if I'm wrong, but we in both parties, and we're, you know, obviously a smaller chamber than the House, so there's there's a few of us in general, but every Senator that has parts of a rural district or entirely a ural district is a part of this caucus in both parties.
I was going to ask you if there were any holdouts.
Have you had anybody that was like, no, I'm not going to join you, even though those are the people that I represent.
I didn't encounter any in the Senate. I don't know if you did in the in the House.
Rep.
Johnson, I did not in the House either.
They are very much inclined to get on, even if most of their district might be urban and they have some rural we still saw them get onto this caucus saying we want to make sure we're you know, being a voice for all of our area.
Are you guys working on actually writing legislation as a caucus or is this going to be somebody brings a bill forward that they feel might be appropriate for others on the caucus to get behind and approaches it from that way, or maybe even a combination of both.
Yeah, I think it's going to be a combination of all of those things. You know, we're obviously coming up on the end of the legislative session in just about three weeks, so we're probably past the stage of introducing legislation for this year. But over the course of the summer in the fall, as we prepare for twenty twenty six,
I imagine those conversations will happen. But we can also look at existing legislation that some of our colleagues have brought and take a position as a real caucus or importantly to be able to comment on legislation and maybe oppose something or ask for amendments for something on bills that are already in the system, so that to better address rural concerns that might be coming up.
I would even say, I mean, we just saw this last week with the House side of the caucus of keeping our rural behavioral health voucher program. We came to the table saying, this is our rural need through the budgeting week that we just had, Please do not repeal this program, and we explained why. A good portion of the members on this caucus stood up saying this is why we need it for our community, Please don't cut this.
And we saw overwhelmingly a vote of fifty three to ten that we kept this program because of those voices coming together from all areas of rural across the state. So it even helps with the budgeting and making sure that we are getting the resources that we need.
Well, you know, I've long thought that this was probably long overdue.
And how who's started this?
Who said, look, we've got to get ourselves together to represent our rural constituency, So.
That would be I started bugging some people on the House side, and I did end up bugging Senator Dylan Roberts and Senator Rod Pelton and the other co chair in the Senate saying we've had groups of breakfasts with rural legislators who they'd kind of come around and talk just to events and tell worse orias on the chamber, but we haven't really had a unified voice, so this would be something that would be great for us all to come together and saying they could have I mean,
we have a caucus for anything under this building, but we didn't have a rural caucus. So there was a huge need for it. And I'm glad that all the colleagues came together, all seventeen of us, and said, yeah, we want this to be something that's official.
Senator Roberts, oh, go ahead.
Oh.
And for me, I was just so I'm from the Western Slope and represent the mountains in northwest Colorado, and as Western Slope legislators, we had always kind of had an informal caucus Democrats and Republicans, but if you're from the Western Slope, we'd like to work on issues together. But I'm really excited about this because we're combining the Western Slope rural with the Eastern Plains rural and joining forces.
You know, we might have some differences even amongst our caucus, because what's important the Western Slope might not be important to the Eastern Plains, or vice versa.
But I think more times than not we'll find agreement.
And I think it's important that we've united the western slope with the Eastern plains in this caucus.
I was going to ask you, Senator, are there topics that you guys have already kind of said, you know what, we'll just not bring that one up just yet.
Okay, Well, I.
Mean, are there are there areas where you're like, you know, we're not ready to cross that bridge just yet.
So I mean you kind of alluded to that in your answer.
Yeah, there might be some geographical battles or some rivals that play out, rivalries that play out, you know, I think it, you know, there might.
Be some disagreements.
You know, we it is a group of Democrats and Republicans, and I think in total we're all some of the more moderate folks in the building anyway, in both parties. But there might be some issues where, you know, just we it wouldn't be worth it to bring it up because we might divide along party lines. But I think almost certainly nine times out of ten we're going to be united on things.
I think it's definitely gonna make you guys more effective, And I do think that you know it's it's fairly common in a state where agriculture as is important, and yet you have these pockets of urbanization that are very very powerful just because of the sheer numbers that are in them. So I don't think this is a Colorado
problem as much. It is a problem that's probably being played out in a lot of different states in how to divide that pot of money to make sure that the roads in rural Colorado get taken care of.
Good news, though, guys, they don't take.
Care of them here either, So on the roads front, we're all equal.
So you know, we got that starting point.
But I think it's going to be very good for rural Colorado's to have a more unified voice and have a little more power behind that. So hats off to both of you, Representative Dusty Johnson and represent excuse me, Senator Dylan Roberts for coming together on this.
Thank you, And I would just like the point I mean, because we have such a diverse state, all four of US co chares represent a different corner of the states. We make sure Northeast, which represented southeast, Northwest, Southwest, to make sure that we are making our roural caucus as.
Holistically of the state needs.
Is because you know, my rural areas out in House District sixty three are vastly different than Senator Roberts district. But again we understand the agriculture of the water, even the tourism side of it, so we can use we find that as a common denominator to stand up as a strong voice together.
All right, guys, thank you so much for making time for me today.
Thank you all right.
That is Representative Dusty Johnson and Senator Dylan Roberts.