Senate President Brandon Shaffer is running a bill to demand the Legislature pass a budget on time, or be docked pay, but last year Shaffer himself failed to live up to a Constitutional duty of the Legislature: pass a redistricting map.

Did he think we would forget he actually had his Senate Democrat caucus filibuster his own redistricting bill? Does he think the institutional memory down at the Capitol is that limited?

As Senate President Brandon Shaffer is running for Congress he has gone in search of legislation that sounds nice on a bumper sticker, even if it doesn't create a single job or solve a single real problem. 

The problem with this bill is not only that in modern history the Colorado Legislature has NEVER not passed a budget on time, but that Shaffer's sudden demand of legislative duty flies smack in the face of his own leadership last year. (Hat tip to Matt Arnold for noting Shaffer's hypocrisy on legislative duty)

Here's what the Colorado Constitution says about the Legislature's duty on Congressional redistricting:

Representatives in Congress.
The general assembly shall divide the state into as many congressional districts as there are representatives in congress apportioned to the state by the congress of United States for the election of one representative to congress for each district. When a new apportionment shall be made by congress, the general assembly shall divide the state into congressional districts accordingly.

Ok, so Brandon Shaffer had a constitutional duty to pass a redistricting bill. What did he do? Or rather, what did he not do?

As John Schroyer of the Colorado Springs Gazette reported:

At midnight on Monday, Senate Democrats defeated their own redistricting bill by talking past midnight.  

After debating the measure for four hours, and through a number of proposed amendments, the Democrats decided they’d take their chances in court, and kept the clock running.  

At about 11:45, Republicans tried to force a vote on the bill, but the Democrats shut them down, and kept filibustering.

Brandon, we suggest you fulfill your own Constitutional duties before you go around trying to push legislation that solves legislative duty problems that don't exist. 

Otherwise, you look like a total hypocrite.

(Photo Credit: Colorado News Agency)