Polis wields veto pen, tells Epps to step back from his pardon power

May 19, 2023

Democrat state Rep. Elisabeth Epps suffered yet another legislative loss as Gov. Polis vetoed her bill this week that purported to tell him just who and how he could issue those coveted “Get out of Jail Free” cards to state prisoners asking for clemency.

It’s my constitutional power, Polis told Epps in his veto letter. So step back.

The proposed law, HB23-1214, was sponsored by Epps and other Democrats to create an entire new bureaucracy around the process of prisoners writing letters to the governor asking for a break.

Undaunted by the rejection, Epps lamely attempted to snatch victory out of her defeat.

Epps said that while she disagreed with the governor, she was glad to have him use his formal veto power to kill the bill, and that he explained his action. Often, the governor can use soft power earlier in the process to encourage the legislature to defeat bills he dislikes.

Interestingly, Polis writes in his veto letter that he did in fact let his Democrat-controlled legislature know the bill was unconstitutional and that he opposed the measure.

“However, as my office made clear throughout the legislative session to the sponsors and proponents of the bill, our legal analysis of the bill, confirmed by the Attorney General, is that the bill unconstitutionally infringes on the governor’s exclusive authority to grant clemency,” Polis wrote.

Epps also told CPR, “She said she is confident the bill was constitutional, and that legislative staff had agreed.”

So someone is not telling the truth.

Oh well, at least Epps finally got her picture in the media alongside an article detailing one of her many failures this session.

PeakNation™ will recall the hissy fit Epps threw after her futile assault weapons ban failed to pass the Democrat legislature and she accused journalists of being racists for not using her photo in their reports.

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