The first two bills introduced by the Colorado House and Senate on the opening day of the 2020 session Wednesday made clear that public and mental health will be priorities for lawmakers this year.

It’s a continuation of the work Democrats started last year after they took complete control of the statehouse, said House Speaker KC Becker of Boulder.

“We did great things last year and truly made a difference in the lives of people in every corner of our state, from the Western Slope to the Front Range and from southern Colorado to the Eastern Plains,” she said. “We work for the people, and there is more work to be done.”

House Bill 1 calls for raising the minimum age to buy tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, to 21. The bill has bipartisan support, led by Rep. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, and Rep. Colin Larson, R-Littleton.

Other House bills introduced Wednesday call for lowering health care costs, ending prison gerrymandering, increasing K-12 education diversity and improving early access to childhood mental health programs, as well as improving the state’s Safe2Tell system.

On the Senate side, the first bill calls for expanded behavioral health training for K-12 educators. Championed by Democrat Rhonda Fields of Aurora, it’s a reaction to the May 7 shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch. Other bills introduced Wednesday would simplify health care billing and provide two years of student loan forgiveness for college graduates who stay in Colorado.

While majority leaders made clear their priorities for the year, Republican leaders made equally clear that they’re ready to fight back when they don’t agree and to push their own agendas.

House and Senate Republicans held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to release a slate of education bills, though only a couple have bipartisan sponsors. The bills are focused on using existing money and programs in different ways, said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert of Parker.

None calls for massive educational reform — the package of 25 bills covers a variety of topics, including automatic waivers for rural districts to tailor their educational programs and a proposal to let victims of bullying use their per-pupil funding toward private tuition.

Democrats — who swept the 2018 elections and had a busy 2019 — say they’re all in this year on passing a statewide paid family leave program, adopting a public health insurance option, abolishing the death penalty and addressing climate change, all of which have faced pushback by Republicans.

Opening-day speeches featured numerous references to the partisan strife that marked much of the last year in state politics, such as failed GOP attempts to recall elected Democrats and the fight to control the pace of action in the state Senate. That spat boiled over into the courts, where it remains undecided.

“Let me be clear, there has been a brazen effort to not only divide this chamber but dismantle it, from Washington-style political antics to pointless attempts to upend the will of voters,” Democratic Senate President Leroy Garcia of Pueblo said Wednesday in a speech that struck a much more partisan tone than last year’s.

“To those set on continuing their commitment to gridlock, let me say your efforts have been, and will continue to be, a fruitless endeavor.”

Holbert defended his party in a speech that ran roughly twice as long as Garcia’s.

“Mr. President,” he said, “while it is understandable that members of the majority might feel frustration toward the tenacity with which the minority approached debate last session, it was nonetheless disappointing to hear those principled efforts described as children throwing temper tantrums” — a reference to a previous remark by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg.

“No, we are all adults here.”

Holbert called on the legislature to do more in the areas of transportation and education without seeking new burdens on taxpayers. He said the state must set aside $300 million in existing money for transportation next year.

Following the opening speeches, conservative activists descended on the Capitol to protest an expected effort to strengthen vaccination requirements. They held signs that read “Medicine is not one size fits all” and “Vaccines can cause injury.”

At 11 a.m. Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat in the second year of his first term, will give a State of the State address. He is expected to emphasize priorities including expanded opportunities in early childhood education and various efforts to lower health care costs.