Colorado’s General Assembly is barreling toward the end of its work this week with a number of priorities for Democrats, who regained control of the Senate in the 2018 election, still outstanding.

After a rare Saturday session, there were still about 200 bills making their way through the legislative process. While it’s not unusual for work to pile up at the end of the session, statehouse Republicans also have done their best to slow debate.

“There have been more late nights this session than I can remember in the 11 years I’ve been doing this,” said Paula Noonan, who owns Colorado Capitol Watch, a bill-tracking service. “When the legislature is split, like last year, not much happens that everyone can agree on, even when the issues are out there to be solved. This year, the Democrats decided to stop kicking at least some cans and, depending on your point of view, it’s great or not.”

Among the issues still moving through the Capitol: an update to how the state teaches sex education in public schools, lifting the ban on rent control and a triad of bills one lobbyist dubbed the “blue-green deal” that aim to lower carbon emissions in the state and help coal workers find new jobs in renewable energy.

A number of efforts to increase revenue for the state are also on the hook. Despite bipartisan support for three different tax questions, it’s unclear whether there are enough votes — or time — to get language approved to put on the state ballot.

So much work has backed up that both the state House of Representatives and Senate met Saturday, the first time either chamber has worked a weekend during a regular session since 1990.

House members wore jeans as they churned through low-priority bills Saturday morning. Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Boulder Democrat, held his child as he made his way through the chamber.

Meanwhile, the Senate was more stately but got off to a slow start. The Senate was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. but didn’t get underway until 12:30 p.m., after a meeting of the chamber’s leaders and then caucus meetings.

Despite the delay, the Senate was able to move a number of bills off its calendar, including a bill that creates a special grant to encourage Coloradans to take the census and one that would lower insulin prices.

Looking ahead to the final five days, Democratic leaders in both chambers sounded an optimistic tone, though they acknowledged not every bill is going to make it to the governor’s desk.

“There’s a lot that has to get done,” said House Speaker KC Becker, a Boulder Democrat. “Everyone’s going to put in a lot of long hours between now and then. We feel like the stuff we’re doing is where voters are. It matters to people’s bottom line. It matters to their health.”

The task is more daunting in the Senate. However, Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, also a Boulder Democrat, was confident after pushing about 50 bills forward Saturday.

“We’re going to prioritize education, health care affordability and economic security issues for Coloradans,” he said. “We’re going to make sure we get them across the finish line Friday.”

Relations between the party leaders in the Senate have improved since the budget, both sides said. However, Republicans plan to make Democrats sweat it out the next five days.

“We’re letting the majority know there are bills that we’re just going to take every possible minute to debate against, and there are others where we can have our say and let go,” Holbert said. One piece of legislation Republicans would like to talk to death is House Bill 1312, which has split Democratic lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis over its requirement that parents file vaccination exemptions for their children in person.

State law requires the General Assembly to end its work Friday. Here’s a look at some of the high-profile to-dos lawmakers face this week:

The “blue-green” deal

While changes to oil and gas industry regulations dominated the first part of the session, three bills that seek to reduce carbon emissions have been quietly making their way through the process.

The first bill establishes new goals to limit greenhouse gases, the second bill allows electric utility companies — namely Xcel — to own more renewable energy sources and the third creates a new government office to help workers get training for jobs in renewable energy. Each bill has cleared the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. Supporters of the bills believe this package could serve as model legislation for other states.

Tax questions

The Senate took a crucial vote on an effort to allow the state to keep taxes it collects above the constitutional cap set each year by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR. That bill’s passage seems assured.

However, senators in both parties are suggesting there may be little interest in approving efforts to ask voters to legalize and tax sports betting and to tax vaping and increase taxes on other nicotine products. Opponents of the bill to legalize sports betting are raising the question of whether the changes can be made to state law, a lower bar for lawmakers, or if it’s a constitutional change. Meanwhile, Republicans are resisting the tobacco tax bill, which is still in the House.

Affordable housing

At least three bills that supporters hope would increase the number of affordable housing options for Coloradans are still in the mix. All three started in the House and are among the bills fighting for time in the Senate. They would create a dedicated revenue stream for affordable housing by reforming the state’s sales tax vendor fee, require the state to identify underdeveloped property that could be used for affordable housing, and increase affordable housing tax credits.

Separately, a bill to lift the prohibition on rent control remains on the Senate calendar, but Capitol observers are skeptical of whether the bill will advance.

Marijuana

Among the most important — yet little-noticed — bills lawmakers grapple with each year are so-called sunsets that require lawmakers to reauthorize and update existing regulations.

At the top of that list this year are the laws that regulate both medical and recreational marijuana. Along with the reauthorization, lawmakers are contemplating whether to allow social consumption and delivery. All of this legislation is awaiting final approval.