The new Republican leader of the House emphasized worries about affordability, rising political violence, and parental rights in a speech to his colleagues on Wednesday.

Rep. Jarvis Caldwell, who was selected to replace former Minority Leader Rose Pugliese following her resignation in the fall, began his speech by saying he was going to do something “a bit unorthodox” — he commended Democratic leaders for their efforts to work across the aisle and find common solutions to some of the state’s biggest woes.

“I’ve maintained since I was first elected that no matter what our political differences, if you bring me a bill that doesn’t violate the Constitution or our foundational principles, and is good for the people of House District 20 and the people of Colorado, I will gladly put my name on it with you,” he said. “That’s what the people of Colorado want to see from us, and that’s what we owe them.”

Caldwell highlighted the state’s ongoing affordability crisis, noting that the state’s budget has increased by nearly 50% since Gov. Jared Polis took office.

“I ask all of you: Have our roads, our schools, our safety, or our health care gotten 50% better?” he said. “While we’re facing another billion-dollar budget shortfall, we’ll still pass a record-setting budget. This is in large part because the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is often side-stepped by new enterprises and the fees that come with them.”

TABOR limits the power of the state and its political subdivisions to raise revenue. Under TABOR, any new tax must get the voters’ approval. Supporters have touted it as an antidote to unchecked government spending, arguing it has kept, to some extent, taxes low. Critics countered that it has hampered the government’s ability to pay for its priorities.

Caldwell said Democrats have argued that the congressional budget has worsened many of the state’s financial challenges.

“But the reality is these challenges did not begin this year, or with a single federal bill,” he said. “The issues Coloradans are facing have been building for years as a result of state-level decisions.”

Those decisions, he said, included “overburdensome” regulations and “unprecedented government growth” through legislation.

Turning his attention to families, Caldwell said parents have the right to make the best decisions for their children — not elected officials.

“When one of our children are hurt, and they’re lying in a hospital bed, it’s not the government that sits in their bed, holds their hands, and tells their child that if they could, they’d take the pain away and put it upon themselves,” he said. “That’s what parents do, not the government.”

“So,” he added, “when we see legislation from this building telling us that the government knows better than us, the parents, we get mad, and we fight for the God-given rights as parents to make those decisions without Government intrusion.”

Public safety and Second Amendment rights will also be a priority for his caucus this session, Caldwell said.

“Restrictive gun laws do nothing to stop the criminals committing the crimes,” he said. “Instead, they make it more difficult for the law-abiding to exercise their God-given right to defend themselves and their families.”

Like House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, Caldwell touched on the rise in political violence in the United States.

He mentioned the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk in Utah.

Kirk was killed “simply for his willingness to debate those biblical values on a college campus,” Caldwell said. “It was troubling watching so many in the public — many in positions of trust — mock the murder of a young man that left a wife husbandless and two children fatherless.”

Caldwell urged his colleagues to let the 2026 session, which coincides with Colorado’s 150th year of statehood, be the year that policymakers come together, as their constituents have asked.

“In 2026, we have a unique opportunity to improve the lives of our constituents and ensure a prosperous future in Colorado for another 150 years,” he concluded.