Today, Common Cause filed complaints against more than a dozen state legislators alleging that they accepted luxury resort expenses funded by a special interest group in violation of Colorado ethics law. Attorney Scott Moss filed the complaint on behalf of Common Cause with the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission. 

The complaint alleges that the legislators are members of the “Colorado Opportunity Caucus”  which was created, staffed, and funded by a pro-business dark money group, One Main Street. 

“From the President down to state lawmakers, Coloradans pay the price when leaders put wealthy special interests before constituents’ needs,” said Aly Belknap, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. “Legislators need to be accountable to the people, not to dark money groups that secretly buy their favor. Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission must investigate and remedy the situation to preserve trust in government.”

The complaint provides evidence that Opportunity Caucus leaders explicitly asked One Main Street to pay a $25,000 bill for their legislators’ hotel rooms at the luxury resort in Vail where One Main Street organized a secret “summit” for legislators to be lobbied by industry advocates.  This transaction appears to be in blatant violation of the state constitution’s “gift ban” which Common Cause advocated for, and Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved, almost two decades ago. 

“These complaints highlight the influence-selling shenanigans that the Opportunity Caucus schemed in the shadows, hoping there would be no Common Cause to blow the whistle,” said attorney Scott Moss. “This ‘Opportunity Caucus’ seems less about creating space for legislators to truly caucus amongst themselves, and more about creating opportunity for lobbyists to exert undue influence.”

To view the complaints, click here.