State Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis misplaced her place chairing a strong Senate committee and was faraway from a invoice regarding wage theft — each selections made by high Democrats earlier this yr after she allegedly refused to pay an worker working beneath her.
Data obtained by The Denver Publish present that the senator’s resistance to signing off on an aide’s time card in December was amongst considerations raised by her celebration’s management during the last yr. Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, additionally was admonished months earlier by Senate management for “regarding” habits reported by workers and different members of the legislature, based on e mail data.
Early on this yr’s session, in January, a Senate chief quietly eliminated her as chair of the chamber’s Native Authorities and Housing Committee, although she stays a member of the panel. Committee chairs assist steer — or stall — laws as payments transfer by way of the Basic Meeting, and they’re highly effective positions in terms of setting state coverage.
Jaquez Lewis was additionally an preliminary prime sponsor of Home Invoice 1008, a invoice geared toward stopping wage theft within the development trade, that was launched in early January. By February, Home Majority Chief Monica Duran had eliminated Jaquez Lewis’s title from the invoice.
Duran did so, she stated in an interview Tuesday, as a result of she “felt it might not be acceptable” to have Jaquez Lewis carrying it. Refusing to pay an worker for work executed may have led to claims of wage theft if the aide ended up going unpaid for his or her work.
“I wished that focus to remain on the invoice, not on Sen. Jaquez Lewis,” Duran stated. “Nor did I really feel it was acceptable to have somebody who’s being questioned — being requested about wage theft — to be on the wage theft invoice.”
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Jaquez Lewis denied refusing to signal anybody’s timesheet. She stated she was touring when the incident occurred and tried to log off on it when she may, but it surely had already been dealt with internally.
Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, would finally log off on the aide’s time card, based on data obtained by way of the Colorado Open Data Act.
Underscoring the rarity of the difficulty, e mail data present that Fenberg needed to ask workers if it was in his energy as Senate president to OK the timesheet if the aide’s supervising senator “refuses” to log off.
In a quick interview, Fenberg stated he selected the phrase “refuses” as a result of it mirrored his understanding of the occasion. He in any other case declined to debate the incident, citing office confidentiality necessities.
Data present Fenberg additionally had beforehand warned Jaquez Lewis about her alleged habits towards workers members.
In September, Fenberg wrote to Jaquez Lewis that a number of workers members and legislators “witnessed habits they discovered regarding,” based on an e mail obtained by way of a data request. Whereas he didn’t specify the habits at problem in that e mail, Fenberg wrote that it was “just like the problems” beforehand mentioned together with her.
“For a workers member to not really feel revered and secure within the office isn’t okay and that is one thing I hope you’ll prioritize enhancing upon,” Fenberg wrote to Jaquez Lewis.
He additionally informed her in that e mail that Senate workers wouldn’t assist her with vetting or putting any new aides in her workplace for the 2024 legislative session.
“I don’t need to put caucus workers ready the place they’re recruiting and inspiring somebody to work in an workplace whereas not having the ability to confide in them the considerations which have beforehand been raised,” Fenberg wrote.
Jaquez Lewis stated Tuesday that she couldn’t recall that message and requested a reporter if she was included among the many recipients. The e-mail’s header signifies it was addressed to her private e mail deal with.
“It appears to me that if one thing has occurred, there needs to be specifics which might be on the market,” Jaquez Lewis stated. “As a result of I’d prefer to know what they’re.”
She advised that she was “studying one thing new” when informed concerning the e mail.
Jaquez Lewis was first elected to the Colorado Home in 2018 after which the Senate in 2020. She received her closely Democratic Senate district with 68% of the vote.
The aide who submitted the timesheet in query had resigned from Jaquez Lewis’ workers throughout that pay interval. The resignation letter was withheld by the Senate beneath open data regulation primarily based on a provision that bars the discharge of paperwork utilized in inquiries or complaints made beneath the office expectations coverage. That’s separate from office harassment coverage, which is reserved for extra critical allegations.
The data don’t title the previous aide, and The Publish shouldn’t be figuring out the individual to guard their identification. The previous aide declined an interview request.
Jaquez Lewis stated she by no means heard any office complaints.
She additionally stated she stepped down from the committee chair seat as a result of she’s engaged on a voter and Democratic Get together recruitment initiative in Boulder and Weld counties, in addition to trying towards reelection in November.
Senate Majority Chief Robert Rodriguez, who units the committee assignments, declined to touch upon the change.
Duran, who’s main the development wage theft invoice, stated members typically go away payments due to workload or different points, however that is the primary time she’s eliminated somebody in order that there wouldn’t be “a cloud” hanging over the coverage.
Duran stated she had that dialog with Jaquez Lewis straight and let her know why she was being eliminated. However Jaquez Lewis stated she wasn’t conscious of these considerations.
“I don’t know why (Duran) would say that,” Jaquez Lewis stated. “We haven’t talked about it.”
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