Rather than state taxes, the Israel-Hamas war took center stage during the last day of the session, with Representative Elisabeth Epps trying to amend a summer food program for low-income students to prohibit the program's benefits from being used to purchase food products from "occupied territories," including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Legislators rejected Epps's motion to consider the proposed amendment in a 39-21 vote. This was the second time her amendment was shut down after legislators on Sunday ruled that it was outside the scope of the bill.
"We're helping to fund a blockade that keeps water and basic life-sustaining resources from Gazan children," Epps said after the amendment lost on Monday, spurring disapproving comments from other legislators.
Epps ended her speech by declaring, "Free Palestine" — causing an uproar among members of the Republican caucus, including Representative Brandi Bradley, who repeatedly said "Shame on you guys" and suggested her caucus should "walk out" in protest.
In a private meeting, Democratic leadership agreed to let Republican Representative Ron Weinberg, a Jew with family in Israel, respond to Epps's comment on the floor. But Epps did not approve.
"I am a Jew and, through the country right now, that is not an easy thing to say," Weinberg said, with several other Republican legislators standing behind him. "I have surviving Holocaust grandparents. ... I am a byproduct of destruction and hatred to the world, and all I've done my entire life, including in this chamber, is try to bring peace and understanding to different ideas."
Weinberg's speech was suddenly interrupted by Epps shouting, "You're out of order!"
House leadership threatened to remove the Denver rep, now sitting in the gallery with a group of pro-Palestine protesters, but she continued yelling and the House was put into recess.
For nearly an hour, Epps and the protestors remained in the gallery as other Democratic legislators argued with her.NOW: After Rep. Epps ended a bill speech with “Free Palestine,” Rep. Weinberg takes the podium to respond.
— Hannah Metzger (@hnmetzger) November 20, 2023
Sitting in the gallery with a group of pro-Palestine protestors, Epps yells Weinberg is “out of order.” Some Republicans call for Epps to be removed. House now in recess. pic.twitter.com/0HjtYlyKZj
"What did I do to warrant [this]? This should not be allowed," Epps said, noting that Weinberg's comments had nothing to do with the bill or amendment, as most of her comments did. "The [Democratic] party does more to cater to and cow to the right than the left in their own party."
When asked what she wants to happen to continue floor work, Epps said she wants the Black Democratic Caucus to call for a ceasefire in the war and for House leadership to "ask the fascists to get out of the well," referring to the Republican legislators.
Interactions became tense between Epps and members of her own party. In tears, Epps said Democrats "would have voted to keep my Black ass in slavery" because it's "inconvenient and uncomfortable." At one point, she shouted at Representative Mike Weissman when he entered the gallery: "Can you step away? The ways you have failed and shamed us," she said.
Epps claimed earlier in the day on social media that Weissman told her late Sunday night that her proposed amendment to the food program was within the scope of the bill and, therefore, should have received a vote. Weissman declined to comment on Monday.
Eventually, Speaker Pro Tem Chris deGruy Kennedy reconvened the House and Weinberg continued his speech. Epps yelled a few more comments, but deGruy Kennedy urged Weinberg to "do your best to continue," and Epps left the gallery shortly after.
DeGruy Kennedy declined to comment after the conflict. "We all need to do a little bit of breathing and thinking," he says.
But during a meeting with House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Majority Leader Monica Duran, he explained his decision to let Epps and Weinberg speak:
"I was seeing the clock winding down, and I thought that, if I gaveled earlier or reined her in earlier, it might have provoked a reaction. My decision at that moment was, 'Let's get through the next eleven seconds.' ... I thought that would be the fastest way to move past that moment," deGruy Kennedy said of Epps's initial comments. "We can grant that same kind of flexibility to Representative Weinberg."
Members of both sides of the aisle criticized Epps on Monday. Some Republican legislators yelled that she should be removed when on the House floor, while Democrat Representative David Ortiz condemned her on X, posting, "Some people are here to do work. Others are here to put on a performance and act like petulant children."
Others came to Epps's defense. Former Denver mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón wrote: "What's embarrassing is mansplaining to [Representative Epps] that she's not working hard... What's embarrassing: Democrats not calling out [international] law violations while a child is killed every 10 [minutes] in Gaza."
As for Weinberg, he justified Epps's actions as exercising her right to free speech.
"They can interrupt all they want, that's their right," Weinberg says. "I respect her different point of view. We disagree completely, but if we don't bring that sensibility of disagreement to the table and make sure that that's okay, then everything we do is useless."
