Colorado lawmakers elect new House speaker, Senate president

DENVER (AP) - Colorado’s state Legislature isn’t changing hands between parties - but both the House and Senate have elected new bosses because of term limits.

House Democrats chose Rep. Crisanta Duran of Denver to be speaker on Thursday, and Senate Republicans chose Sen. Kevin Grantham of Canon City to serve as president.

Republicans have a majority in the Senate, and Democrats control the House. The ruling parties needed to choose new leaders because the previous president and speaker are retiring because of term limits.

Both of the new leaders have previously served on Colorado’s budget-writing committee, the Joint Budget Committee. That means they have specialized knowledge of how Colorado manages its pocketbook.