On January 17, 2020, Chris Hansen (D) was appointed to fill the vacant District 31 seat in the Colorado Senate. Hansen assumed office on January 21, 2020, and his current term will end in January 2021. Vacancies in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly are filled by a committee of members of the political party that last held the seat.

Hansen’s appointment came after former Colorado State Senator Lois Court (D) resigned on January 16, 2020. Court announced her resignation after discovering she was battling Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Before Hansen was appointed to the Colorado Senate he served in the Colorado House of Representatives, representing District 6 for four years. Before becoming an elected official, Hansen served on the executive committee of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation Board, the executive committee of the Central City Opera Board, and the advisory board for the University of Colorado, Denver Business School.

The Colorado Senate has no remaining vacancies. Hansen’s resignation from the House to accept his appointment to the Senate created Colorado’s second House vacancy this year. The first vacancy was created by Susan Beckman’s (R) resignation. Beckman resigned from the Colorado House to join President Donald Trump’s (R) administration.