Max Brooks Didn’t Come to Denver to “Learn the Ropes.” He Went to Pull Them Tight

Every January, the Colorado Capitol fills up with a familiar cast of characters: professional politicians, career compromisers, and the kind of “faux-leaders” who show up to work for their own agenda, not yours or mine, and then send a newsletter about their “thoughtful engagement.”

So when Douglas County sends someone who acts like he actually works for the people who elected him, it’s worth saying out loud.

State Rep. Max Brooks, our 2025 freshman Republican in House District 45 (Douglas County), didn’t spend 2025 auditioning for cocktail invitations. He showed up, got assigned to serious committees, and started filing bills that reflect what grassroots conservatives have been screaming for years: stop nickel-and-diming working people, stop worshipping bureaucracy, stop treating election integrity like a conspiracy theory, and stop punishing lawful citizens while criminals get the red-carpet treatment.

And yes, because this is Colorado we all know what tends to happen to conservative reform bills in a legislature where the majority treats accountability like a hate crime. But leadership isn’t measured by how many times the machine applauds you. It’s measured by whether you’re willing to challenge the machine.  Here are the 5 bills Rep. Brooks prime-sponsored in 2025, and what they tell you about the kind of conservative he intends to be.

1. HB25-1282 — Payment Card Network Practices & Fees (“Swipe Fee Fairness…”)

Brooks went after the rigged “swipe fee” ecosystem that quietly bleeds merchants and consumers every time a card is used, especially when taxes and tips are factored into the fee calculation. If you’ve ever wondered why doing business feels like paying tribute to invisible middlemen, this is why.

2. HB25-1216 — State Agencies Implement Zero-Based Budgeting

Here’s a radical idea: make state agencies justify what they spend instead of auto-inflating budgets forever. This bill pushed zero-based budgeting, public transparency for those requests, and periodic audits to verify compliance. That’s not “extreme.” That’s called running a grown-up government.

3. HB25-1143 — Open-Source Software in Voting Systems

Brooks backed a concept that should unite anyone who believes elections should be verifiable: require voting systems to incorporate open-source software, with ongoing reporting by the Secretary of State. Transparency isn’t a threat unless you’re relying on secrecy.

4. HB25-1055 — Repeal Firearm Dealer Requirements & State Permit

Colorado’s anti-gun crowd loves one thing more than criminals: paperwork for law-abiding people. This bill would have repealed the newer dealer permit and compliance regime from HB24-1353, things like mandated permitting, inspections, training requirements, and more, aimed squarely at squeezing the lawful market while pretending it stops crime. Brooks said what we’ve all been thinking: “stop treating legal commerce like contraband.”

5. HB25-1003 — Children Complex Health Needs Waiver (Became Law)

And here’s the part the cynics can’t sneer: Brooks helped pass a bill that became law, merging existing Medicaid waiver programs into a single home-and community-based waiver for children with complex health needs. This is what conservative governing looks like: reforms that actually help families without building another permanent bureaucratic monstrosity.

Douglas County doesn’t need more “nice” Republicans. We’ve got plenty of nice. We need an effective kind of elected officials like Brooks (45) and Branley (39) who don’t fold the second the media clears its throat, or the lobbyists start hovering.

Brooks’ freshman year showed three things that should make grassroots conservatives optimistic heading into 2026. He’s willing to take on systems, not just symptoms (budgeting, elections, fees, regulatory overreach). He understands that conservative leadership means protecting citizens, not managing decline politely.

He can still get real reforms across the finish line when it counts.

So yes, while some officials in Douglas County perfect the art of sounding tough in election season and selling out in governing season, Max Brooks is building a record. And if he keeps that up in 2026, Douglas County might finally have another rare elected official in Colorado politics: A representative who acts like the people are the priority, not the system.

P.S. Look here, folks, I can write a “pleasant” piece for elected officials who truly do a good-to-great job representing us. I’m capable of it. I can even fake warmth if I have to (LOL). But if you get elected, take our votes, and then sell us out… if you turn into another weak-kneed empty vessel who “reaches across the aisle” right behind our backs, then no, you don’t get a gold star. You get the stick as you should.