The lighter side of the Capitol, usually.

It might not be a record but it has that feel to it. 

The House is losing more than a third of its 65 members this year; the Senate is losing nine and possibly 10 of its 35 members.

By the numbers, five in the Senate are term-limited. They are Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, R-Douglas County; Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Cooke, R-Greeley, who took over as minority leader on May 16; Senate President Pro tem Kerry Donovan, D-Vail; and, Sens. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction and Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling.

Seven are termed out in the House: Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver; Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo; and, Reps. Terri Carver, R-Colorado Springs, Susan Lontine, D-Denver, Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, Kim Ransom, R-Littleton, and, Kevin Van Winkle, R-Highlands Ranch. Van Winkle is running for Holbert's seat.

Five more in the Senate are looking for a different elected office this year: Sens. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, Don Coram, R-Montrose, and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, are all seeking bids in their congressional districts; Sen. Tammy Story, D-Evergreen, hopes to make the jump to the state House. Should Kirkmeyer not make it past the primary, she'll be back at the legislature next January, as her Senate term still has another two years to go.

Coram and Sen. Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, both got drawn into other Senate districts through redistricting and won't be back in January. Story's district shifted from leaning Democrat to solidly Republican, hence the effort to go to the House.

In the House, it's a hodgepodge of term limits, running for other offices or just done with the whole thing. The latter includes Reps. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood; Andy Pico and Shane Sandridge, both Colorado Springs Republicans; and, Assistant Minority Leader Tim Geitner, R-Falcon.

Four House members want to go to Congress: Reps. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton, and Dave Williams, R-Colorado Springs, are running for the U.S. House in the 8th and 5th districts, respectively; Rep. Don Valdez, D-La Jara, also tried for the House but didn't make it to the primary. Rep. Ron Hanks of Canon City is vying for the Republican nod for the U.S. Senate. 

Those who are running for the state Senate are Rep. Mark Baisley, who used to represent Roxborough Park but moved to Woodland Park to run for the redrawn Story seat; Reps. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton; Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs; Rod Pelton, R-Cheyenne Wells; Janice Rich, R-Grand Junction; Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle; and, Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial. Pelton is running for a southeastern Senate seat with no incumbent; his cousin, Byron, is running for Sonnenberg's northeastern Colorado Senate seat. Two Peltons in the Senate may be a bit much.

That leaves just two more. Rep. Tonya Van Beber, R-Eaton, tried to run for Senate District 1 but didn't make the ballot, and Rep. Matt Gray, D-Broomfield, chose not to seek reelection after he was arrested on a DUI allegation.

A few parting words for those leaving in 2022:

To "Professor" Holbert: Capitol M will miss your lectures. Your ability to explain complicated legislative process is a true gift.

To Donovan: Capitol M will miss you and your rural sensibilities, and Gary – best behaved dog ever. 

To Neville: It feels like we made peace in 2022. Can't ask for more than that.

To Coram: Capitol M will miss you, your lovely spouse and your nine fingers. Coram is the most quick-witted of all 100 lawmakers by a mile, and nobody tells a better joke, especially when he's the butt of it.

To Gray: Capitol M will miss your sense of humor but truly hopes you find your way to a better place in the future.

To Sonnenberg, and to quote Dorothy Gale: "I think I'll miss you most of all ... it's funny, but I feel as if I'd known you all the time, but I couldn't have, could I?"