in july, 2019, the colorado secretary of state approved the circulation of a recall petition against lee. the recall petition stated that lee should be recalled because "he sponsored legislation to create a paid family and medical leave program to be funded by a mandatory tax on businesses and employees, disingenuously referring to it as a 'fee' instead of a tax," and because he supported sb 19-042 (the national popular vote bill), sb 19-181 (comprehensive oil and gas reform), hb 19-1032 (comprehensive human sexuality education), and hb 19-1177 (the red flag bill that allows a judge to prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm)". the petition ultimately failed after the organizers did not collect enough signatures and chose not to turn the petition in.