< Back Rep. Katie Stewart: Federal cuts and frozen funds threaten Southwest Colorado schools, hospitals, individuals and families Jul 16, 2025 See more This story was originally published in the Journal here . To start off on a positive note, my family and I had a wonderful time celebrating our nation’s Independence Day. We enjoyed the Rotary pancake breakfast in Durango and fireworks in Mancos at Boyle Park. However, the 4th of July also marked the final passage of the budget bill in Congress. The bill includes heavy cuts to funding for health care and education that will hit rural communities hard. It’s projected that 140,000 to 230,000 Coloradans will lose their health care coverage. This doesn’t only mean people will be forced to delay care and go into medical debt. These cuts also mean that when those people get sick, hospitals won’t be able to get reimbursed for their care. Paired with more direct cuts to hospital funding, hospitals in rural Colorado will have to reduce services and some may even have to close their doors – including hospitals here in the Southwest. Colorado will also have to complete regular employment verification for more than 377,000 people enrolled in Medicaid, when strong data shows that the vast majority of Medicaid patients already work. This will force our counties to shoulder heavy administrative overheads that they don’t have the staffing or funds to handle. Confusion around paperwork and deadlines will also cut many people off from coverage, even though they work full time. Arkansas and Georgia both tried – and failed – to put Medicaid employment verification in place in recent years. Both states faced massive administrative costs and losses in coverage due to paperwork errors, with no increase in employment among Medicaid patients. Regarding our schools, the Department of Education has frozen funding for programs focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives, English language education, student mental health, and more. School districts across Southwest Colorado have been blocked from accessing hundreds of thousands of dollars that were promised to them, with the school year starting in less than six weeks. Our rural schools have already been struggling with two decades of underinvestment, and cannot afford delays, much less the cuts that are likely to come after the DOE finishes their ‘administrative review.’ These will directly harm our students' ability to prepare for their futures, and they threaten the jobs of local educators. Right now, Montezuma-Cortez School District stands to lose over $410,000, Archuleta $380,000, Silverton $230,000, Durango $220,000, Mancos $191,000, Ignacio $67,000, Bayfield $54,000, and Dolores $34,000. Unfortunately, as many of you know, Colorado is already in an ongoing budget crisis. We managed to avoid significant cuts to K-12 education and Medicaid at the state level this year by tightening our belt across the rest of the budget and making heavy cuts in areas like transportation and road maintenance. We fought to protect affordable health care and the education our kids need for their bright futures. However, this means that we do not have the funds to cushion federal cuts like some other states do. I have been in many meetings this week and last, both with my colleagues at the State House and local health and education providers, and we are working hard on what to do next. At this point, there is no clear way forward and this is going to be a very difficult road for us. Hope springs eternal though, and tomorrow is another day that I have a chance to fight for rural Colorado. Katie Stewart represents House District 59 in the Colorado State House, which encompasses Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties and most of Montezuma County. Reach her at katie.stewart.house@coleg.gov . Previous Next

< Back Amabile: Teens and parents deserve education to prevent harms of social media Feb 17, 2024 See more This story was originally posted in the Daily Camera here . It’s happened to us all at one point or another. You googled a random kitchen gadget, clicked on a clothing ad or read an online article about a pending “snowmageddon” and paid the algorithmic price. Kitchen gadgets, clothing ads and articles about the weather suddenly inundate your feed. This is obviously annoying and, I might add, intrusive. Yet, we are capable of discerning between the risks and rewards of social media and know why our feeds promote the content that they do. But for teens whose brains are at a crucial developmental stage, the risks of this kind of targeting are dangerous. Clicks, likes or even hovering on a post for too long transforms a child’s social media feed, leading them astray and into a perpetual feed of negative and dark content. Content that promotes bulimia, self-harm, bullying and violence. These are the dangers teens encounter and endure on social media platforms. They are a generation who have grown up with social media, and they don’t know a world without it. But we’ve never provided the support and guidance they need to use social media safely. I, alongside my Republican colleague Rep. Rose Pugliese, have introduced HB24-1136 to tackle this issue and give our kids the information they deserve to make informed choices about healthy social media use. This bipartisan bill is an evidence-based and commonsense approach to mitigating these horrible outcomes. The foundation of HB24-1136 is rooted in a simple concept: When people have access to information, they make informed choices. First, the bill will create a first-ever information and resource bank dedicated to educating Coloradans about safe and healthy social media use. It will be available to teens, parents, teachers and anyone who wants to learn how to prevent the negative side effects of social media. Second, the bill ensures information is provided directly to teens while they use various platforms. When someone ages 13 to 17 reaches a level of unhealthy social media use, they will see a popup label alerting them that their usage is becoming problematic. The social media companies themselves have funded research that proved in-app disruptions, like popup labels, are successful at getting youth to stop scrolling. A lot of social media platforms already allow for popup labels, but it’s not uniform, and it’s certainly not the standard. While social media platforms have existed for more than 20 years, the research is burgeoning, and it’s clearly linking problematic social media use with negative mental health outcomes. The longer teens spend scrolling, it increases their chances of anxiety, depression and emotional distress. A quarter of teens report spending more than 4.5 hours per day on social media, and 1 in 6 say they use TikTok and YouTube almost constantly. These high levels of usage are dangerous, and teens need to have access to tools that will help them make healthier choices. Another alarming aspect of social media is that the platform features are designed to be addictive. Scrolling can cause your brain to emit dopamine when you view funny or exciting content. But the brain then continues to want the same dopamine hits, which causes teens to scroll for hours. This is fittingly known as the “doom scroll.” It’s fitting because nothing good comes when you scroll for that long. New research is comparing how substance use and gambling addictions change the brain to how social media is changing the brains of teens. This bill will create a standard so teens and parents do not have to continue navigating these highly addictive and complex social media platforms on their own. This is a public health problem that warrants a public health response. HB24-1136 is the foundation we need to begin tackling this public health threat. Previous Next

‘We all expect the ability to vote on LOCAL taxes related to funding OUR LOCAL government’ < Back Rep. Weissman: Here’s a plan to keep local property tax control local Aug 25, 2024 See more This story was originally published in the Sentinel here . After years of increasing home values, no one loves property taxes, but they are how we fund our schools, counties, and “special districts” that fight fires, provide drinking water, maintain parks and libraries and more. As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. put it over 100 years ago “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.” In Colorado, property taxes are LOCAL taxes paid to LOCAL governments – not the state. So it’s fair to wonder why there’s been a lot of discussion recently about STATE ballot measures that would impact property taxes . Or why, for the second time in less than a year, Gov. Jared Polis summoned the STATE legislature to a special session about property taxes. The short answer is: Our State Constitution and laws have mixed up the state in property taxation for a long time. But given the reality that our state is an economically and politically diverse place, we shouldn’t necessarily keep doing what we’ve been doing. In fact, I think a lot of local government leaders and organizations that care about state and local government decisions in Colorado would rather we don’t. A number of them have said so loudly and clearly, as recently as this past Friday, at a meeting of the state’s Property Tax Commission . That is why, as the Legislature convenes this week, state Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and I will introduce a measure that, if passed by the requisite two-thirds of both the House and Senate, will allow voters statewide to consider whether they want to stop voting on each other’s property tax bills, while retaining the right to vote on their own. Wherever you live in Colorado, you pay property taxes to your school district and your county. You may also pay property taxes to one or more special districts, and possibly to a “metropolitan district” associated with the development of your residential community. We all expect the ability to vote on LOCAL taxes related to funding OUR LOCAL governments. Because of how property tax laws work right now, statewide property tax ballot measures do a lot more than this. But one size does not fit all. For example, when a voter in Douglas County (generally a conservative county) votes yes on a statewide measure to cut property taxes, that impacts local government funds in the San Luis Valley. However, Douglas County is an exurban, affluent, fast-growing area, and the San Luis Valley is a rural, agricultural area in which some counties are actually losing population. Or, consider a different statewide ballot measure, say to increase taxes on commercial property (like office buildings or warehouses). If a voter in Boulder County (generally a pretty liberal county) votes yes, that same yes vote contributes to increasing taxes in conservative areas, such as Mesa County, that probably have a lower tax philosophy. Again, this is in the context of LOCAL government and LOCAL taxes like property taxes (contrasted to income taxes, which we pay to fund state government, of which we’re all a part). Compared to other states, Colorado has a pretty live-and-let-live philosophy. We want to be able to walk our chosen path, and as long as others aren’t keeping us from doing that, most of us are OK if others walk their own chosen paths. In the parlance of government, this live-and-let-live approach is called “local control.” “Home rule” cities and towns (including Aurora) possess authority that would otherwise be a matter for state government. Our 64 counties all choose their own commissioners (or councilors, in Broomfield and Denver) and can, and do, choose to do things differently. Our 178 school districts across the state educate from fewer than 100 to over 80,000 students. Currently however, property tax law treads on local control by putting voters in the position of voting to cut, or potentially raise, local property taxes in parts of our state far from their own, even if they don’t want to be in that position. We can change this. The special legislative session this week will move quickly, and the dominant focus will be on legislation intended to avoid billions of dollars of cuts to schools and other critical services. I hope, in addition, the Legislature will seriously consider the need to truly keep LOCAL taxation LOCAL. If the Legislature does not act on this subject this week, it must do so in the near future, for the sake of stability of communities across Colorado. Democratic State Rep. Mike Weissman represents House District 36 in Aurora, Arapahoe and Adams counties. Previous Next

Bill would implement History Colorado recommendations to work towards social, educational and economic equity for tribal communities < Back May 1, 2024 House Passes Bill to Extend Federal Indian Boarding School Research Program Bill would implement History Colorado recommendations to work towards social, educational and economic equity for tribal communities DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation to continue the federal Indian boarding school research program within History Colorado. HB24-1444, sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan and Leslie Herod, would implement History Colorado recommendations to support healing generational trauma in tribal communities, capture oral histories and dive deeper into long standing inequities faced by tribal communities. “History Colorado’s research about the federal Indian boarding schools revealed the atrocities of the past; it left us with a choice on how to right these wrongs and better support our tribal communities today,” said Rep. Barbara Mclachlan, D-Durango. “This bill would extend History Colorado’s important research for another three years, acknowledging the abuse and forced assimilation and addressing some of the longstanding social, economic, and educational inequities still faced by our tribal communities.” “We cannot erase the horrors of the past, but we must face them,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver . “This bill directs the State of Colorado to continue to expose the truth about the American Indian boarding schools.” HB24-1444 , passed the House by a vote of 61 to 2. This bill would extend, in consultation with tribes, the federal Indian boarding school research program within History Colorado until 2027. Enacted in 2022 through HB22-1327 , this research program was tasked with researching the events, abuse, and deaths that occurred at American Indian boarding schools in Colorado. History Colorado released the findings from their report and recommendations in October of 2023, which revealed that nine institutions in the state attempted to assimilate American Indian students. This bill would implement recommendations from History Colorado’s initial report, including ongoing research and tribal consultations with different historically impacted tribes and listening sessions with American Indian and Alaska Native communities on the history and impact of federal Indian boarding schools in Colorado. The program will also undertake the collection of oral histories of survivors through listening sessions that highlight American Indian narratives. This bill would invest $1 million to continue the program and ensure consultation with different tribes and the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs in putting forward recommendations to work toward social, educational and economic equity for tribal communities by November 8, 2025. Previous Next

< Back Amy Paschal Rep. Amy Paschal represents House District 18, which includes Southwest Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Cascade, and Green Mountain Falls. She serves on the Transportation, Housing & Local Government, the Energy & Environment, and the Joint Technology committees. She is a mom and a software engineer. Her priorities at the Colorado Capitol are affordable housing and education, sustainable infrastructure, wildfire safety and environment stewardship. Rep. Paschal vows to protect reproductive rights. Her experience as an election judge has made her passionate about protecting democracy through fair, secure and accessible elections.

< Back June 6, 2020 THREE ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS PASS THE HOUSE Denver, CO– The House today passed three bills to increase fines and penalties to corporate polluters accountable, require public notification and direct outreach when toxic chemicals are released, and set stringent guidelines for the testing and use of PFAS-based AFFF firefighting foam in order to protect firefighters and prevent the chemicals from entering Colorado’s groundwater sources. HB20-1265 , Representatives Adrienne Benavidez and Alex Valdez’s bill would protect Colorado communities from toxic chemicals that are emitted from many refineries, factories, coal plants and other facilities. These air toxins heavily impact the communities that live close by and can cause a number of documented health complications. This bill would require facilities to conduct outreach in english and spanish and notify the surrounding communities when they release toxic levels of benzene, hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide into the air. The requirement applies to anticipated or unanticipated incidents, including as a result of a malfunction, start-up, shutdown, upset or emergency. The bill passed 39-25. “Those who are most directly affected by toxic emissions are often communities of color, low-income communities, and non-English speaking communities,” said Rep. Benavidez, D-Adams County. “They have a right to know when industry releases dangerous toxic and deadly chemicals into the air their children breathe, and this bill will ensure that’s the case. Reverse 911 is simply notification!” “Knowledge is power, and today we voted to empower communities when their air in their neighborhoods has been poisoned with dangerous levels of toxins,” said Rep. Valdez, D-Denver. “Today we’re standing up for our neighborhoods, our families, and our state.” HB20-1119 , sponsored by Representatives Tony Exum and Lois Landgraf, sets stringent guidelines for the testing and use of PFAS-based AFFF firefighting foam in order to protect firefighters and prevent the chemicals from entering Colorado’s groundwater sources. Training and testing with AFFF fire fighting foam is one of the leading causes of PFAS contamination and exposure. HB20-1119 sets out clear guidelines for when AFFF fire fighting foam (PFAS-based firefighting foam) can be tested, requiring that all AFFF foam be collected and properly disposed of after testing so that it doesn’t enter drinking water sources. The bill also requires the state to certify and register every facility that possesses PFAS fire fighting substances and to create standards for the disposal and capture of these substances when they are used so that they do not contaminate groundwater. The bill passed 61-3. “PFAS chemicals put our firefighters and our communities at risk, and there’s more we can do to ensure that firefighters aren’t exposed to these cancer-causing chemicals and that they don’t end up in our drinking water,” said Rep. Exum, D-Colorado Springs. “This bill will help our state identify where PFAS is being tested and ensures that it is collected and disposed of properly so firefighters and our communities aren’t exposed.” Finally, HB20-1143 , sponsored by Reps. Dominique Jackson and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, would hold polluters accountable by increasing criminal penalties for the pollution of state waters and raising the maximum daily fine for civil air and water quality violations. The bill would also give the Attorney General jurisdiction over the aforementioned criminal complaints. The bill passed 40-24. “There’s no excuse for polluting the air we breathe and the water our children drink,” said Rep. Jackson, D-Aurora. “Today we took a bold step forward towards holding big, corporate polluters accountable for infringing on the rights of Coloradans to enjoy clean air and water.” “Holding corporate polluters accountable is not just about protecting our environments, it’s about protecting our neighborhoods and our communities,” said Rep. Gonzales-Gutierrez, D-Denver. “Increasing civil violation fines and criminal violation penalties will not only ensure that those who pollute our air and water pay the right price, it will prevent future violations from happening in the first place.” Previous Next

< Back May 20, 2021 PASSED! NATURAL DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT DENVER, CO– The House today passed legislation sponsored by Representatives Lisa Cutter and Perry Will that would create the Community Behavioral Health DIsaster Preparedness and Response Program to ensure mental health services are a component of the state’s natural disaster response planning. The vote was 43-20. “As the realities of climate change have worsened, Colorado has had to respond to too many devastating tragedies – wildfires, floods, droughts and mass shootings – that have left our communities reeling and our neighbors in need of immediate physical and mental health care,” said Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County. “By incorporating behavioral health into our state’s disaster response and preparedness plans, we can offer more of the services Coloradans impacted by disasters need during some of their most difficult moments. Connecting people with the services they need in the aftermath of a disaster can ensure that they have support in the long run to rebuild and recover.” HB21-1281 , sponsored by Representative Lisa Cutter and Perry Will, creates the Community Behavioral Health Disaster Preparedness and Response Program in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The program is intended to enhance, support, and formalize behavioral health disaster preparedness and response activities of community behavioral health organizations. Disaster behavioral health response differs from traditional psychotherapeutic interventions. The goal is to support normal behavioral functions and decrease stress, which allows for more normal brain activities, such as decision-making, problem solving, and cognitive processing. The intent of disaster response is to promote individual, family, and community resilience and it helps affected individuals return to a pre-disaster level of activity as quickly as possible. Disaster response methods include triage, basic support, psychological first aid, and making appropriate professional referrals in the community. Community mental health centers are already operating a number of programs that would fall within the scope of this fund, especially as they relate to COVID-19, but funding for these programs is fragmented and much of the federal funding is expected to discontinue. The bill would provide funding to community behavioral health organizations for the disaster response services they provide. Previous Next

Legislation would refer a constitutional amendment to voters on the November 2024 ballot to remove bail eligibility for people accused of first-degree murder < Back March 4, 2024 Removing Bail Eligibility for First-Degree Murder Cases Passes House Legislation would refer a constitutional amendment to voters on the November 2024 ballot to remove bail eligibility for people accused of first-degree murder DENVER, CO - The House today passed legislation sponsored by Majority Leader Monica Duran to refer a ballot measure to Colorado voters to make first-degree murder defendants ineligible for bail. “Without this constitutional amendment, people who commit first-degree murder will continue to be eligible for bail,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, sponsor of HCR24-1002 and HB24-1225. “Victims and their families deserve justice, and removing the possibility of bail for defendants with strong evidence against them is crucial in keeping Colorado communities safe. With the passage of these bills in the House, Coloradans are one step closer to voting on whether to remove bail eligibility for first-degree murder cases.” In 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in People v. Smith that defendants of capital offenses are eligible to be released on bail per language in Colorado statute. HCR24-1002 , also sponsored by Representative Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, would refer a constitutional amendment to Colorado voters on the November 2024 ballot to exempt the right to bail for first-degree murder cases when the proof is evident or the presumption is great. Voters would have to approve the constitutional amendment by at least 55 percent for it to be adopted into the Colorado Constitution. HCR24-1002 passed by a vote of 59-5. HB24-1225 , also sponsored by Representative Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, would make the conforming changes in Colorado statute if the voters adopt the constitutional amendment, exempting defendants who are charged with first-degree murder from bail eligibility when the proof is evident or presumption is great. HB24-1225 also aligns jury procedures for first-degree murder cases with other capital cases to allow 10 peremptory challenges during jury selection for the first defendant and an additional three for every defendant after. The bill, which also passed by a vote of 59-5, is contingent on the adoption of a state constitutional amendment created by HCR24-1002. Previous Next

The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to improve collaboration between law enforcement agencies, helping to quickly identify firearms and generate leads for gun-related crimes. < Back March 6, 2026 House Advances Bill to Improve Collaboration to Solve Gun Crimes DENVER, CO – The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to improve collaboration between law enforcement agencies, helping to quickly identify firearms and generate leads for gun-related crimes. “Our legislation ensures that Colorado law enforcement agencies are using this gun violence prevention tool to keep our communities safe from gun crimes,” said Rep. Manny Rutinel, D-Commerce City. “eTrace allows firearm information to be shared across jurisdictions, helping law enforcement identify guns connected to serious crimes. Our legislation ensures that law enforcement agencies are on the same page so they can work together to keep illegal guns off of our streets and hold gun traffickers accountable.” “This bill will improve coordination between law enforcement agencies to solve gun-related crimes and keep Colorado communities safe,” said Rep. Chad Clifford, D-Centennial. “By opting in to this existing federal tool, Colorado law enforcement agencies can have nationwide information at their fingertips to help solve crimes. This bill ensures that Colorado is a part of a coordinated effort with other jurisdictions to save lives.” By September 1, 2026, HB26-1265 would require each law enforcement agency in Colorado to register with eTrace and opt in to eTrace’s feature that allows for collaboration. Law enforcement agencies would be required to record information into eTrace when they: Recover or confiscate firearms in connection with a criminal investigation, Seize firearms in connection with domestic violence crimes, and Obtain an abandoned, forfeited or discarded firearm. eTrace, a bilingual service, allows for collaboration among all participating law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement can submit trace requests through eTrace to quickly determine the firearm’s origin, helping identify potential firearms traffickers and suspects in criminal investigations. Nearly 640,000 firearm trace requests were completed in fiscal year 2024. Previous Next

The House today advanced a legislative package aimed at making near-term progress on air quality, ozone, and climate goals while focusing on an economy-wide transition that will support Colorado’s future for generations to come. < Back May 6, 2024 Landmark Package of Bills to Improve Colorado’s Air Quality and Fund Transit Pass House DENVER, CO – The House today advanced a legislative package aimed at making near-term progress on air quality, ozone, and climate goals while focusing on an economy-wide transition that will support Colorado’s future for generations to come. SB24-229 , sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon and Representative Jenny Willford, would establish more permitting and enforcement authority over oil and gas operations for the state to lower emissions, improve air quality and reduce pollution in Colorado communities. SB24-230 , sponsored by Speaker McCluskie and Representative Elizabeth Velasco, would generate significant new funding for transit and rail, as well as land and wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, with modest fees on oil and gas production in Colorado that will be tied to oil and gas production. This package, announced last week, is an agreement between Democratic Legislative Leadership, Governor Jared Polis, a broad coalition of major environmental nongovernmental organizations and large operators in Colorado’s oil and gas industry. “Breathing shouldn’t be dangerous, yet the air quality in many Colorado neighborhoods triggers asthma attacks and nosebleeds,” said Assistant Majority Leader Bacon, D-Denver. “We need to act now to clean up Colorado’s air quality that for more than a decade has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and people of color. After months of conversations with industry, environmental organizations and state agencies – we’ve come up with a plan to improve our air quality and mitigate some of the harmful impacts of ozone on our communities.” “Colorado’s poor air quality is leading to long-term health risks for our community – we need to take steps now to reduce air pollution and keep our neighbors safe,” said Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn. “This landmark package enables us to crack down on repeat violators, improve our air quality and establish important timelines for new pollution reduction measures. To achieve our climate goals, we need to reduce emissions and this bill brings us there.” SB24-229 , passed the House by a vote of 43 to 18. The bill will: Improve the oil and gas permitting process with more robust modeling and review of the latest control measures Expand enforcement actions and develop new approaches to prevent repeat violations and preempt future emissions violations. Establish additional transparency around complaints and enforcement actions by the Air Pollution Control Division, including establishing an annual report about investigations and enforcement actions as well as an email notification system to alert interested parties of violations and settlements. Codify rulemaking to achieve reductions in ozone-causing NOx from oil and gas operations by 50 percent by 2030 through a proposed rule to the Air Quality Control Commission no later than August 31, 2026. Provide additional protections for Disproportionately Impacted Communities (DICs), including expanding the mission of the orphaned wells mitigation enterprise to also include marginal wells, focusing funding on plugging marginal wells in DICs and near population centers, and establishing new dedicated community liaisons at the Energy and Carbon Management Commission. “With this legislative package, we’ve achieved an agreement that puts Colorado’s land, water, and air first,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “I’d like to thank the governor, bill sponsors and all the groups that worked together to reach an agreement that will increase transit options for everyone in the state, including our rural and mountain communities. Taking steps now to improve our air quality, restore our lands, and boost transportation options will preserve the Colorado way of life for generations to come.” “Destructive wildfires, floods and other extreme climate events are disproportionately impacting communities like mine, which is why we need policy changes that protect our environment,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs. “We’ve made important progress over the years to clean up our air and the harmful effects of oil and gas production has been consequential on my community. However, this legislative package is a monumental agreement that will increase transit options, advance conservation efforts, and reduce harmful pollution that threatens our Colorado way of life.” SB24-230 , passed the House by 40 to 18. The bill creates a new fee tied to oil and gas production with 80 percent of the revenues dedicated to transit and administered by the Clean Transit Enterprise, and 20 percent to natural lands and wildlife conservation. Of the 80 percent dedicated to transit, the majority will bolster local transit operations while 20 percent will support the expansion of passenger and commuter rail in Colorado. These funds will support RTD in providing new services including Northwest and North rail lines. Oil and gas development is among the largest contributors in Colorado to both greenhouse gas emissions and ozone pollution. Reducing vehicle trips by supporting reliable transit and rail service statewide can offset these impacts by lowering ozone-forming and greenhouse gas emissions while improving quality of life and alleviating traffic. To address the impacts on wildlife from oil and gas production, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will use the fee revenue to provide remediation services by conducting a range of badly needed conservation work, including restoring lands and improving ecosystem health, improving wildlife connectivity, and creating new state parks and wildlife areas, with a focus on benefitting native biodiversity. Previous Next

< Back Speaker McCluskie: Perspective: 2025 Legislative Preview Jan 5, 2025 See more This story was originally posted in the Gazette here . Fighting for working families Democrats are back once again with an overwhelming majority in the Colorado House because we deliver results for the working people and families of our great state. Under our watch, wages are rising, and unemployment and inflation are lower than the national average. Housing and medical costs are falling, and so are violent crime rates. Coloradans trust Democrats to govern because we have worked hard to lower the cost of housing and prescription medications, boost funding for K-12 schools, preserve our clean water and air, and protect our freedoms. As we shoulder this immense responsibility, we will put problem solving ahead of partisanship and work across the aisle to make Colorado more affordable, improve public safety, and protect our rights and freedoms. My door is always open to constituents, advocates and lawmakers from both parties, and I am eager to work together once again. Too many Coloradans are still struggling with the high cost of living. We’ve led the charge to eliminate red-tape so we can build more homes Coloradans can afford. This year, we will work to bring down home insurance costs and make purchasing easier for new homebuyers. Lowering the cost of child care is a pivotal part of helping working parents afford to live in our state. That’s why Colorado Democrats have championed universal preschool, created more high-quality child care options, and cut taxes for hardworking people with the Colorado Child Tax Credit and Family Affordability Tax Credit. This session, we’ll continue to cut costs for working families, including reducing application fees for child care. Saving people money on health care is a top priority as well. The new Colorado Option health insurance plans we created are far from burdensome new regulation. In fact, they are extremely popular with consumers because they are lowering costs and covering the services people need. Colorado youth can now receive no-cost mental health counseling sessions, as well. When it comes to business, we’ve cut commercial property taxes, incentivized economic development for rural businesses and partnered with chambers of commerce to help fill jobs in critical industries so companies can grow and thrive. As Democrats, we’re always working to make higher education more affordable, whether that be a post-secondary degree or a certificate for skills in-demand trades that lead to good paying jobs. Last year, we made community college for the first two years of a four-year degree free for Colorado students. This year, we’ll continue to build on these efforts to offer students affordable options that set them on a path toward a career of their dreams. When it comes to safeguarding our rights and freedoms, Colorado Democrats have stepped up to protect reproductive care, access to voting and civil liberties. Through constitutional amendments, Coloradans have shown again and again that people should have the freedom to make decisions for themselves. As we wait to see what heads our way from Washington, Colorado Democrats will be on guard to protect your freedoms. As violent crime falls across the state, including in Denver, we know there is more that can be done to keep our communities safe. Reducing crime requires a multi-pronged approach that includes investing in mental and behavioral health, addiction and community-based services, creating good-paying jobs and expanding affordable housing. It’s great to see the sharp decline in auto thefts in 2023 thanks in part to bipartisan laws we passed. From outdoor recreation to agriculture, Colorado’s water is part of our western identity and essential to the future of our communities. I will continue to focus on what is best for Colorado agriculture and municipal water users to protect Colorado’s water rights and ensure future generations have access to the water they need. While we won’t always agree, Republicans and Democrats will need to come together this year to address Colorado’s budget shortfall. We are facing rising Medicaid expenses, largely driven by our aging population and people receiving more medical care, while at the same time our budget constraints mean we must find savings elsewhere. This will require us all, Republicans and Democrats, to put aside political grandstanding and work together to find solutions. I am a firm believer in the Western Slope Way – working together to solve problems, not wasting time on the distractions of extreme partisanship. I am hopeful that as we begin another session, we will find a way to work together once again to make Colorado more affordable, protect our rights and freedoms and build a state where everyone has an opportunity to thrive. Previous Next

< Back June 12, 2020 HOUSE PASSES BUENTELLO BILL TO ADDRESS OPIOID CRISIS DENVER, CO– The House today passed legislation sponsored by Representative Bri Buentello to address the opioid crisis. SB20-007 passed the House 48-17, and SB20-028 received initial approval on second reading. The bills would enhance access to treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and help more Coloradans through their SUD recovery. “The opioid crisis didn’t go away when the pandemic hit, and it’s clear our communities still need help increasing access to treatment and helping Coloradans stay in recovery,” said Rep. Buentello, D-Pueblo. “These bills will help Coloradans get the care they need to overcome substance use disorders. I am grateful for the bipartisan work that went into crafting these bills and getting them across the finish line.” SB20-007, which passed 48-17, requires insurance carriers to provide coverage for the treatment of a SUD in accordance with the American Society of Addiction Medicine or other evidence-based guidelines. It also encourages access to medical or substance use disorder treatment services, including recovery services, to people participating in prescribed medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for a SUD and prohibits courts, probation or community corrections from prohibiting MAT as a condition of participation or placement. It also requires the Insurance Commissioner to ensure that insurance carriers’ formularies include medications for MAT and coverage for the opioid antagonist naloxone (Narcan). SB20-028 , which received preliminary approval from the House on second reading, furthers the work of the Opioid and Other Substance Abuse Disorder Interim Committee by convening a group of stakeholders to review progress on opioid legislation and recommend additional policies to address opioid use. It would also modify the determination of child abuse, neglect or dependency to ensure that a positive toxicology test cannot be the sole reason for deciding that a child born affected by alcohol or other substance exposure is abused or neglected, instead allowing families, moms and babies to bond and remain together if a pregnant or new mom is participating in prescribed medication assisted treatment and a newborn child’s welfare isn’t threatened by substance use, in accord with current best practice for maternal and child health. Previous Next