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< Back Speaker McCluskie: Shoshone water rights offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Colorado's namesake river that we must secure Jan 25, 2024 See more Article originally posted in the Colorado Sun . At the narrowest point in Glenwood Canyon, where steep cliffs compress the Colorado River, the Union Pacific Railroad, and all four lanes of Interstate 70 into an area no more than 50 yards across, a small brown building houses the historic Shoshone Hydropower Plant. For more than a century, the turbines inside that building have spun Colorado River water into electricity for local communities. It may not look like much on the outside, but like so many places in our beautiful state, there is far more than meets the eye. Today, the Shoshone Hydropower Plant still produces energy for Colorado’s electric grid, but its true importance is on the river. The senior water rights tied to Shoshone’s power production hold the key to a more secure water future not only for the Western Slope, but for the entire state of Colorado. Shoshone’s benefits are unique because its water rights are nonconsumptive, which means the water used for hydropower production — more than 1,400 cubic feet per second — returns entirely to the river after a short trip through its turbines. Because of its nonconsumptive nature, communities large and small along the Colorado River benefit from the water security and water quality provided by Shoshone’s flows. These water rights provide certainty for farmers, ranchers and recreational outfitters upstream and downstream of Glenwood Canyon. And all Colorado River water users — from Greeley and Colorado Springs to Grand Junction — benefit from the Shoshone’s flows as a bedrock for the success of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, which provides Endangered Species Act compliance and protections for over 1,250 water projects on both sides of the Continental Divide. In an increasingly arid West, where the Colorado River is stretched-thin, we believe that permanent protection of the Shoshone Water Rights presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve many of the values we hold dear as Coloradans — clean drinking water, productive agriculture, world-class recreation, a healthy environment and much more. With these benefits in mind, an unlikely coalition of western Colorado governments and water users — including Summit, Grand, Eagle, Garfield and Mesa counties — have been working for decades with the Colorado River District to forge a path toward preservation of Shoshone’s flows. Together with Denver Water, many of these entities recognized Shoshone’s importance, and memorialized the need to protect it, in the 2013 Colorado River Cooperative Agreement . And now, for the first time, Colorado River water users and the state of Colorado have an opportunity to finalize this long-standing goal. Just a few weeks ago, Xcel Energy, the owner and operator of the Shoshone hydropower plant, and the Colorado River District signed a purchase and sale agreement setting out a clear path to transfer ownership of the historic Shoshone water rights to the river district for $98.5 million. This historic agreement marks the start of a broad-based effort to partner with the state of Colorado to protect the Shoshone water rights. We strongly support the agreement reached between Xcel Energy and the Colorado River District, and we applaud the tireless efforts of Xcel, the river district and everyone else involved in getting to this historic point. In order to succeed, this effort will need the support and partnership of the state of Colorado through the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Gov. Jared Polis recently praised the deal, and next week the conservation board will decide whether to match the river district’s investment of $20 million and move forward toward permanent protection of Shoshone’s flows. This presents an opportunity for the people of Colorado to come together to achieve durable and permanent protections for the Colorado River. The $98.5 million agreement to acquire the Shoshone water rights is no small price tag, but the one-time investment to protect Colorado River flows in perpetuity will provide priceless benefits for generations of water users to come. The effort aligns with the Colorado Water Plan’s focus on healthy watersheds and vibrant communities, and we believe it is a true value — especially in view of the permanent protection that the funding will help to ensure. The state- and basin-wide importance of this effort cannot be overstated. If the power plant were to cease operation without permanent protection of the water right, the negative economic and environmental impacts to Western Colorado and to the state of Colorado would be immediate and profound. Colorado has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to permanently protect the most influential water right on our state’s namesake river. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by, because we all depend on a healthy Colorado River — whether we live on the Front Range or the West Slope. Our fortunes are tied. Our futures are linked. When the Colorado River thrives, we all thrive. Julie McCluskie is the speaker of the Colorado House and has served as a Representative since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022 to represent House District 13. She is the first woman Speaker elected from the Western Slope. Russ George is a fourth generation resident of the Rifle area. He represented northwestern Colorado counties in the Colorado House for four terms, serving as Speaker from 1999-2000. Previous Next

< Back Bob Marshall Bob Marshall was elected in the 2022 election to serve as the Colorado state representative from Highlands Ranch. He serves on both the Finance and Business Affairs & Labor committees. Born and raised in Colorado, Bob attended Georgetown University and then joined the Marine Corps. After six years on active duty, the Marine Corps sent Bob to Cornell Law School where he graduated with a J.D. and LL.M. in International Law. Following service overseas as a Senior Defense Counsel and SJA, Bob left the Corps to clerk for the Honorable Judge Siler on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and returned to Colorado to practice law. The Marine Corps mobilized Bob for duty in Iraq as a Police Transition Team leader and for service in Afghanistan. After Afghanistan, Bob served at Wounded Warrior Battalion, practicing disability law for service-members while earning a Tax LL.M. from the University of San Diego. He then began working for the tax litigation division of the IRS. When the COVID pandemic began, Bob returned to Colorado and became increasingly involved in the community, ultimately leading to his election as the first Democratic Representative from Douglas County since 1966. Bob’s wife of 29 years works at an Alzheimer’s facility while his daughter continues the multi-generational family tradition of military service as a nuclear submarine officer.

< Back Majority Leader Esgar: Celebrate Pueblo Pride - but don’t forget the work yet to come Aug 25, 2022 See more The following op-ed was published in the Pueblo Star Journal. Happy Pueblo Pride! It’s time for another year of celebration for the LGBTQ community here in Pueblo. We take time every August to celebrate the achievements we’ve made as a community and to remember the work we still have ahead of us. As an integral part of Pueblo, the LGBTQ community’s presence has grown over the past two decades and our voices are louder than ever. We’ve worked hard to achieve all that we have, but we haven’t done it alone. I’m also so proud to say that Pueblo is home to many allies – allies who continue to show up year after year. In the early 2000s, I was working as a barista at Wireworks coffee house when a small but proud group of folks attended a modest gathering of solidarity and called it Pueblo Pride. Fast forward to this year, when the festival encompassed the majority of Mineral Palace Park with close to 100 vendors, a day full of entertainment, and thousands of folks attending. The event has grown every year thanks to the all-volunteer board of the Southern Colorado Equality Alliance, southern Colorado’s LGBTQ advocacy organization. I was proud to join the SCEA board shortly after coming out in the mid 2000s. It was a way to connect with our community and begin the work I have made the focus of my life. While serving on the board, we re-started the LGBTQ youth group OutFront and grew the Pride event. OutFront was necessary because at the time there were no gay-straight alliances in a Pueblo high school. OutFront continues to exist today and I’m incredibly proud of our youth in this town. Many GSAs have started in our local high schools since. Pueblo PULP was a monthly independent newspaper full of local articles written by an amazing group of people who cared about this town. I was humbled when I was asked to write a monthly column called Inside Out to be sure our LGBTQ voices could be heard. Through this medium, I was afforded the privilege to share my experiences from the LGBTQ community with anyone who wanted to read about them. The column helped folks understand that we are here, in many different parts of the community, and we deserve to be treated as equals. Before marriage equality was being debated at the state level or became the law of the land in the United States, in Pueblo I helped lead one of the first campaigns to help city employees achieve same-gender domestic partner benefits for health care coverage. A group of LGBTQ folks and our straight allies fought City Council and won this benefit for our city employees. We even managed to stop a petition designed to take away our victory. In 2013, when civil unions passed at the state level, our local county commissioners and county clerk helped the SCEA organize a mass ceremony for those seeking that right. Bo Ortiz was one of the first county clerks to offer marriage certificates to couples in Colorado before the Colorado Supreme Court cleared the way for full marriage equality in our state in 2014. Pueblo has a history of acceptance and allyship for our LGBTQ community, but we also have a strong history of pride and perseverance when it comes to the rights we’ve had to fight so hard for. When we take a moment to celebrate those wins at the annual Pride event, it’s well deserved, but we must also continue the work we’ve done as a queer community and the allies who love us. Our transgender family is attacked, even murdered, in this country and is fighting every day for the rights they deserve. And with the fall of Roe vs. Wade, we know, because Justice Clarence Thomas wrote so, that the Supreme Court is looking to end marriage equality next. We can’t afford to sit back and rest. Our allies will continue to be called on to help us keep the rights we all deserve. State Representative Daneya Esgar is the Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. She is wrapping up her fourth and final term serving Pueblo County as the Representative for House District 46. Born and raised in Pueblo, Esgar is the proud granddaughter of steelworkers, a product of Pueblo City Schools, and a graduate of Colorado State University Pueblo. She lives in Pueblo with her wife, Heather, daughter, Marlo, and their two dogs, Bella and Huck. 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

State-driven tax cuts have wildly different impacts on Colorado communities, so let’s leave it to local governments to make adjustments < Back Rep. deGruy Kennedy: After Colorado legislature’s latest special session is finished, we must restore local control over property taxes Aug 20, 2024 See more This story was originally published in the Colorado Sun here . Over my eight years representing Jefferson County in the state House, I’ve learned that good policy is about thoughtful stakeholding, delicate balancing, and, ultimately, hard choices. As the state embarks on yet another special legislative session on property taxes, those shaping this round of policy solutions should keep in mind the lessons we’ve already learned. Those are: All voices — including those not in the room — need to be considered, not just those with the resources to make their voices the loudest. Despite posturing to the contrary, proponents of the extreme, badly crafted measures are seeing the writing on the wall and are eager for a deal. And, state-driven policy on issues that are inherently local is fraught with problems. It needs to stop. Let’s start with the consensus-driven process that created Senate Bill 233 , the bipartisan property tax legislation we passed this year that will lower property taxes by $1 billion. Even as I struggled with some of the sacrifices we had to make to maintain strong support from across the aisle, the bill provides meaningful property tax cuts and a cap on future growth without undermining K-12 funding, which is still well below the national average. And it delivers more property tax relief to regular folks and small businesses without giving exorbitant tax breaks to the wealthiest homeowners and largest corporations. Importantly, it was the result of countless hours of public discussion. Fairness and inclusion should continue to be the guideposts for any new policy emerging from the special session. Lawmakers should not feel as though they need to put the interests of everyday Coloradans on the back burner in order to kowtow to whomever is bankrolling Initiatives 50 and 108 , the chaotic conservative measures that would create a fiscal trainwreck at the state and local levels. While it’s understandable that many stakeholders are afraid of the possibility that these measures might pass in November, polling shows they are headed toward defeat. I think proponents of 50 and 108 know that too. Otherwise, why would they express an openness to relatively small cuts in exchange for pulling down their ballot measures? I’ve always thought that the classic negotiation strategy of staking out an extreme position and wiggling back toward a middle ground was silly. Shouldn’t grown-ups just be able to sit down, put their cards on table, discuss their differences, and let the democratically elected representatives cast their votes? But that’s never what happens, because that’s not what serves the special interests. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a corporate lobbyist bluff their way through a negotiation. They come in hot, suggesting they have the upper hand and convincing legislators that the only way to get the votes for a bill is to cut a deal. Are the proponents of 50 and 108 bluffing? I don’t know. Maybe they’re willing to bankrupt state and local governments to prove a point. But I think they very much want a deal so they can claim victory for cutting taxes without having to spend millions of dollars on a campaign that may or may not succeed. The third lesson we should take from the thoughtful deliberations that went into crafting Senate Bill 233 centers on local control. What we need is stable state policy, restoring true local control to our duly-elected city councilors, county commissioners and district board members. They have the tools to engage with their voters and balance the impact of taxes with the needs of public services. And these communities are all different. Some have more residential while some have more commercial properties. Many rural counties didn’t see significant home value growth, and the property tax cuts hurt their ability to provide services when their constituents did not experience the same property tax increases seen elsewhere. Many local governments had passed voter-approved revenue changes in previous years. But many other local governments had never passed revenue increases, meaning their constituents were paying lower taxes to begin with. The 2023 value increases finally caught them up with their neighbors and allowed for investments that had been deferred for years, if not decades. Additional state-driven property tax cuts will have wildly different impacts across our state, and they will be permanent. That means that economic downturns could have serious consequences in communities. Our local leaders, on the other hand, have the tools to temporarily lower their mill levies in times like these. And they have the ability to focus on the needs of their own communities, allowing them to find the sweet spot between additional tax relief and funding their unmet needs. So, if the state is going to have one last hurrah in property tax policy, then fine. We’re well positioned to get a good deal that prioritizes regular folks and carefully balances statewide priorities like K-12 and higher education funding. But this should be the very last time. After that, we must restore local control over property taxes. Chris deGruy Kennedy of Lakewood was one of the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 233 and outgoing Colorado House Speaker Pro Tem; he is now the president and CEO of the Bell Policy Center. Previous Next

< Back Rep. Mike Weissman: ‘Dobbs’ anti-abortion decision joins shameful Supreme Court rulings Jun 25, 2022 See more The following op-ed was published in The Aurora Sentinel. “I am no longer a person”. “I cried for hours this morning.” “I don’t know what it is to be American.” These were the reactions of several women friends I talked to about to the radical, dangerous Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday. In overturning 50 years of settled law, the Court did two kinds of grievous harm: first, to every woman in our country and second, to its own legitimacy. The first harm is obvious. By throwing out long-standing law that the U.S. Constitution protects abortion rights, Dobbs instead subjects women to the whims of politicians in state legislatures, some of whom are even more radical and dangerous than the Court’s decision itself. “Trigger” bans are already going into effect, extremist laws have recently been passed in states like Oklahoma, and vigilant enforcement mechanisms have been passed in states like Texas. These are not laws that women should be subjected to in any free society. It is important to note that abortion remains legal, available and safe in Colorado. Fortunately, this is the case in some other states as well, states whose laws respect women’s autonomy. But Dobbs means that a woman’s right to control her own body and life now depends on what state she lives in. The radical justices who overturned Roe may believe their decision will reduce abortions. However, their decision will mostly make access to abortion less equal. Women with means living in restrictive states will travel to other states to exercise their right to bodily autonomy. Women with lesser means may rely on financial support from abortion funds, which have attracted much new notice for precisely this reason, or may have to self- manage an abortion without support from a medical professional. Even in the least trying of circumstances, women in restrictive states will pay for the Court’s decision in time away from home and work and certainly in emotional turmoil for being put through such travails by their own government. That travail and turmoil is the basis of the second grievous harm of the Court’s decision – to its own legitimacy. We’ve been here before, and the injuries have been very slow to recover from. The 1857 Dred Scott case helped precipitate the Civil War. The 1896 Plessy case upheld the Jim Crow-era “separate but equal” doctrine. Numerous early 20th century cases exemplified by the Lochner decision struck down worker protection laws during a period of rapid industrialization and dangerous working conditions. During World War II, Korematsu upheld internment of Japanese Americans in camps, some of which were here in Colorado. More recently, Bowers v. Hardwick upheld criminalization of consensual sexual activities between adults. Dobbs now joins this shameful history of cases that have departed from our nation’s core principles. Americans’ opinions about abortion rights vary, but very few people would agree with the idea that the U.S. Constitution should offer zero protection at all, leaving the matter entirely to the whims of radical state politicians who could criminalize medical providers, those who assist women in obtaining abortions, or even pregnant women themselves. Yet in substituting their own feelings about abortion rights for decades of settled law, that is exactly what the Court majority has done. A Court that acts in this way cannot be counted on to safeguard other rights that Americans enjoy. For example, last week, days before Dobbs, the Court’s Vega decision weakened the landmark, decades-old, Miranda case concerning the right against self-incrimination. The most radical members of the Court are, at least, not hiding the ball. In a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas explicitly urged reconsideration of cases affirming the Constitutional rights to use contraception, to consensual sexual activities between adults, and to marriage equality. In the face of a Court bent on eliminating Constitutional rights, state legislatures matter more than ever. In Colorado, our legislature acted this year to protect abortion rights in state law, and I was proud to support this. In Colorado today, women still have sovereignty over their own bodies and lives. Tragically, this is not true in all other states. In the face of decisions like Dobbs, I’m sure my friend isn’t the only one struggling with “what it is to be American” right now. She added, “my heart is in pain” due to the decision. Mine is too. But as a man who believes women are his equals under the law, as an attorney, and as a state legislator, I will find resolve in that pain for the struggles that now lie ahead. State Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, represents House District 36. Previous Next

< Back Meghan Lukens Chair of the Education Committee Representative Meghan Lukens serves as the Chair for the Education Committee and a member of the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Lukens represents House District 26, which spans Northwest Colorado and includes Routt, Eagle, Moffat, and Rio Blanco counties. A former high school teacher, Rep. Lukens’ legislative efforts have been geared toward education funding, boosting teacher pay, supporting rural school districts and preparing our K-12 learners for a lifetime of success. In addition to her education legislation, Rep. Lukens also championed laws to preserve Colorado’s wildlife, waterways and natural areas for generations to come.

< Back Andrew Boesenecker Speaker Pro Tempore Andy was elected via a vacancy committee to represent House District 53 in April of 2021. He was re-elected in November of 2022 and 2024 and is serving in his third term as the State Representative from House District 53. In addition to serving as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, he also serves on the following committees: Transportation, Housing, and Local Government Committee Appropriations Committee Audit Committee Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee Wildfire Matters Review Committee In his time in the legislature, Andy has prioritized legislation that reflects the values and concerns of our community. He has championed bills that address affordable housing, climate change, gun violence prevention, healthcare, transportation, public education, and more. In 2023, Andy was recognized by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy as the Legislative Champion of Economic Justice and Equity. Voces Unidas honored Andy with their 2023 Community Ally award, and Health Care for All Colorado recognized him as the 2023 Legislator of the Year. Andy also received the Community Investment Alliance's 2023 Political Impact Award and was recently honored as a Legislative Champion by Young Invincibles. Andy earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University in 2001 and a Master of Divinity Degree from the Iliff School of Theology in 2013. A former public school teacher in a Title I school, Andy has also worked in the non-profit sector. He was previously ordained as a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and worked to advance LGBTQ+ rights within the church. He lives in West Fort Collins with his spouse, Stacey, and their three children.

< Back Rep. McLachlan: ‘Long nights, in-depth debate, good legislation for Colorado’ Mar 1, 2024 See more This story was originally posted in the Durango Herald here . We are a third of the way through our time in the Legislature this year, and I anticipate the next two-thirds will consist of long nights, in-depth debate, dozens of meetings and some good legislation for Colorado. Several of the bills I am sponsoring are starting in the House, or have already passed through the Senate and headed my way. The flow is steadily increasing, as is the workload. In the House Business committee last week, I presented House Bill 24-1160 to continue a successful program, which increases the capacity building of small businesses. The Economic Development Organization Action Grant Program in the Office of Economic Development provides grants to Colorado-based economic development organizations that attract, retain, promote and expand local businesses. In the two years the initial program has been going, 55 organizations in 34 counties received money, helping businesses continue to support and guide local economic activity. The fund created 33 new businesses, and 612 businesses received assistance. Some 268 jobs were created and 19 more were sustained. The EDOs added 414 new members to their rosters, 669 relationships were maintained between EDOs and businesses, and 2,847 entrepreneurs started and maintained their businesses. We had compelling testimony from business leaders from around the state, and the bill passed unanimously. I am proud to not only promote the benefits of shopping locally, but am doing something about it. In the Education Committee next week, I am presenting a bill modeling the successful partnership between traditional and charter schools we have in Durango. The legislation, House Bill 24-1154, does not mandate, but opens the opportunity for other districts to run bonds with their Charter School Institute schools for capital construction, land or facility needs. As they do in Durango, the bond funds are split proportionately between the schools. As District 9-R discovered, asking voters for money for both charters and traditional schools helps all public school students. Rep. Ron Weinberg (R-Larimer) and I are getting an encouraging response as we head to our first public forum, and we’re hoping that continues. On March 14, I am running a bill to help address the recruitment and retention of Colorado teachers. It seemed the Colorado Department of Education website was too confusing if all a person wanted to know how to become a teacher, so we devised a one-stop-shopping model. The CDE and I have been working on a website for all potential teachers, whether they are in college, exploring options in high school, employed and ready to switch jobs or working at one school, looking at what is available at others. The website will be shared on all school district sites, who will be able to post their job openings for everyone, not just those in their geographical area. This makes finding relevant information a lot easier. Another bill I am running concerns principal and superintendent PERA retirees, who may want to fill an open position in a rural district. Two years after they retire, they can return to a school to work, without hurting their current PERA benefits. They will still pay into the system, as will the districts, so PERA will not lose money. When talking with district superintendents last fall, I heard about the necessity of this bill as rural schools, in particular, are affected most by the administrative shortage. I am happy to respond. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, is serving her fourth term in the Legislature, representing La Plata, Montezuma, Archuleta and San Juan counties. She has been a journalist and teacher. Previous Next

< Back Jamie Jackson Jamie Jackson is a dedicated leader committed to equity, community empowerment, and effective governance. As COO of The Naloxone Project, she expands access to life-saving overdose prevention resources. With a background in nonprofit leadership and policy advocacy, Jamie previously served as COO of the Colorado Children's Campaign and has worked to advance social justice, healthcare equity, and community-driven solutions. She is Vice President of Colorado Black Women for Political Action (CBWPA) and chairs the Criminal Justice Committee for the Aurora NAACP. Jamie is committed to policies that uplift working families, protect vulnerable communities, and expand access to equitable healthcare. She brings a people-centered approach to governance, ensuring that House District 41 residents have a strong voice at the Capitol. Rep. Jackson serves on the Transportation, Housing & Local Government and Energy & Environment committees.

Not only would Building Performance Standards reduce greenhouse gases, they will protect renters from extreme cold and heat < Back Kipp, Valdez, Willford Opinion: Energy upgrades to apartment buildings will help Colorado hit its climate target Aug 16, 2023 See more This story was published in the Colorado Sun on Aug 16, 2023. This week, Colorado air quality regulators can take a major step forward in slashing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from our state’s largest buildings while fighting high energy costs. Today the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission is scheduled to hold hearings and could cast a key vote on a policy called Building Performance Standards. Approving the proposed policy will help solve a major climate problem in Colorado — large buildings like apartments and offices account for 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions statewide. In 2021, our colleagues in the Colorado General Assembly passed a law setting greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets for large buildings statewide. The Building Performance Standards will do exactly that — achieving a 7% cut by 2026 and 20% by 2030. However, benefits of the policy would extend way beyond climate. It would improve health, comfort, safety, energy efficiency, and livability for tenants of apartment buildings statewide. It’s a chance to keep Coloradans healthy and safe, while saving them money on energy bills and advancing climate action. Commissioners must vote to approve the Building Performance Standards. This is an opportunity Colorado can’t afford to miss. Apartment tenants across Colorado are painfully aware of how difficult it is to keep their homes comfortable on the coldest winter nights and hottest summer afternoons. Inefficient units mean needing to use more energy, resulting in higher bills. As soaring fossil fuel prices sent energy costs skyrocketing in the past 18 months, many Coloradans paid three times as much for heating as they did the year before. This compounds our affordable housing crisis; renters in many Colorado cities have experienced double-digit rent hikes in recent years. We must act urgently. Climate change is causing extreme heat to occur more frequently in Colorado . In 2022, the number of deaths and hospitalizations for heat-related illnesses statewide grew by 66% and 58%, respectively, compared with the annual average for the decade prior. Residents over 65 years old were most likely to be stricken, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment . Energy efficiency and electrification upgrades in apartment units help protect residents’ health and safety from extreme heat , but they can be life-saving if a power outage were to occur during a heat wave or a cold snap. New research has found that making these upgrades to apartment buildings in cities with seasonal patterns similar to Denver can allow residents to shelter in place safely for longer periods of time during such an emergency, and reduce deaths in both extreme heat and cold. The Building Performance Standards is a major step in the right direction. It will upgrade buildings, from inefficient fossil-fuel appliances to highly efficient electric solutions, like heat pumps, which both heat and cool, and heat pump water heaters. Studies have found that these kinds of upgrades, in apartment units, result in 22% lower energy use, on average, and about $272 in annual savings on electric bills. If approved, the policy will gradually take effect over coming years, as building owners submit data and launch their improvements. It will implement upgrades to about 1,000 apartment buildings statewide. The state has tried for years to lower the costs of such upgrades through incentive programs, but upgrades have moved at a glacial pace. State requirements are necessary for Colorado to pick up the pace. This Building Performance Standards policy will also help address energy inequity and advance environmental justice. Low-income residents and communities of color experience higher air pollution burdens, often living near major highways, industrial facilities, or power plants. Studies have found that superior ventilation and better insulation will reduce air pollutant infiltration from outside or from neighboring units and common spaces by 3 to 11 times. This is also a huge benefit when wildfire smoke blankets Colorado. For low-income households, dilapidated housing conditions like poor insulation or broken or old heating and air conditioning are among the main reasons for being unable to pay a bill, receiving a disconnection notice, or having service shut off. In Colorado, 71% of low-income households use fossil fuels for heating, so have been more exposed to recent price volatility. Statewide, utility disconnections have skyrocketed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. These households and communities of color are also more likely to lack air conditioning at home. A recent survey of diverse Denver neighborhoods determined that almost one quarter of residents whose annual incomes were below $35,000 lack access to cooling. There’s never been a better time for Colorado to adopt a building performance standard. The recent federal climate law provides up to $200,000 per apartment building for energy efficiency upgrades, and point-of-sale rebates on electric appliances like heat pumps. Incentives from utilities, governments, and more make the upgrades even cheaper. Building Performance Standards will protect every Coloradan, cutting climate pollution and cleaning up the air we breathe. Inefficient buildings burn much more fuel, meaning more nitrogen dioxide pollution and a worsening air quality crisis in Front Range communities. The state estimates that for every $1 spent on upgrades, we get $3 back in benefits, like lower energy bills or lowered health care costs, from cleaner air. We shouldn’t wait any longer. The Air Quality Control Commission should vote yes this week. Previous Next

< Back Emily Sirota Chair of JBC Emily Sirota represents House District 9 in the Colorado Legislature as a social worker and proud progressive Democrat with years of experience working in government and in the southeast Denver community. Rep. Sirota is the Chair of the Joint Budget Committee and Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Before her election to the Colorado House of Representatives, Emily helped run an early learning center in Denver. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University and received her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver. Emily has previously worked in community organizing and policy development for Colorado non-profit organizations. Emily also served as a policy aide to a Democratic U.S. Senator, a Democratic congressman and a Democratic governor. In those roles, she worked on health care and budget policy, and helped oversee a program to expand health care benefits for workers and small businesses. As a Representative for House District 9, Emily has championed worker's rights, campaign finance and election reform, a healthy and vibrant public education system, environmental justice, and fiscal policy that prioritizes regular Coloradans, not the billionaires. Emily is married to writer David Sirota, and they are the proud parents of two amazing kids and their dog, Grover.