Issues
Housing
We all need and deserve safe, secure, and affordable housing. I primarily favor supply-side solutions that promote diverse and abundant housing supply, and the preservation of existing affordable units. The state also plays a vital role in establishing balanced landlord-tenant law that gives both parties a fair process when resolving disputes. Unsafe living conditions and evictions have serious long-term consequences for our entire community, and can be deeply traumatic or even deadly for vulnerable individuals. I’ve been very impressed by the Fourth Judicial District’s eviction diversion and recovery program, and would support securing permanent funding and applying its principles beyond our district. Additionally, because housing and transportation are so closely intertwined, reducing sprawl and creating more transportation choices are important aspects of solving our housing dilemma.
Transportation
Expanding transportation choice is key to reducing traffic, improving air quality, and assuring safe, convenient travel for everyone. It’s why I’ve brought more funding to Mountain Metropolitan Transit and supported legislation to improve safety for vulnerable road users. When a highway project near HD-16 caused the closure of Sinton Trail and cut off cyclists from a frequently used path, I worked with the Colorado Department of Transportation to get the trail re-opened. With once-in-a-lifetime federal funds coming down from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and a deal with the oil and gas industry that will put even more new funds into transit, it is a brand new day for transportation planning in Colorado! I am committed to working closely with the administration, my legislative colleagues, and our local government leaders to make sure Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region sees those dollars invested here in our community.
Labor and Employment
Working people are the true source of our nation’s wealth prosperity. The upward redistribution of wealth into the non-laboring investor class has dealt a terrible blow to working families, with $50 trillion moving from the bottom 90% to the top 1% in the last couple of decades. Attacks on organized labor have played a big hand in this, and working people are feeling the squeeze. Colorado’s Labor Peace Act confuses labor relations by giving us the appearance that we are not one of these so-called “right to work” states. In reality, forming a collective bargaining unit requires a second election beyond the NLRB vote needed just to form a union, and this second election must be won by 75%. The way we work is changing, with more and more work opportunities going remote and even app-based. The future of work will require us to think creatively about the right regulatory model, and a system of checks and balances that allows innovation without sacrificing worker dignity. I personally prime sponsored one of a pair of bills in the 2024 legislative session that will begin to rein in the worst excesses of the app-based delivery economy.
Environment
Climate change is not a tomorrow problem, it is a today problem. Colorado is a national leader in pursuing a just and equitable transition to renewable energy, and we must continue to build our capacity for clean energy. I’ve championed clean energy initiatives, including strong tax credit standards for clean hydrogen that were later adopted by the Federal Dept. of Energy, and measures to reduce ground-level ozone. With a now nearly year-round fire season, it is imperative that we take action to protect our beautiful state. It is also of vital importance that rate payer owned utilities, like Colorado Springs Utilities and our municipal and rural co-op allies, are respected by the administration and have a seat at the table when making any carbon reduction roadmap adjustments. CSU ratepayers are committed to reducing emissions and achieving all-renewable energy, but we won’t do it the way that investor-owned utilities do, and we can be proud of that! I look forward to continuing to partner with our municipal and co-op energy providers to make the clean energy transition work for all our communities.
Abortion Rights & Reproductive Justice
The right to self-determination is a basic human right and a core Colorado value. I wholeheartedly support the right to choose and respect the will of the majority of Coloradans to keep government out of our bodies and bedrooms. The right to a safe and legal abortion should be enshrined in Colorado’s Constitution, and the prohibition on state funds for abortion care should be repealed. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was only the beginning, and we are right to be alarmed that activist Federal judges have swept aside precedent to undo a Constitutionally protected right. Everything is on the chopping block now, including marriage equality, contraception, and even no-fault divorce. The right to take charge of one’s own health and major life decisions are paramount to freedom and gender equality, and we will not undo these rights in Colorado.
Legislation I’ve supported:
Education
Public funds are for public education. Every child deserves a world-class education, and teachers should be compensated as the valued professionals that they are. I’m delighted that we’ve finally paid down the budget stabilization factor, though we are still frighteningly close to the bottom as a state in terms of school funding. I would support reassessing teacher evaluations to reduce administrative burden, and put more focus on overall development rather than short-term metrics.
Legislation I’ve supported:
LGBTQ+ Rights
LGBTQ+ individuals deserve to live their own lives free of oppression by the state or targeted attacks of violence or discrimination. When I was elected to this office in 2022, I couldn’t have imagined that there would be an atrocity committed in my district, against a community I’m a part of. But especially given that I represent the district where the Club Q attack took place, and being the only queer legislator for El Paso County, I will never pass up the chance to defend the rights and freedom of the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, transgender youth and their families are suffering uniquely cruel attacks by political reactionaries, and gay and lesbian couples are facing the very real threat of having cherished marriages invalidated. Hate crimes against the community have seen an uptick in recent years, and we must push back.
Older Adults
Older adults deserve dignity, safety, and the ability to age in place. The state plays a supportive role with programs like Secure Savings which helps more Coloradans save for retirement, and by enabling better-connected communities that ensure a healthy and fulfilling retirement for all. Area Agencies on Aging should be sustainably funded so that community-based organizations can fulfill their neighbors’ unique needs.
Legislation I’ve supported:
Veterans
Veterans in our community deal with a higher degree of vulnerability and consistently underfunded federal services. With or without a meaningful boost in VA funding, it is critical that local institutions serve this special population well. From securing funding to higher ed and job training, to supporting regional partners like Carmel and the Cohen family center, the state of Colorado is a strong partner in shoring up support for our veterans. I will always favor meaningful legislative action over performative votes on fluff resolutions or gestures. With our veteran neighbors overrepresented in suicide deaths and homelessness, we must be more concerned with outcomes than with optics.
Firearm Safety
I respect and appreciate the right to bear arms in defense of self, home, or property, consistent with Article II, Section 13 of the Colorado Constitution, and I take each and every bill related to firearms under serious consideration. Generally speaking, I support reasonable guardrails for the sake of safe and responsible ownership, but will occasionally oppose a bill that I don’t find useful to that end, or that may inadvertently cause undue hardship for some responsible owners. We must address the role of firearms in suicide deaths, comprising both the majority of completed suicides, and the majority of total overall gun deaths. Suicides are preventable and the means matters, which is why I will re-introduce a bill in the 2025 legislative session to bring opportunities for suicide prevention education into workplaces.
Legislation I’ve supported:
Immigration
State governments don’t have a major role to play in immigration, and I was disappointed that Congress failed to pass the immigration reform bill crafted by a bipartisan coalition, apparently more because of politics than because of policy. In the meantime, it’s important that welcoming states like Colorado offer compassionate and proactive solutions for new arrivals, especially with governors in other states trafficking people here. Our state has been built and settled by migration for generations, and there’s no call for any of us to pull the ladder up after ourselves.