Below you'll find the Policy and Legislative Advisory Network's (PLAN) highlights on what's happening in the world of policy that most impacts economic and social mobility within Adams County, Broomfield County, and the City of Aurora.

The Partnership's First Global Target, aka Measurement:

This work is about reduction of poverty and improving the overall well-being of individuals and industry across the region. Credential Attainment is one measurement the community can utilize to monitor progress towards economic and social mobility. Learn more HERE.

Adam Burg, Senior Advisor, Legislative and Government Affairs, Adams County Government

Kayah Swanson, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, RMP Backbone

Matthew La Crue, Managing Director, Dentons

PLAN Co-Champion

Ryan McCoy, Executive Director, Front Range Community College Foundation | President, Westminster Public Schools Board of Education

PLAN Co-Champion

We've gotta say it: This information is subject to change. In addition, some updates may be sourced from organizations that have read limits or limits on how many articles you can access in a given time period.

The information below is in line with the Rocky Mountain Partnership's formal policy priorities for 2021. Learn more and check those policies out for yourself HERE.

One week from today, the Policy and Legislative Advisory Network (PLAN) will be hosting a virtual town hall from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM. The event will feature an incredible lineup of panelists, conversation about regional economic and social mobility, and discussion on how improving postsecondary credential attainment is one way the community can make progress towards this end. This is an event you don't want to miss!

The biggest update from last week: The Long Appropriations Bill — aka, the budget — dropped and has begun wending its way through the statehouse (wondering what's in it? Click HERE to read more from The Denver Post). It is nearly $4 billion larger than last year. The bill passed the Senate on Friday, April 9, and is now in the House Appropriations Committee.

In addition, there were four new bills introduced last week that we're keeping an eye on. See each of them below, and click on them to learn more!

There's a lot happening, but remember that it's all broken down in a bill tracker for you. Is there another bill you want us to track? Let us know by clicking HERE!

We're still keeping track of the eight other bills we've highlighted for you this session. To see an update on where these bills are at in the process, just click on the bill number:

Mental health and substance abuse programs were already in need of more funding when COVID-19 hit, then Colorado lawmakers had to make major cuts to the budget for those programs. A year later, the legislature is looking at historic spending on mental health. Senate Bill 21-137, introduced by state Sen. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat from Lakewood, would funnel tens of millions of dollars to state behavioral health programs.

The “Colorado option” bill would create a state-run insurance plan and mandate lower costs at hospitals by 2025 unless the private market finds ways to reduce insurance costs first. The bill headed to an important committee hearing on Friday after several delays as backers worked behind the scenes on a compromise with the Colorado Hospital Association, one of the most influential health industry groups in the state.

President Joe Biden’s first budget calls for massive boosts to low-income schools, public health programs and fighting climate change, plus a slight Pentagon funding bump that is unlikely to fly with many in Congress. The request unveiled by the White House on Friday asks Congress to provide non-defense programs with a total of $769 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, in addition to $753 billion for national defense programs, including cash for overseas activities.

As new U.S. coronavirus cases trend upward, health officials are warning about the spread of multiple, more transmissible variants, some of which have seeded outbreaks in states such as Michigan and California. The B.1.1.7 variant initially detected in Britain accounts for almost 20,000 cases in all 50 states — and has become the dominant strain, officials say. For the first time, however, the P.1 variant that originated in Brazil has taken the No. 2 spot.

As the PLAN and Backbone Team continue to work together on clearly communicating your work to the community, the Backbone Team has worked to develop an easy-to-use visualization of the PLAN's processes. See our brand new policy flowchart below!

Do you have any feedback on this graphic? Reach out to Kayah Swanson, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, at [email protected] by Friday, April 16.

The Rocky Mountain Partnership is a coalition of cross-sector stakeholders who are working together to collectively improve economic and social mobility across the Adams County, Aurora and Broomfield region by:

Rocky Mountain Partnership | rmpartnership.org