The summer seems to be going by quicker than normal this year! Perhaps this is because our days are filled with activities we couldn't do during the pandemic, like visiting family or dining out with friends. Whatever the reason, it has been nice to spend some time away from the Capitol and in our community. I am especially grateful for these summer months to catch up on several home improvement projects.

Speaking of housing, I was recently appointed to the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force created by HB21-1329, a bill that set aside $850 million in American Rescue Plan funds for housing and behavioral health. Last April, The Colorado Sun issued an article on affordable housing and cited recent polling that indicated it's a top concern among Coloradans. Similarly, the legislature conducted a statewide listening tour on our recovery needs and housing was the number one priority. After gathering this feedback, we successfully passed a number of bipartisan measures that set up a series of taskforces to work on these issues during the interim. This interim housing task force will make recommendations on policies focused on housing affordability, expand opportunities to build wealth through homeownership, and address homelessness.

With my background on the Arvada Housing Authority, and as a current member of the Colorado Housing and Financing Authority (CHFA) board, I am keen to get started on this important work. The task force will convene in early August for organizational meetings and then we will meet more regularly during the late fall to discuss and ultimately approve recommendations that we will send to the Legislature and the Governor when the legislature reconvenes in January. I suspect there will be opportunities for citizens to engage with the task force, so stay tuned on how to submit your thoughts. In the meantime, I hope you continue to enjoy these summer days to their fullest!

Redistricting listening tours: The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission is touring the state to gather input on the preliminary maps for redrawing the Congressional and State Legislative district boundaries. The proposed Senate District 19 map has changed pretty dramatically--we were divided into two new districts (SD27 & SD28). The last meeting in Jeffco will be held in Golden on August 4 at at 7 pm at the Golden High School Auditorium. If you cannot attend in person you are welcome to submit public comment online to the Commission HERE.

Child Tax Credit Day in Colorado: Last week, eligible Colorado families with children will begin receiving their first monthly payment under the recently expanded federal Child Tax Credit. Eligible Colorado families will automatically receive up to $3600 per child per year. Child Tax Credit payments will be distributed monthly, with families automatically receiving up to $250 per month for each child aged six to 17, and up to $300 per month for each child below six. These monthly payments will continue until December. For more information, click HERE.

New GHG rule and stakeholder/public input: Due to legislation passed during the 2020 and 2021 legislative sessions, CDOT is in the midst of beginning the Greenhous Gas (GHG) rulemaking process and is seeking stakeholder/public input. This process is fast-moving and will make Colorado the first state in the nation to take-on GHG monitoring and long-term remediation efforts. For more information, or to sign-up to be notified of upcoming virtual public meetings, click HERE.

How should Colorado spend federal money for our students & schools? The Colorado Department of Education and the State Board of Education are currently seeking input through a survey and a series of virtual public meetings on how to maximize the use of federal funds to support the state's students, teachers and schools. Colorado has roughly $132 million in federal funding from the three federal stimulus bills for education. CDE must submit its plan for use of these funds to the federal government by the end of this summer. To help prepare this proposal, the state wants to hear from students, parents, teachers, education leaders, and community organizations. Your voice matters! To submit comments, click HERE.

Westminster "State of the City" event: The Westminster Chamber of Commerce will host the City of Westminster for their annual "State of the City" event on Wednesday, August 24 at 11 am at the Church Ranch Event Center. The event will feature Westminster Mayor Anita Seitz who will deliver the remarks touching on various community updates, projects, improvements and more. In addition, a member of the Adams County Board of Commissioners will discuss the state of our local economy post COVID-19. For tickets and more information, go HERE.

Here are the latest press articles from this past week that touch on legislative issues from the past two weeks. You can view the full list on my website by clicking HERE.

The Colorado Sun: Despite partisan rhetoric at the Colorado Capitol, just 4.4% of bills this year passed along purely party lines

The Durango Herald: Only 4.4% of bills were passed along purely party lines this year at Colorado Capitol

Colorado Politics: Gold Dome leaders unveil task forces on housing, behavioral health

EIN News: JOINT RELEASE: Garnett, Garcia Appoint Lawmakers to ARPA Housing and Behavioral Health

Please join me and Representatives Brianna Titone and Lindsey Daugherty for our next legislative town hall meeting featuring Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland. She will discuss issues facing our students and teachers as they return to school. Saturday, August 17 at 10:30 am. Location TBD. Click here for details.