Issue Position: Jobs

Issue Position

Everyone in Colorado has to get out and push our collective car to create more jobs to get our state moving faster. This will take a multi-prong approach.

We simply MUST complete FasTracks on time, by the end of 2020. According to RTD, this entails "122 miles of new commuter and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit, 21,000 new parking spaces…, and enhanced bus services." Because of the enormous regional economic impact of the new light rail system and the associated carefully planned Transit Oriented Development around rail stations, I fully support efforts to get this project done. We can't shrug our shoulders, ignore our future population growth, and allow the project to get done in 2042 at a far higher cost and far lower economic impact. Residents of Colo. House District 9 already benefit greatly from the existence of the light rail system, and we need to extend that boost to the rest of the Denver Metro area.

Small business is key to economic growth. As your legislator, I will work my hardest to expand the Colorado Credit Reserve Program. This state program guarantees small business loans by private banks to entrepreneurs. That way Coloradans can employ themselves and then hire others.

Another program that will get my full support to expand is the Colorado Innovation Investment Tax Credit. At this point the program is not funded, but it has great potential to entice "angel investors" to help provide capital to small businesses and entrepreneurs to start up and grow.

Tourism is a key industry for our state. I will be a leading voice to increase the investment in programs like the Marketing Grant Program where the state leverages and matches a company's marketing efforts up to $15,000. When a company gets its message out about its products and services, it makes more money and can hire more people.

Colorado has over 300 sunny days per year. It is beyond belief that there is not far greater usage of solar panels to power our economy. A new project passed only in 2010 that I'll be working to have people take greater advantage of is Community Solar Gardens. If you can't afford it or your roof isn't right to install solar panels, you and 10 of your neighbors can group together to share the cost and benefits of solar panels. Naturally that means trained technicians have jobs in order to install the panels and solar panel users like you benefit from lower energy costs. Recently a group got together in Colorado Springs and is installing a solar garden.

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