Depending on where you live, you may have woken up this morning to news on who your newly elected city/town council members are, as well as a thumbs-up or -down on a smattering of municipal level ballot issues. We certainly did here in Grand Junction and have spent the morning contemplating what the winners of the open city council seats mean in terms of witnessing a political dynamic shift for the micropolis of the West Slope.

Meanwhile, our state lawmakers are right in the thick of it, working hard on their 60th day of the 2021 legislative session. That means we’re exactly halfway through what the length of a typical 120-day session would be. We are not positive yet if Colorado will opt to complete a full 120-day session, which would take us into mid-June, or if they will opt to end early around their typical end date toward the end of May. Either way, the fruits of their efforts are starting to show, and Gov. Polis is already signing bills as they are sent to his desk.

A few bills that have passed this year include:

SB21-012: Championed by West Slope legislators Sen. Kerry Donovan and Rep. Dylan Roberts, this bill removes barriers that prevent qualified applicants from seeking employment with the Division of Fire Prevention and Control due to a prior felony conviction. This bill is important because it allows non-violent former felons who acquired fire service experience through the Inmate Disaster Relief Program and served on the SWIFT (State Wildland Inmate Fire Team) to apply for a wildland fire service job once they’ve completed their sentence. Not only would it encourage the Wildland Fire Management section to advertise job openings to these individuals, but it would also develop a peer mentor program for individuals who are hired based on their experience in the program.

SB21-112: This is a general fund transfer to fund capital construction of state parks and includes West Slope Rep. Julie McCluskie among the bill’s sponsors. This bill increases capital construction funding for certain state parks and includes Ridgway State Park, Steamboat Lake State Park and the Cameo Shooting & Education center located in Mesa County.

SB21-110: This bill funds safe revitalization of main streets across Colorado to create more walkable, safe areas, and continued distancing with COVID. If you’ve been able to get out to your Main Street and taken advantage of seating or eating at some of the expanded outdoor areas that have popped up for local restaurants, you can look forward to seeing more of that as an advantage of this bill. Many of our West Slope communities are eligible for this funding and that list includes Grand Junction, Palisade, Fruita, Montrose, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, and Ridgway, among others.

As for Western Colorado Alliance’s top priority bills, good news is on the horizon for all three. Last night, both HB21-1119 for Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention, as well as HB21-1131, the Co-op Transparency bill, passed through their senate committees with unanimous support and no amendments. This means that each have one final vote on the floor of the Senate before they move on to the Governor’s desk.

Alongside those two, we still anticipate we’ll see the passage of SB21-079, the Animal Shares Act, which would allow local ranchers to sell cuts of meat directly to consumers in our communities, but it’s awaiting one final conference committee before we can call it a victory.

If you missed our webinar last week, we had a fantastic line-up of speakers (including Rep. Lisa Cutter, seen above) to discuss three hugely important bills. They ranged in topic from farm workers’ rights to affordable housing, and the statewide reduction of single-use plastics. You can check out the most recent webinar here and get caught up on the actions you can take to make a difference. Seriously, these bills are worth the time.

Coming up next week, on Thursday, April 15 at 5:15 pm [MDT], we’ll host our sixth We Are The Change webinar where we will be discussing two great bills. The first is a media literacy bill that would help implement a curriculum for teachers allowing them to incorporate tools to help students learn how to navigate media on the internet, and distinguish between real and fake news. We’ll also discuss a big climate roadmap bill that would set guidelines in place to support the state’s effort to reduce 2025 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26%, 2030 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50%, and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90%.

Overall, we’re encouraged by the commitment our lawmakers have given to bringing back vital bills from last year, bringing forward new and creative bills this year, and all while remaining hyper-vigilant of the state’s and our communities’ needs as we continue to weather the pandemic.

We’ve still got a ways to go, and we’re thankful you’re going there with us. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, and I hope you’ll join us at an upcoming webinar!