register |  login
› GOLDEN
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
RECENT STORIES

Rep. Gwyn Green: Green notes from the Capitol

Contributed by: Emily Arrell on 1/15/2008

Legislative Session 2008: Improving the lives of middle class Coloradans

With the arrival of 2008, my democratic colleagues and I in the General Assembly will convene in Denver with a job to do - to improve the lives of middle class Coloradans.

We will build on our successes from 2007, when we worked closely with Governor Bill Ritter to boost Colorado's renewable energy economy and to expand pre-school and kindergarten programs for our kids.
While I am proud of our work last year, there is still much left to do. In 2008, I will work every day with three goals in mind: to help you and your kids have access to quality, affordable healthcare, to make sure our children get the education they need to meet their potential, and to help Colorado attract the best high-paying jobs that the 21st century has to offer.

·ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE
Despite the billions of dollars we spend on health care, the system is falling apart. Worried parents delay taking their sick children to the doctor to avoid paying high fees and co-pays. Families without health insurance take their kids to the ER for simple problems like ear aches and fevers, clogging up hospital waiting rooms and driving up costs. Small businesses are struggling to cover the cost of employees' health insurance. We can do better.
This legislative session I'm committed to expanding access to health care; reducing as much as possible the financial burden placed on individuals, families and employers; and putting a premium on prevention. I will work to hold insurance companies accountable for their rates and make sure that hospital charges are clear and transparent.

·EDUCATING COLORADO'S KIDS
Too many of Colorado's children are graduating without adequate preparation for college or the working world. Or their not graduating at all. We need schools that prepare our children to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
There is no more important time in a child's education than the earliest years. Along with Governor Ritter, we plan to give our kids a smart start by making early childhood education available to every 4- and 5-year-old in the state.
Excellent teachers inspire and enable children to succeed. We will pass legislation to help schools to recruit, train and retain the very best teachers in America. Every child deserves a top-flight teacher.

Finally, you can't teach or learn effectively in a school building that's falling down. Unfortunately, that's literally what's happening all over Colorado. Every child deserves a safe, healthy place to go to school and we're going to make sure that is what they get. The Building Excellent Schools Today - or BEST - program will leverage $1 billion to repair and rebuild crumbling schools without raising taxes.

·ENERGIZING OUR ECONOMY
Colorado is part of an increasingly global economy. We don't just compete with Wyoming and Utah to attract jobs, but with China and India too. Recognizing these new challenges, my colleagues and I are working with Governor Bill Ritter on a two-fold strategy to energize our economy and attract good 21st century jobs to our state. We will slice through the red tape that hurts Colorado businesses and continue investing in growing industries like bioscience and renewable energy.

If you're a small business owner, you have enough to worry about without an overly complicated tax code. I will co-sponsor legislation that gives over 30,000 small businesses much-needed tax relief by raising the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $7,000. We will also streamline the tax code so business owners pay taxes based on sales only, instead of navigating a complicated formula.

We will continue to nourish start-up companies statewide, working together with our universities to help move innovative ideas out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. Our plan is working: the emerging bioscience industry is already bringing new jobs to the state with an average salary of $63,200.

In order to help the state and the nation achieve energy independence, we will continue investing in new technologies to tap Colorado's renewable energy potential - like solar power plants and wind turbines.

Is this going to be a tough session? You bet! But I am ready to take on the tough fight for your healthcare, your children's education, your economy - for our Colorado. Please let me know what you think by contacting me at: gwyngreen@yahoo.com or (303) 866-2951.

Representative Green represents House District 23 and the people of Lakewood and Golden. This was posted by Emily Arell
Deputy Director of Communications
Colorado House Majority


SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story



Current Rating
Based on 1 user ratings.

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY
STORY RSS FEEDS
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos