Local Issues

In celebration of Earth Day, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) applauded the announcement of $25 million in Recovery Act funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative, for the “Two Techs and a Truck” retrofit program in Boulder County. “Increasing energy efficiency is the easiest way for individuals to personally make a difference in the global fight against climate change,” said Polis. “These funds will create a “one-stop-shop” for residents to retrofit their homes and b... Read more

Congresista Jared Polis es una voz principal de apoyo hacia los inmigrantes Por dos años el congresista demócrata Jared Polis había disfrutado de una relación cercana con el personal y los estudiantes de la escuela secundaria Welby New Technology en Denver, gracias a su oficina ubicada dentro de la escuela. Su presencia es representativa de su pasión por la educación y asuntos relacionados con inmigración. La mayoría de los 184 estudiantes que asisten a la escuela son de origen hispano. La pobre... Read more

Boulder resident Bo Fellinger is disgusted. She recently discovered that the Department of Labor yet again denied her husband Michael’s claim to compensation for chronic lung disease. Fellinger doesn’t have a good word to say about the department or its Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICPA). Her husband, a former nuclear worker at the Ames Laboratory in Iowa, died of lung failure in 2008 at age 62, his claim shuttled back and forth among bureaucrats for nearly four... Read more

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) released today an initial schedule of events for public review of the Hidden Gems Wilderness Proposal. The “Hidden Gems Coalition” recently submitted to the Congressman a formal proposal for new designated wilderness areas in the White River National Forest within Summit and Eagle Counties. Polis is asking all stakeholders for their input and full participation in an extensive public review process. “After receiving the coalition’s proposal, we now need the help of... Read more

Today, members of the Colorado Congressional delegation held a reception honoring over 20 of Colorado’s Olympian and Paralympian athletes, who are visiting Capitol Hill and the White House this week. The lawmakers congratulated the athletes on their tremendous performance at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games. (Click here for a photo of the attending lawmakers – Udall, Bennet, Perlmutter, Polis, Coffman, and Lamborn – with the athletes, taken in Udall’s office.) “As a mountaineer, I know how ... Read more

Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall, with Congressmen Ed Perlmutter and Jared Polis, repeated their call for Congress to pass the Charlie Wolf Nuclear Workers Compensation Act, to help Cold War workers from Rocky Flats and other nuclear weapons facilities get help for cancer and other illnesses they developed as a result of exposure to radiation and other hazardous substances on the job. The bill is named for Charlie Wolf, a former worker at Rocky Flats, who fought for years – unsuccessfully – to get... Read more

Colorado small businesses will be getting a little bit of good news in their mailboxes. The IRS announced today that companies eligible for new health reform tax credits will be getting a postcard explaining the credits and encouraging them to take advantage of the tax cut. This is the biggest health care tax cut in history, and it’s important that Colorado small businesses are well informed so that they can take advantage of it immediately. The tax credit is available to small businesses with 2... Read more

Today, the Colorado Congressional Delegation highlighted the President’s decision to move forward with a modified Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle project which is being built primarily in Jefferson County, Colorado. This project is important to the state of Colorado and provides about 4,000 jobs in the Denver area through Lockheed Martin and other aerospace contractors. The program supports scores of large and small businesses and brings billions of dollars to our state. In response to the Presid... Read more

On April 17, 2010, Colorado’s Congressional delegation will host “Academy Information Day” to provide high school students, their parents and school counselors information about the U.S. service academies and the Congressional nominating process for admission. Representatives from West Point and the Air Force, Naval, and Merchant Marine academies will also be present to provide general information and answer individual questions. The forum will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010, from 1 p.m. to... Read more

Rep. Polis explains proposed measure during visit to Manhattan Middle School The Boulder Valley School District hopes to soon be offering milk alternatives and a more robust variety of vegetarian alternatives as part of its school lunches thanks to a proposed bill from U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, that aims to expand access to healthy foods in schools. The Healthy School Meals Act, which Polis introduced with numerous co-sponsors, proposes including non-dairy milk alternatives -- like soy, ... Read more