I wish I could say this year's Thanksgiving holiday looks vastly different from last year, but unfortunately this is not the case. One in 49 people in Colorado are infected with COVID-19, public health orders on masking have returned, and our emergency rooms are reaching their maximum capacity once more. As we head into the 2021 holiday, our situation seems all too familiar.

While I'm disappointed in this latest surge, the whole point of Thanksgiving is to look for the good in our lives and to be grateful for the many blessings we have. So rather than dwell on the negatives, I'd like to share with you the top five things I am grateful for this holiday:

There is an the old adage that says: "Give thanks for a little, you will find a lot." I could have easily come up with 10 more things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, but rather than take up any more of your precious time this holiday, I'll just end by saying thank you for the opportunity to serve you and our community. And, in light of the recent surge, I hope you will check out these tips to make sure your gathering is as safe and COVID-free as possible. Happy Thanksgiving!

New Jeffco Public Health Orders: Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) issued a new public health order requiring masks for all "indoor public spaces," beginning Wednesday, November 24. This includes all places of employment. Jefferson, Arapahoe, and other Front Range counties are bringing back indoor mask mandates in response to the surge in COVID cases. Boulder and Larimer counties already had a masking order in place. The final and full JCPH Order can be found HERE.

Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force: The Affordable Housing task force met several times last month to review the list of recommendations submitted to the committee by the subpanel members. The task force will be voting on which recommendations to list in the final report to the General Assembly and the Governor at our next meeting on Tuesday, November 30. Prior to voting on the policies to create transformative change in the area of housing using the federal coronavirus recovery money, we will be taking public comment from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. To sign up to testify, click HERE.

Build Back Better Act Passed: The U.S. House of Representatives finally passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill that the Senate passed back in August. This key infrastructure bill will: Expand broadband coverage, jumpstart repairing and rebuilding our roads and bridges, improve public transportation infrastructure, expand the electric vehicle charging network, improve access to clean water, and will create scores of good-paying jobs all across Colorado. The bill also includes a one-year extension of the expanded Child Tax Credit. For more information on the Build Back Better bill, click HERE.

Redistricting process finalized: The Colorado Supreme Court upheld the final redistricting maps put forward by the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission. The new boundaries will go into effect in 2023 following the 2022 general Election. Our district, Senate District 19, remained largely unchanged. The district grew slightly to the west and now includes the West Woods neighborhood. Here is a link to the final legislative maps.

Polis releases State Budget proposal: On November 1, Governor Jared Polis submitted his budget proposal for the 2022-23 fiscal year to the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) of the General Assembly. According to a statement released by the Governor's office, ending the pandemic remains his top priority. In addition, the budget "pushes for key investments to ensure Colorado is affordable for the next generation and gets to the root of our most pressing issues." The General Assembly will take the Governor's proposal into consideration as we begin the process of figure setting for the following year. To read the Governor's budget proposal, click HERE.

Small Business Saturday: We have all heard of the great "Black Friday" shopping deals, but you may not be as familiar with "Small Business Saturday." You can have a direct impact on Colorado's economic recovery by shopping local and supporting our small businesses! On Saturday, November 27, you are welcome to celebrate all things "Small Business" by joining folks in Olde Town Arvada beginning at 10:30 am. They will be serving free coffee from Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters Arvada and FREE breakfast tacos from School House Kitchen and Libations for the first 100 people who stop by. You can make a day of it in Arvada and then stay for the Olde Town Tree Lighting. Entertainment in the Square begins at 5 pm and the Tree Lighting will be at 6 pm. Shop Small. Shop Local. Make a Difference! For more information, click HERE.

Colorado Supreme Court in the Community: On October 26, I had the pleasure of joining students from Pomona High School, as well as city, county and state officials, and members of the general public, as the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases. The event known as "Courts in the Community" is an outreach program that brings the state's high court officials to various settings within the community. It was the first time I had ever had the opportunity to witness our Colorado Supreme Court in action. It was a great opportunity for our Senate District to shine!

CHFA Board Meeting: On October 28 and November 18, I joined my fellow Board members for our monthly meeting of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. The CHFA team works together throughout Colorado to increase the availability of affordable, decent, and accessible housing for lower income Coloradans. At the meeting, I learned of an Affordable Housing Tax Credit project that was awarded by CHFA in Arvada. Ralston Gardens will be located in Arvada's Ralston Valley redevelopment near transit and will support residents participating in Arvada's Homeless Navigator program. This project was made possible through a bill I sponsored in 2019 (HB19-1228.)

Jeffco EDC Gateways Celebration & Awards: On November 3, I joined the Jefferson Economic Development Council and business leaders throughout Jefferson County for the inaugural "Gateways" celebration and awards ceremony. The ceremony took place right here in Senate District 19 at Social Capital in Arvada. The organization gave out four awards, and it was very gratifying to see The Arvada Resiliency Taskforce--a partnership between local organizations including the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, Arvada Economic Development Association, and Olde Town Business Improvement District--be awarded the Gateway Award for Community Partnership of the Year!

PEBC Evening to Elevate Educators: On November 4, I attended the Public Education and Business Coalition "Evening to Elevate Educators," celebration. It was an inspiring and fun evening where we collectively raised more than $88,000 to support the work of preparing outstanding new teachers, foster continuous growth for practicing educators, and shape policies that prioritize student success. They also highlighted my bill, SB21-185 on Supporting the Educator Workforce. You can view a recording of the event on the PEBC website by clicking HERE.

DA Alexis King Office Tour: On November 9, I joined Rep. Brianna Titone for a tour of the District Attorney's office, hosted by our DA, Alexis King. The First Judicial District includes the counties of Jefferson and Gilpin. DA King took us on a tour of the facility and introduced us to several key members of her staff. We discussed several of the new programs they are initiating, including restorative justice programs, diversion programs, and problem-solving courts. We also discussed several partnership programs and I learned about PorchLight, a family justice center.

Jeffco Sheriff Open House: On November 16, I joined several Jeffco legislators in attending a virtual Open House hosted by the Jefferson County Sheriff's office. Several local police chiefs, including Arvada Chief Link Strate, were in attendance. They discussed with legislators some of the issues they are grappling with including rising crime rates, workforce shortages, and legislation that was debated last year regarding school discipline and pre-trial reform. We discussed ways that we could collaborate and communicate better.

Jeffco Public Schools Board & Superintendent Meeting: On November 18, I joined several other Jeffco legislators for a meeting with Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent, Tracy Dorland, as well as members of the Jefferson County Board of Education, Susan Harmon, Brad Rupert, Stephanie Schooley, and Rick Rush (Board member Susan Miller was not in attendance). We also met the newly elected members of the board, Danielle Varda, Mary Parker, and Paula Reed. We discussed a wide variety of topics, but the most interesting was around the COVID protocols and a concept known as "test to stay." I want to thank outgoing member Brad Rupert, our area representative to the board, for his years of service to our community!

CIADA "Legislative Champion" Award: On November 20, I attended the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association charity gala, where I was honored to receive their "Legislative Champion" award. I have worked with the association on several pieces of legislation on eliminating the check engine light as the sole criteria for emissions testing, to vehicle registration programs, to addressing the thefts of catalytic converters. The gala raised an impressive amount of money for a long list of charitable organizations and causes, and the event was held right here in Senate District 19 at the Westin Hotel in Westminster!

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

Colorado Politics: Colorado Concern names In The Arena leadership awards

Colorado Newsline: Colorado special education sees funding increase this year, but is it enough?

EIN News: Democratic Women Senators Statement on SCOTUS Refusal to Block TX Abortion Ban

Colorado Politics: Panel approves bills from youth committee on mental health, foster care access to higher education

Thank you for attending our legislative town hall meetings this past year. Whether you attended online or in person, we very much appreciate your civic engagement. Due to the holidays, we will take the months of November and December off and return for our regular town hall series in January. For more information on upcoming events, click HERE.