The voter-approved redistricting process for state legislative and congressional districts in Colorado has begun. In 2018, the state legislature referred Amendments Y and Z to the ballot to move toward an independent redistricting process, the first of its kind in the country. Nonpartisan legislative staff took the first crack at redrawing the congressional and legislative district boundary maps to account for population growth, and now the newly formed Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission will begin a series of meetings to gather input on the preliminary maps. The first meeting for our area will be this coming Tuesday, July 13 at 7 pm at Red Rocks Community College in Arvada.

The preliminary map for Senate District 19 changed quite dramatically from the existing district. Currently, the SD19 boundaries run from Sheridan to Indiana, I-70 to the Broomfield border, and includes the communities of Arvada and Westminster. The proposed district was redrawn into two new districts, SD28 and SD27, and looks quite different. Whereas the current district is situated entirely within Jefferson County, the top half of the proposed district (SD28) extends all the way to the Thornton border in Adams County, and includes Northglenn, Westminster, and a small portion of Arvada. The bottom half (SD27) contains the majority of Arvada, extends west to include Golden, south of I-70 to include Wheat Ridge, and east into Adams County all the way to Pecos Street.

These hearings will provide residents the opportunity to testify about our communities of interest and communicate directly with the Commissions. I recommend taking a look at the preliminary maps and determine if you have any feedback on the first drafts. If you decide you want to testify, here is a link to a document that outlines the constitutional provisions regarding the Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission. If you decide to testify at the hearing, click HERE to sign up. Also, for the Arvada listening session specifically, here is a short document with some tips and pointers on what to expect and how to prepare your testimony. I hope you will take this once in a decade opportunity to provide your feedback on our congressional and legislative district boundaries.

Governor Polis ends COVID-19 health emergency order: On July 8, Governor Polis ended the Health Emergency Executive Orders for COVID-19 and rescinded all previous Executive Orders issued due to the pandemic. In addition, he signed a Recovery Executive Order focusing only on those measures related to the State's recovery. For more information on what the new executive order does and doesn't do, click HERE.

Ralston House Race With a Point: The Ralston House .5K Endurance Challenge is back this summer with two race opportunities. The first race will be on Saturday, July 31 from 8 am - 10 am at the Anythink Wright Farms in Thornton. The second race will be in Arvada at the Clear Creek Valley Park on Saturday, August 21 from 10 am - 12 pm. The Arvada Festivals Commission will host the race as part of the Arvada Days event going on at the park. The .5K Endurance Challenge is great for beginners, families, and runners of all ages, with only 1,600 feet to complete the race. All proceeds from the race will go towards the Ralston House. For more race information, go HERE.

Westminster "State of the City" event: The Westminster Chamber of Commerce will host the City of Westminster for their annual "State of the City" event on Wednesday, August 24 at 11 am at the Church Ranch Event Center. The event will feature Westminster Mayor Anita Seitz who will deliver the remarks touching on various community updates, projects, improvements and more. In addition, a member of the Adams County Board of Commissioners will discuss the state of our local economy post COVID-19. For tickets and more information, go HERE.

70% of Colorado Adults have been vaccinated: According to CDPHE, approximately 70% of Colorado adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That means Colorado has met President Joe Biden's aspirational goal of vaccinating 70% of Americans aged 18 and up by July 4th. While the United States as a whole has not achieved the goal, 67% of adults nationwide have received the vaccine. Everyone 12 years of age and older is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine. For more information on where to get vaccinated, go HERE.

CoPIRG releases legislative scorecard: The Colorado Public Interest Research Group released their legislative scorecard for the 2021 session. I was the prime sponsor of four of their high priority bills, including SB21-110 Fund Safe Revitalization of Main Streets, HB21-1230 Create User-friendly State Rules Internet Portal, SB21-238 Create Front Range Passenger Rail District, and SB21-262 Special District Transparency. Each of these bills were scored by CoPIRG and were important steps to protecting consumers, strengthening our democracy, and safeguarding public health. They highlighted my work as a bill sponsor in this BLOG.

Here are the latest press articles from this past week that touch on legislation I am sponsoring. Also, you can view the full list on my website by clicking HERE.

Colorado Springs Gazette: Polis rounds out legislative session bills with 15 signings, 1 veto

The Colorado Sun: Some Democrats voice regret about Colorado’s new redistricting process as preliminary maps are unveiled

Colorado Politics: Polis signs bill limiting the use of ketamine, 12 other bills

Colorado Springs Gazette: Polis vetoes 2 bills, administratively signs 19 more

EIN News: Bill to Create Front Range Passenger Rail District Becomes Law

Colorado Politics: Governor to sign bills helping coal workers, creating Front Range Rail District

EIN News: Major Education Bills to Support Colorado Students Enhance Equity Become Law

Loveland Reporter-Herald: Polis signs metro district reform into law; critics say it’s not enough

Denver Post: Polis signs metro district reform into law; critics say it's not enough

The Colorado Sun: First draft of Colorado’s new state Senate, House district maps could pit several incumbents against each other

The Chronicle-News: Colorado redistricting commission reveals preliminary House, Senate district maps

Denver Post: Polis signs metro district reform into law

Colorado Springs Gazette: ANALYSIS | Proposed legislative draft maps from Colorado redistricting commission show Dems lose ground in House

Colorado Politics: Polis signs ag stimulus bills, legislation on education

Denver Post: Opinion: A fix — finally — for our broken, disparate K-12 revenue system

Please join me and Representatives Brianna Titone and Lindsey Daugherty for our next legislative town hall meeting on the topic of redistricting. Curtis Hubbard from OnSight Public Affairs will discuss the redistricting process in Colorado and how you can get involved. The virtual meeting will be Saturday, July 17 at 10:30 am. Click here for details.