The two most pressing issues in my district are going to be the future of water availability and the rapidly expanding growth in Colorado Springs as there is an interplay between these two items. Given the fact that we have state laws that allow the selling of one gallon of water 3 or 4 times over does not make good sense for our future. Our water laws need to change to accommodate climate change. The rapid growth is causing stress on the average worker, housing has become a huge budget drain on the hourly worker, this cannot continue if we want a healthy economy.

State budget priorities, for me, are being addressed by amendments 73 and Amendment 110 but I feel modification of the interplay of Tabor Gallagher amendments 19 and 23 need to be addressed to untie the bottleneck we have with providing funding for State projects.

The state can provide guidelines and Baseline costing for affordable housing and we're seeing the pressures of a changing economy where wages have not kept up with the rapid expansion of business. This is creating continued stress on the majority of our average everyday workers that needs to be addressed.

I am not in favor of businesses applying their religious beliefs to clients I do believe in the separation of church and state and this seems to try to cross that line.

If proposition 110 passes it does create funding for transportation and infrastructure I would like to add some guidance as far as which communities do have access to that type of funding. Expanding into a single-payer system for the state of Colorado would provide access to underserved communities for healthcare. Amendment 73 would provide funding for the special education and continuing education that could be expanded to provide job training and skills In disadvantaged communities.

The role that the Arts and the cultural experience play in our community would be to to improve our community image, providing an economic boost with jobs & tourism which is an important segment of our economy here in Colorado Springs. It also offers an avenue to revitalize neighborhoods.

It has been noted that Colorado has one of the better voting systems in the United States if anything I would actually ask that voters have the ability to verify how their votes are cast after being tallied in the state system.

www.gilforolorado.com 915-996-2851 Education: 2 years Univ of Texas, 2000 hours of training via Telecommunications job Career: Ind. Business

Issues significantly impacting Senate District 11 are inequitable economic and educational opportunities. I have been addressing these issues and will continue to do so with innovative community-based approaches. Last session, I was the prime sponsor of HB17-1326, the justice reinvestment and crime prevention initiative (www.TransformingSafety.org ). It empowers local planning teams in the southeast Colorado Springs community to determine how to allocate $2 million per year for the next three years to improve economic opportunity, develop mentoring and apprenticeship programs to keep kids in school, reduce violence, prevent crime, and improve neighborhoods. Eleven non-profit organizations evaluated and recommended by community members and groups have received $1.3 million in grants in the first round of funding

My budget priorities are focused on the present and the future, so my priorities are: (1) education, including early childhood programs, K-12 and higher education; (2) healthcare, and (3) investments in infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and multi-modal transportation projects. I have been a consistent advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, proposing policy changes to more effectively spend state money to obtain improved outcomes for people in the justice system. Smart and effective spending is a budget priority for all programs.

The issue of affordable housing is one that will require public/private partnerships involving cooperation among state and local government and the private sector. Addressing this issue is important as housing is a bedrock need for stable and thriving communities. The solution lies in having an adequate supply of affordable and universally designed housing units, loans for mortgages, and qualified buyers. In response to developers concerns, two years ago I supported legislation to resolve construction defect litigation issues which were asserted to be discouraging multi-family housing projects. Builders and developers can be further incentivized to offer more affordable and universally designed housing by the use of tax credits. To expand availability of loan funds, the Colorado Housing Finance Authority, which provides low interest loans for affordable housing, can have their lending authority and capital reserves expanded so more purchasers can qualify for loans.

No. This issue was decided by the Courts and Congress with the passage and enforcement of the Civil Rights Acts. Public accommodations, including retail establishments, housing and transportation, and any business which offers goods or services to the public, must do so without discrimination based upon race, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identification, handicap, veteran status or other characteristics.

Throughout my terms in the legislature, I have sponsored and supported legislation to expand services in underserved communities. HB17-1326 described in question 2 is a primary example. I have also supported proposals to expand Medicaid, which has significantly reduced our uninsured population to approximately 6%, voted to require that transportation funding includes multi modal components such as buses, rather than just highway building, and sponsored several bills to create job training, apprentice and mentoring programs to enable youth to access the skilled trades.

The impact of arts and culture cannot be solely measured in economic terms – they uplift the human spirit, inspire participants and attendees, and heighten our quality of life. Those benefits are too intangible to measure. Nevertheless, COPPeR’s recent economic impact study established that arts and cultural activities pumped $153 million into the Pikes Peak region last year. Spending by scores of organizations, not to mention over $100 million spent by audiences on events, adds up to a significant economic impact. And arts and culture also employs over 5000 people, while generating $15.9 million in tax revenue.

I support increased automatic voter registration such as presently implemented with the issuance of driver’s licenses. Voter registration could also occur at other places where voters interact with state agencies such as at schools, public health centers and licensed day care facilities. I oppose measures that restrict access to voting such as photo ID requirements which disenfranchise older voters and people in communities of color.

RepPete@gmail.com wwwPeteLeeColorado.com 719 460-2834 Education: Ohio Wesleyan Univ. BA 1970, Univ. of Akron School of Law, JD 1975, Wharton School, Univ of Pa. 1970-71 Occupation: Legislator, Small business owner, lawyer