this is nearly an hour. [applause]

>> it is my pleasure and honor to present to you the governor of the best state in the nation, colorado. gov. polis: you'll be happy to know that the escort committee did their job, i was unable to escape, but they fully contain the and did their job. speaker, majority leader durand, majority leader rodriguez, majority leader lynch, treasurer young, secretary of state griswold, first gentleman reese, members of the state board of education, justices of the colorado supreme court, members of the cabinet, denver mayor mike johnson, u.s. attorney cole

finnegan, and of course all the members of the colorado general assembly, there's a few new ones i haven't met yet. welcome. over the last year i've been thinking a lot about who we want to be when our great state turns 150 years all come in just two years. as we envision our future together, i'm often reminded of president kennedy speech it rice university, it was there when he articulated his full vision, saying we choose to go to the moon in this decade, not because it's easy, but because it is hard. he took a seemingly impossible goal, who would think of going to the moon, something never attempted in human history, and he made it a mission.

the moonshot goal set a standard not just for the united states, but for the world. it ushered in a new era of american success and innovation. seven years later, neil armstrong spoke those famous words, one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. turning moonshot goal into mission accomplished. it wasn't easy, with a vision to guide the way and the famous american work ethic, they got it done. throughout colorado's history, we've often been the ones leading the change, blazing new trails, turning our dreams into reality. we've literally moved mountains, building roads and tunnels and railroads through the seemingly impenetrable rockies. we were the very first state in america to pass voting rights for women through a vote of the people. [applause]

that helped cement colorado's place as a state that not only cherishes and upholds rights and freedoms of people, but expands those rights in pursuit of a more perfect state and a more perfect nation. colorado's republican governor ralph carr stood virtually alone among high-ranking -- high-ranking elected officials on japanese americans in world war ii, and condemning racial prejudice. over the last five years, we blazed a new trail in colorado in early childhood education with free universal preschool, saving families thousands of dollars. helped give more children a strong start in life. colorado was the first state to legalize recreational use of cannabis, setting the standard for innovation and safety and

economic mobility that has been replicated by states across the nation and countries across the world to learn what colorado did right. now, thanks to our voters, we are once again leading the nation, with 50 years of stifle research to learn about the benefit in our state and beyond. we've helped leave the quantum industry, and some of those futuristic novels, most of which i've read, could not imagine. colorado is the rightful permanent home of -- [applause] -- home of u.s.-based command. we will help secure our national

security in the u.s. space command. it once seemed pie in the sky, but we proven that we can accomplish many things when we work together. as i look around this room, i see a few of you who might have announced campaigns for other offices. we are sorry that we risk losing you, we want to keep you busy here, whether it's congress, mayor, or city council. i want to thank you for your desire to continue to serve. there are some talk about what might be next for me, but i'm ready to put an end to the speculation, with the competition gearing up in the next few weeks, i want to announce am ready to try out for the colorado rockies this spring. [applause] who needs legislation when you can have home runs? and frankly, we all know they could use the help. all kidding aside, together we can assure that our state

remains the very best place to live, to raise a family, to launch a business, create jobs and make colorado safer, and we all know, you the voters know and have told us that we need to work to make colorado more affordable. [applause] together, we can create more housing for coloradans at all income levels, increase access to convenient and low cost transit opportunities, improve our quality of life, make the future of our state writer and our state more livable. a better environment, cleaner air and water, a strong economy, and better transportation. the real-life situations that families face on rent or mortgage need no introduction or explanation to any of us, because they loom large. we've got our own personal friends and family network of coloradans who are struggling to make the rent or mortgage every

month. it is truly a matter of statewide concern. simply put, we must create more housing in our state that coloradans of all income levels can rent or buy in the communities where people want to live, near job opportunities that pay well. and by reducing housing costs, we will also help decrease homelessness in our communities. i want to thank the mayors who are on the front lines of this issue and have joined us here today. denver mayor johnson, colorado springs, and the fort collins mayor, let's welcome them. [applause] i've been spending a lot of time listening to coloradans awfully state from aurora to grand junction. it is no surprise that everywhere in our state, the top issue is housing costs.

i hear from parents who fear their children will never own a home in colorado, and they aren't alone. 83% of colorado parents were -- worried their children won't be able to afford to live here. i hear from older coloradans that they fear they won't be able to age in the communities they call home or won't be able to downsize because even though their house may have increased in value, high interest rates and property taxes prevent them from affording even a smaller home. that's why i hope that in this session we can work to make the senior homestead exemption portable. i also hear from young parents who want to raise their children in a home of their own, from front-line workers, from teachers, firefighters, police officers, health-care workers. i think our exceptional state

workforce, many of whom can afford to live near the community where they work and are forced to spend significant time and cost on the road getting to their jobs. i hear from business owners who have difficulty recruiting the talent they need. college students who have sadly lost hope and don't believe homeownership will ever be a part of their future. in our state, there's a sense of homeless -- hopelessness and despair around housing. and how people feel about the divisiveness of our national politics. since the start of 2022, higher interest rates and home values have driven the typical mortgage payment up by over 70%, and income has simply not kept up. to do nothing would be, as spock would say, highly illogical. last year, we took an important step, banning road camps, and i

also signed an executive order to remove bureaucratic barriers and cut through red tape, reducing turnaround time on contracts and grants from the department of local affairs and the division of housing to 90 days. the state is putting our skin in the game and doing our part to solve the housing crisis. and with your partnership, we can and we build -- we will build on that progress. homeowners have property rights in financial tools that they need to build an accessory dwelling unit, also known as a granny flat or a mother-in-law cottage or an aging parent or a long-term renter, creating more housing supply that is inherently affordable and filling critical gaps in our communities and job centers. according to recent survey, more than 80% of coloradans are supportive of allowing adu's in their communities. today we are joined by somebody

who is a coloradan who directly experienced the benefit of adu's , and has been a game changer for his family. increased his property value, created another low-cost housing option for a family of four that he is now renting two. please join me and -- and welcoming josef, who is here with his family. [applause] together, we can help more coloradans make decisions that work best not only for themselves and their families, but create more housing opportunities for others, and i look forward to working with the sponsors who are leading the way in this exciting legislative effort. this session, i will be supporting a bill to reduce the

cost of housing and encourage innovative approaches like new financing strategies, easing parking restrictions, tackling liability costs for multifamily condos, reducing the cost of fire insurance, especially in the face of increasing climate related disasters like the fire we just observe the second anniversary of. and i will be very skeptical of bills that will increase the cost of housing. as you might be able to tell, housing policy creates more affordable choices for coloradans. in some ways, it's my roman empire. any discriminatory occupancy limits that especially hurt renters is another important way we can break down harmful barriers to housing and create more equity. i want to thank the representatives and senators for taking on this important housing and civil rights issue. [applause]

when it comes down to creating a colorado where people from all backgrounds can live in homes that they can afford near accessible and reliable transportation options, buses, biking, walkable neighborhoods, imagine leaving your home, heading to a train stop or bus station just a few blocks away, maybe you walk or ride your bike, and from there you ride to work. and i know some of you do this. ride to work in style, and because the schedule is reliable, you know exactly what time you will catch the train or bus to come home that day. you can catch up on your reading or get ahead of your work on the way. you don't have to worry if you have enough gas or if the roads are icy. but if you choose to drive a car, there is less traffic. on the weekends, you use the same transit stop to head downtown or see me play with the world-famous rockies. because you live in a home you can afford, you are saving money

on gas and car repairs and you can put that money toward other priorities. what a wonderful day in mr. rogers neighborhood. and soon more neighborhoods across colorado. [applause] and this is already happening in communities like downtown fort collins, where thriving downtown centers are built around business and commerce and transportation and housing. but we need more shining examples across our state. transit oriented and connected communities can create a better future for our state and drive up ross parity and our enjoyment with less traffic, more housing, better air quality, and we want to provide the tools that our communities need to make it happen. this year i am excited about a proposal in our budget that will help local governments build housing infrastructure and transit oriented neighborhoods by addressing construction hurdles like access to water,

sewage and stormwater systems, and by increasing opportunities for walking and biking, bussing, and all sorts of transportation. to start, we need a well-rounded approach, and that includes goals for housing that every community can work towards in their own way. these goals consider jobs and cost and zoning capacity and transit areas and housing density and of course vectors like regional equity and infrastructure and water efficiency. we also need transit oriented housing policy that incentivizes communities to not only meet those goals and provide accountability, but going above and beyond. my budget also expands the state of affordable housing credit, providing crucial incentives are transit areas to help with affordability and to build out this compelling vision for quality-of-life. i want to thank the representatives and senators for their work to help more

coloradans live in transit oriented communities and achieve this powerful vision of more affordable housing in transit that works in our great state. [applause] this work is important, but in order to build more housing and reliable transit, we need -- you guessed it -- transit that works better. the distance the average coloradan drives per year has increased by 20% over the past few decades. recent data shows commuters in denver were stuck in traffic for an average of 54 hours per year, that is more than an entire work week just stuck in traffic. i have experience that, and i know you have, too. coloradans are spending too much on gas, to the tune of roughly $1800 per year per

thanks to the senate bill which supercharged transit funding, finally roads are getting better throughout colorado, but we are not done yet. we have the planes and the automobiles. now we just need the trains. for too long, passenger rail has been another moonshot out of reach. coloradans love the idea, but often many people believe it's not something we will see in our lifetime. yes, it's big and yes it is bold, but i'm here to tell you passenger rail service that is within reach. agatha christie road to travel by train and see nature, human beings and see life. we have a vision for delivering on front range and mountain rail that will create access points across the state that connect people to more housing, more businesses, more jobs, getting people places quicker and less expensively and we are going to get it done.

after years of waiting, the pieces are falling into place. the federal government has approved more than $66 billion to create a world-class rail system for the country, so it's not a question of if the united states will see a massive expansion of passenger rail but simply a question of whether colorado will seize this opportunity and get our share of those federal dollars to deliver passenger rail to the residents of our state. [applause] with existing tracks, now utilized mostly for commercial rail, we have an opportunity to extend daily, regularly scheduled passenger rail service through the rocky mountains.

we need to take action to ensure we get train service from union station to west jefferson county, winter park, and on to craig and hayden, alleviating traffic in the mountain quarters, supporting housing that's affordable for the local workforce, and helping communities strengthen and diversify their economies. together, we must also deliver on the unfulfilled fasttrack's promise of train service from union station to boulder and longline. [applause] and not 2040 something, not 2030 something. of course, to loveland and fort collins. this is not pie. we can do it through a joint effort and start that work now. the problem of unfinished public transit in our state has simply gone on far too long and

taxpayers are sick and tired of paying for services that they are not getting. if we move boldly this session to see these on -- unprecedented federal investments, we can lock in rail opportunities in time for our 150th birthday in 2026. the story of our states founding and early economic success is intertwined with historic railroad expansion of the 1880's just as our dreams for the future will be intertwined with the expansion of passenger rail and transit oriented communities. i look forward to partnering with senate president fienberg to ensure we take the opportunity to get this done. these efforts need to be combined with the more expensive state wide bus system. colorado is seeing the exciting success of bus staying that connected nearly 3000 coloradans already. that means 300,000 cars off the

road and less traffic. we know we need to go further to improve convenience for all, -- coloradans including air quality and reduce traffic. not something we can do alone. we need reliable, regional transit organizations across the state including in the major metropolitan areas. we can have access to better transportation options that meet the need of coloradans and requires us to be imagine what that means. of course, that means helping to reimagine and support rtd. with state investments like fares for better air, we are seeing progress in increased ridership, but we know there's more work to do. we need to re-examine and reimagine governance and operational efficiencies, expand local partnerships, build on the work of the rtd accountability committee, and give rtd and transit agencies across the state the tool and structures

and financial resources they need to deliver better services to more people, creating a transportation system that meets the needs of coloradans while supporting more housing near transportation hubs and improving our air quality. i look forward to working with senator winter and representative lynn stat on legislation to get it done. [applause] so we can actually deliver on the housing and transit solutions. the two are wedded together. coloradans are demanding this. as a yoda would say, do or do not, there is no try. we must do and show coloradans what it looks like. when there's more housing for every budget and more convenient and lower cost mobility statewide for everyone. nothing is more important to our fundamental health of the communities than public safety. i want to take a moment to recognize the men and women

in law enforcement and members of the military here with us today. if they can rise and we can express our gratitude for their service. [applause] thank you for your work. we all deserve to be safe, which is why our goal is to make colorado one of the 10 safest states by 2027 and i will be supporting legislation to further that goal and be skeptical of any legislation that makes colorado less safe. over the last few years, we made important investments in effective and locally driven -- efforts for local law enforcement that resulted in scholarships for 135 recruits to attend the post-academy, 194 law enforcement recruitment

events across the state and more than 400 community outreach events. through legislation led by senator buckner, former senator cook, senator will and representative valdes, we funded more than 50 initiatives throughout the state. we use evidence-based strategies to make the community safer such as crime prevention and violence interrupter efforts, law enforcement community outreach, crisis intervention, mentoring, and recovering housing to name a few models that. . work early data shows a downward trend in crime. we want to continue these investments to create safer colorado communities for everyone. last year with the leadership of senator gardner, senator bridges, representative soper, and others, we took important steps to crack down on auto theft, when a car is stolen it

impacts work, health-care, childcare and many aspects of daily life. we invested in technology to locate and retrieve stolen vehicles and strickland the dedicated task force. we provided more money for district attorneys to prosecute criminals responsible and took action to make criminal penalties tougher for auto theft by eliminating the value of vehicle from consideration. i'm proud to report we are starting to move in the right direction. as of september of last year, colorado has seen a 21% year over year reduction in stolen vehicles, a 27% reduction in the city of denver. [applause] and we need to do more. ongoing data-driven investments and reducing auto theft are absolutely critical to continue

to fight all the crimes associated with auto theft and the difficulty it causes for victims. and we are also actively involved in helping victims of crime get back on their feet, providing additional funding to help people get support and resources they need to recover and heal. we called on the congressional delegation to increase federal funding for victims to receive the victims of crime act. the majority leader continued advocacy for this work and we look forward to the partnership in the session ahead. sadly in the last few months, there's been a dramatic increase in horrific acts of hate across the world including here at home in colorado. between october 7 and january 7, the anti-defamation league recording a 360% increase in

antisemitic incidents nationwide . the rise in entasis -- tismlamophobia and hate in all forms is unacceptable in the state of all forms. [applause] colorado is a state that welcomes everyone, no matter your country, background, where or how you worship, who you love. every person has the right to feel safe at home, in their community, and in their place of worship. we called upon this body to help protect nonprofit organizations and religious institutions facing a heightened risk of targeted hate and violence. i want to thank the joint budget committee for taking swift action to provide additional funding for this work last month

and i'm proud to report we've already gotten the money out. today, we are joined by educators from beth jacob high school of denver and the islamic center of fort collins, both of which received funding supported by the state of colorado and are using it to make security improvements and better protect our communities. these join me in welcoming them here today. [applause] it goes beyond simple funding which helps. they tell me about the windows they've installed, cameras, and the steps they can take to protect congregants. it's all about efforts to root out hate altogether. colorado is leading the nation in our work to prevent gun

violence, whether it is strengthening red flag laws, establishing waiting periods, requiring safe storage of firearms if kids are in the household, or the work on banning ghost guns. we are a model for the nation in practical, commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence while protecting our cherished second amendment rights. i want to thank fellow legislators for their work to make this possible. [applause] to build on this work and make coloradans safer, we are proposing additional investments to prevent convicted felons from illegally purchasing firearms. each year, thousands of people who are prohibited from purchasing a firearm try and do so illegally. as a state, we crackdown on

illegal firearm community -- activity. we are working with district attorneys across the state to get it done while supporting our rural da offices. while all of this supports safe and thriving communities, helping us each reach our goal on becoming one of the 10 safest states, we know another important element of safe colorado communities is a strong education system that serves everybody and provides opportunity to everyone. education is a universal key, opening the doors we never even dreamed existed, transporting us to distant lands, exploring the deepest oceans and catapulting us to the moon. education opens our eyes to new ideas and invites us to dream big dreams and give us the tools to turn those dreams into reality. education as you know has long been a passion of mine.

it is a passion shared by many if not all of you here today. with the leadership of fellow senators and representatives, colorado took urgent action to ensure more than 3000 -- 300,000 colorado children have healthy meals throughout the summer. [applause] and we are saving families thousands of dollars per year. on preschool and full-day kindergarten, i spent a lot of time in classrooms across the state where i hear from educators and students about what preschool means to them. it's a special thing to see children and their families access the benefits of early childhood education for the first time. we have a child right there. [laughter] the lieutenant governor's granddaughter, preschool in about three years. by the way, free preschool helped propel colorado from 26th

to eighth in the country in preschool access in just one year. [applause] i want to thank the voters of our state, universal preschool and the new ballot initiative to keep it passed with more than two thirds of the vote. people think kids ought to be able to go to preschool. it's a powerful statement and will have a powerful impact in the lives of coloradans. i want to thank the voters, legislative champions, senator buckner, their incredible leadership to help bring preschool to life and make it work. i'm proud a few months ago colorado voters passed a proposition dedicating an additional 23.7 million dollars to preschool, expanding hours and making preschool even better for next year.

i'm so excited in our very first year about 40,000 kids were enrolled, saving each family more than $6,000 per year and i'm proud of what's going on across the state and public education. i'm proud of the bright spot award winners, schools around the state with major increases in student achievement in areas like math and science during very challenging years for education. these schools are models that others can follow and we want to help give them the support and funding they need to serve even more students and share their successes. please join me in welcoming principals and educators from two bright spot award winners who are here today. a science bright spot award winner and a math bright spot award winner from pueblo.

[applause] we have a lot to learn in school districts up frost the state have a lot to learn. we helped more students and educators access resources they need, after school hours to improve math achievement including more hours focused on strengthening skills thank through representative mcglocklin, senator marchman and senator lundeen and now we want to work with you to expand out of school opportunities to boost science achievement as well. so important for kids' success and colorado's success. i look forward to working with you to get that done. but our work is far from finished.

this year, thanks to the leadership of the people in this room and after more than a decade, we are finally eliminating the budget stabilization factor. [applause] with of course a plan to continue that investment. this means an additional $705 per student on average. that's about $15,500 more per classroom. that's on top of last year's increase. more than $1000 per student made possible by this legislature. it means better teacher pay, expanded learning opportunities for students, professional development aligned with successful outcomes, and bitter resources for classrooms. with the budget stabilization and maxes to the general

assembly, we will also -- achieve -- for charter schools in colorado. [applause] this has been a long time coming and we are thrilled to fulfill our commitment to voters and enter a new era of full education funding in the state of colorado. just as we continue investing students from preschool through high school, we need to continue to invest in the success of lifelong learners, after graduation powering economic growth and preparing people of all ages for successful careers. right now there's about two job openings for every unemployed coloradan. we want every coloradan to build a good life and good career on their own terms and we are creating many different ways to do that, from dual enrollment to low-cost credentialing. with the leadership of speaker

mccluskey and senator buckner and senator will, we expanded free community and technical colleges for in demand careers which has already served more than 35 hundred nurses, construction workers and law enforcement individuals to help them enter a career that allows them to succeed and one that we need to fill open positions. [applause] we've also partnered with businesses to develop training pathways. we created a pilot scholarship program to support innovation in education and working with higher innovation institutions to keep tuition low, and thanks to representatives and senators, we are developing the next generation of farmers and ranchers through the agricultural workforce development program helping young people in rural areas get real-world experience from

working on a farm or ranch to a paid apprenticeship. but we know we need to go further. [applause] and innovate even more, increasing the number of state government apprenticeships by 50%, supporting the creation of 100 new innovations in the private sector by june 30 of this year. these actions translate to more jobs where coloradans can learn while they earn, saving money on education or training, helping companies fill available jobs, stronger businesses, stronger economy, better earning potential for residents. we want to continue opportunities now thanks to the work speaker mccluskey, senator bridges, to help blur the lines between k-12, higher education and employers. grantees are now on track to

serve 10,000 coloradans in industries like construction, health care, education and early childhood paired we are just getting started. soon with the work of representative luken's and senator soper, we create even more ways for coloradans to become skilled construction workers, plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, and more, earning a good living in powering our economy. colorado is truly becoming a national leader in this work and by innovating, we will continue to save money while strengthening the workforce for a more prosperous future. [applause] we are also continuing the important and could go a work of saving people money on health -- health care, which after housing is the second largest cost coloradans face. since day one of my administration starting with the creation of the office of saving

people money on health care, we've been bold in taking on the insurance special interests and tackling the true cost drivers in health care. our work to save people money in health care is led by our incredible lieutenant governor, diane primavera. [applause] and this has already led to historic successes including the bipartisan reinsurance and colorado option which has been cost-saving game changers for people accessing health in the state. a family of four in grand junction has saved nearly $26,000 since 2020 thanks to insurance and pueblo. families have saved more than $18,000. that is real money and i want to thank the bipartisan legislators

who worked to make these savings possible. other states, even the federal government are taking notice and modeling their own efforts after colorado's. we've also capped the cost of insulin thanks to senator roberts and representative maybury and judah and epi pens as well. but we know our work is not done. [applause] prescription drugs still account for a significant portion of health care costs in colorado and across the country. the simple truth is that coloradans and people across the u.s. are tired of being ripped off for the price of medications that cost a fraction of the amount in other nations. spending on prescription drugs in the u.s. is doubled. nearly 10% of coloradans were unable to fill a prescription because of costs. we are working with the fda to

approve an application to reduce -- allow lower-cost prescription drugs by importing from canada and by the prescription drug of portability board is vital to this work. we also support the individuals who provide home-based care, helping more coloradans connect to services and do better technology. especially as we approach what would have been the 51st anniversary of roe v. wade, i appreciate the steps the general assembly has taken to protect personal reproductive health decisions including abortion, reminding us that all coloradans value the freedom to make our own choices. [applause] we also need greater access to

behavioral health care and to build on the success of i matter, championed by senators, the budget calls for more support for behavior health, better autism care for youth, expanded care for youth facing acute and severe behavioral health challenges, investments in mental health support for the rural and agricultural communities and those involved with the criminal justice system . at the heart of all these conversations are the coloradans working to expand access for and helping save money which is why i continue to make this work a top priority. it was important then, it's important now, so we need to innovate and look for more ways to lower costs and save people money on health care. part of a healthy life means a healthy environment. here in colorado, we are an example to the nation of how to protect the natural world around

us and combat the impact of a changing climate. we are already on track to exceed our goal of 80% clean energy by 2030, just six years from now. [applause] we have one of the most ambitious strategies in the country to reduce local air pollution from the oil and gas and transportation industries including achieving electric vehicle sales that are six time higher than when i took office and look forward to working with the legislature to advance the budget request to further improve air quality, utilizing recommendations from environmental justice advocates. my administration has delivered on more than 94% of the actions outlined in the first greenhouse gas production roadmap and we will soon release the second roadmap with more than 40 new actions. we are also grateful we now have federal funding to achieve these goals even faster thanks to the

work of the united states congress and president biden. [applause] now we need to cut red tape holding back local investment and unprecedented federal resources in renewable and clean energy including building transmission lines more quickly, renewable energy development, storing carbon dioxide pollution underground. we are excited about legislation led by senator fienberg and senator hanson to expedite these critical clean energy projects,. hand in hand with the climate work is our leadership on protecting and conserving our wildlife and wild places. we will continue to take bold action to protect our cherished public lands. colorado is finally factoring in variables that have long been

neglected like tracking the rate of year-to-year biodiversity loss, improving soil health, and focusing on ecosystem resiliency in the face of an ever changing climate. we are strengthening native biodiversity and storing -- restoring balance to the ecosystem by bringing back native species like the black footed ferret. as of mid december, we met the voter mandated deadline for the reintroduction of gray wolves into the state. [applause] we also need to protect that progress by continuing to invest in nonlethal conflict minimization that works to help our farmers and ranchers thrive in this inclusive future. colorado parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources and department of agriculture play key roles and we need your help to continue

supporting their work to reduce and minimalize conflicts with wildlife. we've also invested nearly 300 million dollars into our precious water resources towards implementation of the visionary colorado water plant and remain committed to aggressively defending colorado's interests and rights in the colorado river negotiations. [applause] all of this work from protecting our environment and wildlife to housing in transit, to education and workforce, public safety, means a stronger and better colorado where everyone can get ahead. in addition to these efforts, we need to continue to work to strengthen our economy and help people hold on to more of their hard earned money. inkster colorado's amazing success, we are well on her way

toward another record year of surpluses projected to be between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion. a healthy surplus is of course sign of a strong economy, but also a signal that the tax rate is simply too high. [applause] tax relief is the best wreck -- mechanism to spur economic growth for everyone in the state. one of the secrets of colorado's economic success is whenever there was a tabor surplus after paying for the senior homestead property tax exemption and we hope paying for making it portable, there was an automatic income tax cut the following year and that happened in the first two years of my administration. since we have now, thanks to the voters, permanently reduced that for the income tax rate, that mechanism is no longer active. i know that a couple, maybe a

few democrats in the past have been skeptical of reducing the income tax rate. but cutting the income tax rate is the most effective way to further our economic growth. [applause] in my 2020 state of the state address, i echoed both president kennedy and president obama's calls for cutting the income tax rate, and the people of our state delivered twice, and i them. president kennedy did not just launch the moonshot. he delivered the largest income tax cut in the history of the u.s., saying that income taxes exert to heavy a drag on growth and reduce financial incentives for personal effort, investment, and risk taking. those help spur america's astronomic economic growth. of course, cutting the income tax rate is not a panacea, but to spur continued growth, it should be part of any

significant progressive reforms. that's great, we got applause from nobody which means we all agree. good. [laughter] it's a compromise. we work together. likewise, we know property taxes are part of what's driving up the cost of living in colorado. let me take a moment to commend the federal assembly for your hard work and the special session to reduce property tax rates. we are saving coloradans money in the short term as we work together toward a long-term replacement to the gallagher amendment to keep property taxes low and i urge you to do as much as you can to reduce property taxes this session. [applause] republicans who have been rightly supportive of providing an income tax cut to rebates and beyond have at times supporting using the surplus for property tax relief as well.

unfortunately during special section -- session, vocally opposed the concept. i believe that shortsighted because we should use every tool we have to reduce property taxes while minimizing harm to local services like fire protection and school districts. [applause] this work means more money in colorado and pockets, a stronger economy, a more affordable colorado. as demonstrated by the healthy surplus in colorado, taxes are simply too high. income taxes, property taxes and the state sales tax. we ignore that at our own peril and i challenge democrats and republicans to work together to improve our economic growth and success by not taking taxes that we can't keep anyway and instead working on a bold and balanced and progressive package including cutting the income tax rate. [applause]

and while we might not agree on everything related to this, something we all agree on, refunds must remain free of federal taxes as they have for 30 years. i want to thank senator bennett and others for this continued work and working closely with us to help coloradans keep their hard earned money. when i became governor, i envisioned a colorado for all. we are guided by the same mission today. no matter who you are, who you love, no matter your faith, where you came from, what you look like, regardless of your age or ability status, how long you've been here, whether you've just arrived or you've been here

for generations, you belong. as we get closer to the sesquicentennial, 150th birthday , i know we all want to help everyone get ahead and that means applying colorado for all to every facet of our lives. health care, housing, transportation, education, careers, public safety, and more. it means continuing to listen to one another and having the tough conversations around issues that matter the most. that's what the disagree better initiative is all about. as vice chair of the national governors association, i work alongside the chair on this issue. it's not about agreeing on every instance. for instance, governor cox and i cannot seem to agree on which state has better skiing even though it's obviously colorado.

[laughter] [applause] but it's about how we can disagree better. this is something colorado is good at, but these skills are challenged both between and within our own political parties especially as we feel the vitriol of national politics. too often, it can feel that our disagreements are what define us and that the gap can seem daunting and too big to close. as arthur c brooks wrote, almost no one is ever insulted into agreement. it's a very important lesson. as highlighted by our leaders yesterday, when we lose that ability to lis test ten totest test test test test test test test test test a,

emphatically and still be ablea, to work together with mutual respect and dignity. when that is no longer possible and policy arguments become personal attacks and people start to paint the other side not as colleagues who happen to disagree but as enemies, we are entering dangerous territory. here in this building, we've seen how listening to one another and having thoughtful conversations can impact all relationships and create better policies for our state. we share the same goals for a strong colorado so let's use the next four months to really work together to disagree better, showed the nation how it's done the colorado way. the work is an easy.

[applause] the baby is back. good. if this were greasy, it would have been done already but here in colorado, we dream, we dare and we do. this year we choose once again to tackle what his heart, what truly challenges us as president kennedy said, not because it's easy but because it's hard. as we prepare for the year ahead, know that the state of our state is strong. when we work together, when we disagree better, nothing is beyond our reach. thank you, god bless you all, god bless colorado, and god bless the united states of

america. [applause]

today, a look at the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan with retired general mark milley , former chair of the joint chiefs of staff and retired general kenneth mckenzie, former commander of u.s. central command. watch the house foreign affairs many live at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. c-span now or online at c-span.org. rouser latest collection of products, apparel, books, home decor, and is a series. there's something for every c- span fan and every purchase supports our nonprofit operations. shop now or anytime online at