Polis [cheers and applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [applause] [applause] [cheers and applause] gov. Polis good morning, everyone. [indiscernible] gov. Polis good morning to everyone. [laughter] leaders, members of the General Assembly from across our great state, Lieutenant Governor, the ,outhern indian tribal chairman general,n, attorney ,ecretary of state, treasurer members of the state board of education, justices of the colorado Supreme Court, aurora mayor, members of the cabinet, our dedicated first gentleman. [cheers and applause] gov. Polis thank you all for gathering here this morning. Before we begin, i want to offer my gratitude to the many people whose tireless dedication to our safety allows us to gather here today and keeps the people of colorado safe, the members of the military serving in colorado and abroad, and our Law Enforcement officers and First Responders. [applause] gov. Polis they deserve our deepest thanks. I would also like to honor the memory of those brave colorado servicemembers and First Responders who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe. Some of their families are in the audience with us today. To ask him to stand so we and acknowledged the sacrifice those families have em to stand, so we can acknowledged the sacrifice those families have made. [applause] recentlis we also had a loss in this chamber. Condolencesfer my to the family of the great representative lewis. We know she represented farmers and ranchers in southern colorado constituents with passionate resolve, and we want to express our dear consultants condolences to the family of representative lewis. [applause] finally, we wish a speedy recovery to one of our own. Her determination, experience a quick wit will be sorely missed at the capital. [applause] and finally, as she begins her last year as speaker, i would like to give a special thank you to speaker kc becker for her steady leadership of this chamber. Her passionate dedication to our people and planet are truly unmatched. You know we are blessed to live in a place as special and amazing as colorado. Our states breathtaking natural beauty, Strong Economy, optimistic and forward thinking people truly make colorado the envy of the nation. That does not happen by accident. The success happens because for decades, coloradans from across the continental divide, across the political divide, have worked together in good faith to find Common Ground to protect what keeps colorado special, and to build an even better state. I am grateful the men and women in this building are continuing in that tradition. Working together last year, we lowered healthcare costs, lower taxes for Small Businesses, provided more Affordable Housing options, made the largest ever state investment in transportation and delivered universal free fullday kindergarten for all. [applause] that is a pretty darn good start for the General Assembly. Goodsue after issue, with faith and thoughtful work of the members in this chamber, really helped move our state forward. 95 ofld be proud that the bills i signed into law last year were asked were passed with republican and democratic votes. We should not take for granted this cooperative spirit. Instead, we should work to strengthen it. That we are all in this together is a much better approach to solving problems than trying to go it alone. Fates ize that our when we realize that our fates are connected, and that we are better together, we can solve any problem, no matter how large, we encounter. And so as we stand here today on the cusp of a new decade the 20 20s, the future with a renewed spirit to build on the progress we have made. Colorado does a lot of things well and we need to keep doing them well. Mikaela shiffrin didna™t just did not just hang up her skis after becoming the best womena™s best women skier of her generation. And i dont think mallory pugh and Lindsay Horan stopped showing up to practice after the u. S. Womens National Team won the world cup. They have continue to strive for greatness, which is what we all must do. Our state has seen tremendous gains in jobs and Economic Growth, and populism and tourism , and in national and international prestige. When i travel around our state and listen to our constituents, it is clear that too many folks still feel like they are on an economic treadmill where their paychecks just dont keep up with the cost of living. From Student Loans to healthcare costs to rent or mortgage, coloradans feel like they are running faster and faster and a treadmill but often not getting ahead. Too many of our fellow coloradans are anxious that one hardship, a job loss, medical emergency, recession, natural disaster, unforeseen challenge, could send them into a financial tailspin. There is a generation of older coloradans who wonder when or even wit even if they will be able to retire with dignity. There is a generation of younger people saddled with student debt and threatened the Climate Crisis who fear for their future and the world they will inherit. , in thiss wonder everchanging modern economy, how to get ahead financially while also finding the time to enjoy the things that make life worth living. Whether it is a day out exploring our beautiful public lands or taking a Family Vacation or making it home in time to go to your kids soccer game. Just a chance to get off the treadmill for a little while. Respect to the exercise equipment industry, we dont prefer treadmills in colorado. We prefer trails. [applause] we love and enjoy to climb, striving to reach the peak, identifying the next peak, and doing it all over again, always reaching to achieve more. Stagnation just isnt in our dna. When a challenge arises, we get moving. Why do you think i wear my blue sneakers everywhere . This is who we are. It is why we are so successful. It is our job as Public Officials to build a state that allows coloradans to reach the mountaintop and the next mountaintop by saving families money, protecting our natural wonders that grace every corner of our state, by widening the pathway to prosperity, instead of leaving too many folks feeling like they are running in place. Oftenathway to prosperity begins with a great education. Last year at this very podium, i ask you to join me in taking the bold step of providing free fullday kindergarten for every kid in colorado. And you delivered. [applause] the Lieutenant Governors granddaughter will be appreciating that soon. She is with us today. Next to parents and advocates, teachers, and dedicated legislators like jim wilson and barbara maclachlan, senators rhonda fields and jeff bridges, a unanimous vote in the senate and super majority in the house, we took a major step to improve our kids education, say families money and boost our economy. I want to show you what that means. I want to introduce you to someone in the audience today. Samantha hosmer, a mother of two from erie, left her job in 2014 to care for her newborn daughter fiona and son logan, who needed extra support for social and emotional challenges. This past fall, when it came time to enroll fiona in kindergarten, samantha and her husband knew a full day at school was important, but simply could not afford it. Thanks to free fullday kindergarten, fiona is getting that full day of instruction, samanthas family is not only saving 300 a month but she was also able to return to work as a special ed paraprofessional, a bill able to support her family and two children with more earnings. [applause] now it is time to continue that work. Studies show that preschool is every bit as critical for a childs development as kindergarten. It is not that parents dont want their kids in preschool. Toomey parents cannot afford it. Last are, we were thrilled to work with you to fund 5100 additional slots for atrisk children in the colorado preschool program. In my budget this year, we are proposing to help an additional 6000 children to attend preschool, which will bring coverage to half of all eligible kids in colorado. Half of all colorado families. We should feel good about reaching this milestone. It has taken more than three decades of work to get half the job done. We know we must do better, which is why, i am committed to achieving universal access to quality preschool for fouryearolds by the end of my first term. [applause] Early Childhood education is not just about giving our kids a great start in life, although truly that is where we start. Every dollar invested in highquality preschool produces a seven dollar return on due toent to taxpayers higher earnings, lower special education needs, greater tax revenues, less dependency on public assistance and lower crime rates. This is not just the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do. And it is time to get it done. In addition to making essential investments in early education, we also improved other areas of k12 education last year. We expanded loan forgiveness for ourl educators to address expandedhortage, and dropout prevention programs to end the school to prison pipeline. The budgetreduced stabilization factor. Teachers, one of the most important professions in our society, should not have to work a second or third job is to make ends meet. We know that under colorado system of local control, individual districts set teacher salaries. When i speak with school leaders, they want to pay teachers better but because of our fiscal rules, the state spends far too much money backfilling some of the wealthiest districts not only in the state, and in the country. That is at the root of our School Funding issues. Together, we can fix this systemic problem and finally raise pay for our hardworking educators. [applause] our work on education is incredibly important but we of at fulfill a promise Better Future for our kids if we dont do a better job of keeping them keeping them safe when they walk to the schoolhouse door. One of the most difficult days of my administration was responding to the stem School Shootings in Highlands Ranch were eight students were injured and Kendrick Castillo lost his life heroically preventing more bloodshed. His parents, john and maria, are with us today and i want to show our acknowledgment for the heroism of their son. [applause] i will never forget visiting with them shortly after the tragedy. John told me how he would spend every weekend together hunting, building robotics, and creating memories. He told me how kendrick was more than just his only son, but with his but he but was his best friend. Like millions of parents across our state, i imagine myself in their shoes. I know we all did. The disbelief, the devastation, the anger, and the pain. The despair of losing a child to senseless violence is a weight that toomey parents have been forced to bear for far too long. I want to commend the School Safety interim committee for their bipartisan work on this important issue. I look forward to working with all of you to do more to keep our kids safer because no parent should have to go through what john and maria have gone through. [applause] every child in our state deserves a safe opportunity to learn, make friends, create memories, grow up and graduate and move on to a successful life. Thank you for joining us in the recognition of your tragic sacrifice, john and maria. [applause] most of the time, not all the time, the path to success involves some Higher Education, whether that is a work certificate, credential, to your degree, for your degree, apprenticeship twoyear degree, fouryear degree, apprenticeship. Rising costs are putting Higher Education out of reach for too many. And the burden of student debt is not only holding back an entire generation of young people struggling to afford a car or home or to start a family, it is holding back our economy. Laster, we took action by increasing the general Fund Investment in Higher Education by 13 , an increase that we are building on in our new budget. We expanded dual Enrollment Programs so students can spend less time and less money getting the degree they need to succeed. And thanks to new legislation last year, we are putting 100 into a College Savings account for every single colorado child born or adopted beginning january 1 of this year. [applause] i want to take a moment to congratulate Jorge Esteban herreradelgado, born at 1207 a. M. On new2 07 years day 2020 in montrose county. I also want to congratulate the authors of that proposal Senate Majority leader steve fenberg, a new dad himself as of himself who narrowly missed the deadline of a College Savings account himself, and representative leslie herod the getnt to highlight on your feet loan forgiveness plan. Helping them in those first two years after they graduate as they are transitioning to the workforce, often when the need is the greatest. This work is not just about helping student borrowers get out of the hole. It is about growing the economy for everyone. After graduation day, when the caps and downs are hanging in the closet and the diplomas are hanging on the wall, graduates deserve an economy brimming with opportunity to earn a good living. We need to keep our economy strong and we need to make sure our economy works for everyone. And when i say everyone, that means everyone. In colorado, we believe your future should not be predetermined i the color of your skin, your parents income, your religion, your age, your disability status, or where you live or where you were born or who you love or your gender identity. We believe in colorado for all, and that means everybody. [applause] workis why i was proud to with you and sign the bill guaranteeing that men and women get paid the same wage for the same work. It is why we are proud to support our minority, women, and veteran owned businesses. We are excited to open the doors to our brandnew veterans one Source Center in Grand Junction and propose a pay increase for some of our brave National Guard service members. [applause] we just deployed 150 to the balkans last week and i was able farewellhem in saying to their families for about 10 months. It is also why our administration has expanded apprenticeships to support the next generation of workers and it is why we passed bipartisan criminal Justice Reform measures that will expand opportunities while saving taxpayers money and i look forward to continuing to work with you on vital pretrial reforms to build on that progress. [applause] we are proud in colorado of our support to our Aerospace Industry that bolsters our military and creates high school, good paying jobs. We are happy to work with tribal leadership to expand opportunities in our native communities. It is why we are all it is why we are investing in every corner of our state, enhancing rule economic development, ral hospitalsu thrive, investing in broadband, supporting the next generation of farmers and ranchers and keeping colorado the number one state in the nation for industrial hemp. I am taking action to help folks retire with dignity, and supporting the colorado secure savings plan board recommendations, which the state treasurer has been leading, to help more coloradans safe for retirement. Save for retirement. Finally, in the face of fromcedented hostility this white house toward our immigrant and refugee communities, we can say loudly and proudly that in colorado, we stand with dreamers and refugees. [applause] i was proud to appoint marissa molina, the first dreamer in colorado history to serve on a state board or commission, to the board of Metro State University and i want to take a moment to recognize marissa, who is here today. In colorado, we still need the federal government to pass comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform, and i urge the Supreme Court to do the right thing by the dreamers. In the meantime, we should acknowledge how aspiring americans like marissa are working to make colorado better. I know colorado, we dont build walls of exclusion, we built ladders of opportunity. [applause] in colorado, we dont build walls of exclusion, we build ladders of opportunity. [applause] opportunity is only one side of the coin. The other side is costofliving. As our state has grown, so has the costofliving. The Common Thread in any work of my administration is to save coloradans money. Year, due to a Strong Economy and a bipartisan deal from 2005, every coloradans will receive real tax relief as our state income taxes goes down to historic low of 4. 5 . That is for all taxpayers. Individuals, corporations, every Small Business. Working with you last session, we delivered a tax cut for 144,000 Small Businesses by cutting wasteful subsidies to bigbox retailers and we still had money left over to invest in Affordable Housing and improving health care. Im enthusiastic about working with you to deliver permanent income tax relief and we should continue down the path of eliminating tax breaks