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 youll 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, theres a few new ones i havent met yet. Welcome. Over the last year ive 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, im 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 its 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 wasnt easy, with a vision to guide the way and the famous American Work ethic, they got it done. Throughout colorados history, weve often been the ones leading the change, blazing new trails, turning our dreams into reality. Weve 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 colorados 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. Colorados republican governor ralph carr stood virtually alone among highranking highranking 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. Weve helped leave the quantum industry, and some of those futuristic novels, most of which ive 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 its 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 im 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 reallife situations that families face on rent or mortgage need no introduction or explanation to any of us, because they loom large. Weve 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, lets welcome them. [applause] ive 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 arent alone. 83 of colorado parents were worried their children wont be able to afford to live here. I hear from older coloradans that they fear they wont be able to age in the communities they call home or wont 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. Thats 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 frontline workers, from teachers, firefighters, police officers, healthcare 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 dont believe homeownership will ever be a part of their future. In our state, theres 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 motherinlaw cottage or an aging parent or a longterm 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 adus in their communities. Today we are joined by somebody who is a coloradan who directly experienced the benefit of adus , and has been a game changer for his family. Increased his property value, created another lowcost 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, its 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 dont 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 worldfamous 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 wellrounded 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 qualityoflife. 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 its not something we will see in our lifetime. Yes, its big and yes it is bold, but im 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 worldclass rail system for the country, so its 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 thats affordable for the local workforce, and helping communities strengthen and diversify their economies. Together, we must also deliver on the unfulfilled fasttracks 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 1880s 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 theres more work to do. We need to reexamine 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 theres more housing for every budget and more convenient and lower cost mobility stat