governor Jared Polis Contact information

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Governor Polis is an entrepreneur, education leader, and public servant. He started his first business, American Information Systems, while in college out of his dorm room. By the time he was 30, he’d launched three successful companies, including ProFlowers, one of the world’s leading online flower retailers. Jared’s pioneering role in the internet economy earned him an “Entrepreneur of the Year” distinction from Ernst and Young.

Following these business success, Governor Polis committed himself to making sure other Coloradans had the opportunity to pursue their dreams. He co-founded Techstars, a startup accelerator that mentors entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and Patriot Boot Camp, which helps veterans start their own small businesses after coming home from their service.

In addition to his career as an entrepreneur, much of Governor Polis’ adult life has been focused on improving public education. He served six years on the State Board of Education, where he worked to raise pay for teachers and reduce class size for students. He also founded several public charter schools for at-risk youth, and served as superintendent of one of them, the New America School, which helps immigrants earn their high school diploma.

Most recently, Governor Polis served as the U.S. representative for Colorado’s Second Congressional District, which stretches from Larimer County and the Wyoming border, to the Central Mountains at the heart of Colorado’s tourism economy, to Boulder and the U.S. 36 high-tech corridor. During his time in Congress, the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Governor Polis the most effective member of Colorado’s House delegation due to his success working across the aisle to improve Colorado’s schools, protect public lands, and support startups and small businesses.

Governor Polis is a Colorado native, born in 1975. He, his partner Marlon, and their two children are all avid Rockies fans.

AFFORDABILITY

Taking immediate action to help people keep their hard-earned money. Governor Polis is focused on helping Coloradans save money. By capping the cost of prescription drugs like insulin, cutting taxes for small businesses, and getting rid of state Social Security taxes, this Polis-Primavera administration is just getting started.

• Topping the list of strongest recovering economies in the nation along with a steadily decreasing unemployment rate.
• Finding more than 100 ways to save Coloradans money, including sending $750 in tax refunds to every taxpayer early, lowering property tax rates for all property owners and delivering tens-of-thousands of affordable housing units over the next 10 years.
• Eliminated state taxes on Social Security for seniors and eliminated business personal property tax for thousands of small businesses.
• Providing all-day kindergarten – and, starting soon, free universal preschool – to families across Colorado, while saving them saving families thousands of dollars per year on pre-k and kindergarten.
• Capped the cost of insulin, lowered health care premiums for individual market coverage by 24% through the reinsurance program and created the Colorado Option, which is set to drive down insurance costs further starting next year.

ENVIRONMENT

Protecting Colorado’s blue skies, water, and open spaces. Governor Polis has strengthened the state’s response to wildfires and other disasters while protecting Colorado’s clean air and water and preserving access to our precious public lands.

• Providing needed resources to firefighters and first responders while streamlining state response and recovery capabilities and undertaking the most expansive wildfire mitigation work in recent history.
• Putting the state on a path to reach 100% renewable energy by 2040 by electrifying our transportation sector and securing commitments to reduce emissions by 80% by the end of the decade from utility companies representing nearly all electricity generation in our state.
• Accelerating our shift to lower cost, renewable energy while assisting workers who have been at the forefront of our energy industry with gaining the skills they’ll need to transition into good-paying, clean energy jobs.
• Doubling the amount of publicly accessible state parks by creating Fishers Peak and Sweetwater Lake and reduced the cost of a Colorado parks pass.
• Making historic investments in clean air while strengthening our water infrastructure and finding innovative ways to conserve Colorado’s most precious resource.

SAFETY

Protecting our families and communities. Governor Polis is improving public safety by expanding background checks on gun purchases while making sure local law enforcement have the tools they need to fight crime and doing more to prevent crime in the first place by expanding drug treatment and mental health services.

• Investing $166 million to support local law enforcement and expand treatment services including early intervention and diversion, school safety, mental health and drug addiction, and recidivism programs.
• Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers and those experiencing a mental health crisis by expanding background checks and closing loopholes, enacting red flag laws and ensuring safe storage.
• Taking on fentanyl trafficking by significantly increasing the criminal penalties for possessing the drug while investing over $50 million in local efforts to catch drug dealers, prevent overdose deaths and provide drug treatment and education campaigns.
• Expanding innovative intervention programs such as the co-responder program, helping police get back on patrol duties 12% faster so they can focus on fighting crime.
• Giving our law enforcement officers the tools they need to go after vehicle thieves by creating additional penalties for stealing catalytic converters and cracking down on the secondary market – making it harder to sell stolen cars and parts.

EDUCATION

Setting Colorado kids up for success. Governor Polis continues to set Colorado kids up for success by starting free, all-day kindergarten and making record investments in local schools to reduce class size and pay teachers more.

• Providing all-day kindergarten – and, starting soon, free universal preschool – to families across Colorado, while saving them saving families thousands of dollars per year on pre-k and kindergarten.
• Increasing per pupil funding for Colorado public schools by 18%, lowering class sizes and increasing teacher pay.
• Supporting and expanding our teaching workforce in all four corners of the state by increasing teacher salaries, offering loan repayment assistance, and increasing professional development opportunities.
• Froze college tuition for the 2019-2020 school year and addressing the cost of college by capping tuition increases at most state colleges at 3 percent, below inflation.
• Increased opportunities for high school students to take tuition-free college courses and earn college credit, helping them get ahead on their education and saving them thousands of dollars in tuition costs.

FREEDOMS

Expanding our freedoms. Governor Polis is focused on expanding opportunities so that every Coloradan can live the life they want, protecting our right to choose, our right to marry who we love and our choices on how we raise and educate our kids.

• Codified the right to an abortion and the right to use or refuse contraceptive care into Colorado state law by signing the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA). Colorado was the 16th state to enshrine the fundamental right to abortion into law.
• Issued an Executive Order making it clear Colorado will not allow other states to criminalize reproductive healthcare for providers and patients.
• Fought for parent’s rights to send their kids where they want to go to school.
• Protected LGBTQ+ Coloradans’ right to be free from discrimination based on their gender identity or gender expression and banned the abusive and discredited practice of conversion therapy, especially for Colorado’s LGBTQ+ youth.
• Made voting more accessible by expanding online and automatic voter registration.