🆕 15 Days In - New bills, town hall info, and more!

15 Days In!

We have made it past the fifteenth day of this year’s legislative session and there a lot of exciting updates to share with you! On day one of the session, I introduced my first bill of 2020: HB20-1003 “Rural Jump-start Zone Act Modifications” (more on this bill below). We completed our annual SMART Act hearings, more bills I am sponsoring were introduced, and I attended many great events both in HD26 and at the Capitol.

Have you seen my recent monthly columns? Check out January's below:
Vail Daily: "Previewing the 2020 legislative session"
Steamboat Pilot: "2020 legislative session — here we go"

1. My First Bill of 2020 - putting small businesses and rural economic development first!
HB20-1003: Rural Jump-start Zone Act Modifications
Sponsors: Reps. Roberts & Rich;, Sens. Donovan & Scott
The Rural Jump Start Program provides tax incentives to new businesses in economically distressed parts of rural Colorado. HB1003 seeks to improve the program's eligibility requirements and extend the program another five years. To date, the program has helped over twenty businesses open their doors and hire employees in rural Colorado and with the changes proposed in my bill, that number could increase drastically.
Related article: Roberts introduces bill to extend, tweak Rural Jump-Start program via Steamboat Pilot

2. Taking action to lower prescription drug costs!
HB20-1160: Prescription Drug Price Transparency & Rebate Reform
Prime Sponsors: Reps. Roberts & Jackson, Sens. Ginal & Donovan
Introduced: 1/21/20
Yesterday we unveiled the Colorado Prescription Drug Transparency Act of 2020, which aims to bring down the costs of Rx Drugs by holding pharmaceutical manufacturers, drug middlemen, and insurance companies accountable for the rise in drug prices. This bill addresses two primary concerns: first, it would provide the state and policymakers with critical data needed to understand and address the factors that are driving up the cost of prescription drugs. Second, it would provide immediate relief to consumers by ensuring that the rebates insurance companies receive from drug manufacturers are passed along directly to reduce premiums across the board. By revealing how the currently hidden pharmaceutical supply chain operates, policymakers can better determine and address the key factors that are driving up the costs of prescription drugs.
Related article: Colorado Lawmakers Want More Transparency on Drug Prices via Westword

3. SMART Act Hearings: Last week I served as the Chair of the Joint Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Rural Affairs Committee. We conducted SMART Act (State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent Government) Hearings for the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

4. Public Option: The Negative Ads in your Mailbox
You may have received a flyer in the mail, attacking the yet-to-be-introduced public option bill that I am working on with my colleagues and many other stakeholders.

I won't be intimidated. You sent me to the Capitol to work to lower health care costs, increase choice and competition, and to make sure that your health and financial security is prioritized over massive industry profits.

If you have questions about this plan, you can contact me anytime. The status quo health care industry wants to use scare tactics to try to dissuade us from making reasonable change to help Coloradans. Meanwhile, I'm committed to the facts and will meet with and work with anyone who wants to work to find solutions to the high cost of health care in Colorado.

Here are some very helpful articles that explain what the plan actually is and why so much out-of-state special interest money is flowing into Colorado about this issue:

Why A Dark Money Campaign Has Colorado In The Center Of The National Health Care Debate via CPR News (01/16/2020)

States could be next trailblazers for policy regulating hospital costs via Modern Healthcare (01/18/2020)

How will Colorado’s public health insurance option work? via The Denver Post (01/19/2020)

Avon’s Dylan Roberts braces for public-option insurance battle via Vail Daily (01/20/2020)