If you're a fan of the newsletter, you’ve probably been wondering why it’s been so long since I last published. Well, in short, I went back to school this summer and it was quite the experience.

A couple years ago (there was a delay with covid) I applied to a very competitive program specifically designed for senior government officials offered by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and was accepted. Thanks to a very generous scholarship that I received, I was able to take advantage of this truly unique opportunity to learn new skills I can apply to my work in public service. 

Each year's cohort is carefully curated to include the entire spectrum of views from folks working in different areas of local level government from state legislators to county commissioners and city councilors to police and fire chiefs. In total, my class numbered 74 students from the US, two from Ireland, and one each from Argentina, American Samoa, and Ukraine. This broad swath of participants created an environment of hearty debate and idea sharing.

The curriculum itself was just as varied with a combination of political history, political theory, policy case studies, strategic communications, conducting successful negotiations and other modules geared towards challenging each student to think critically and develop creative solutions in key issue areas.

In addition to intensive daily coursework (and, oh!, the homework), the program intentionally set up time for participating in team building exercises and social time meant to encourage the mixing of ideologies outside of the classroom.

Overall, it was an experience of a lifetime even for this perennial student. Of course, being able to say I went to Harvard is something I’m proud of, but it was the relationships I built in the weeks I was there that made the sweat and tears infinitely worth it. As I resume work on my bill ideas for the 2023 Legislative Session, I plan on applying some of that newfound knowledge to the process. If anything, I hope it makes me a better policymaker and a better servant to my constituents.

COLORADO CASH BACK - FREE TAX CLINICS
In order to help Coloradans take advantage of the newly available income tax rebate ($750 for single filers; $1500 for joint filers), the state is hosting free tax clinics on upcoming Saturdays to help folks get their 2021 tax returns prepared and submitted before the October 17th deadline. For more information on location, times, and what to bring, visit Get Ahead Colorado’s website: https://www.getaheadcolorado.org/gethelp.

START A BUSINESS FOR ONLY $1!
Yes, you read that right. A new money-saving plan created by HB22-1001 allows new businesses to file with the Secretary of State for only one dollar. If you've ever thought about starting your own business, now is a great time to seriously consider it. 

EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
With kids going back to school this month, now is a good time for parents and caretakers to consider opening or increasing their contributions to a 529 educational savings plan. Completely free to start, these plans make it easy to save and grow money for higher education, including certifications and apprenticeships.

The First Step Program for young children helps get you started with a free $100 contribution to jumpstart the savings process and will match, dollar to dollar, up to $1000 of your investment into the account each year for five years. That can really add up quickly! Visit https://firststep.collegeinvest.org/ for more information and to get started!

Since the last newsletter, I haven't just been going to school. I've been bouncing around the district, taking meetings to prepare new bills, and even meeting with an international contingent to discuss education policy.  Summertime, especially during an election year, is never dull!

Broadband meetings
With federal broadband funding still rolling out, I have been meeting with broadband stakeholders to see if there are any barriers or delays in obtaining or distributing these key sources of funding for broadband infrastructure expansion in our state. I am trying to stay on top of how the funds are being spent in Colorado.

Canada Day reception
Even though Colorado doesn't share a northern border with Canada, as a state we have a lot of connection to our neighbor to the north. I was excited to be a part of this year's reception at the consulate general's request. 










Habitat for Humanity
I was truly honored to be a part of Habitat's Pride Month build.  This was the second time I visited this site to work alongside future owners to build their new, attainable home. 



Run for Something "See Yourself Running"
As part of Pride Month, I was invited to speak to prospective candidates for elected seats. We all represent a variety of "firsts" and are trying to inspire the next generation of young candidates to step up and run for office.

Pink Party 
The Pink Party is an annual Pride Month event fundraiser for One Colorado. It's a fun event to catch up with people and dance!




Joint Technology Committee
During the interim, committees meet to collect information, set strategic goals, and develop bills needed to fix problems related to the state's IT infrastructure. We've been meeting monthly and have taken presentations from the departments on the projects which we funded. We want to be sure we keep them on track and hold them accountable to the funds we provide to do this vitally important work for the State. 

Romanian Delegation
I was honored to briefly host a delegation of elected Romanian officials who were interested in speaking about developing curricula around key historic events inspired by the passing of HB20-1336 here in Colorado to include the Holocaust in public school curricula.

The CCRD Awards
I was really honored to be the recipient of this year's "David Vs Goliath Award" from the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition for the work I did on HB22-1031 and HB22-1290 which will pave the way towards better repair service for folks in powered wheelchairs. The award itself is a commissioned art piece by a disabled artist which makes it even more special to me. Can't wait to hang it up in my Capitol office!

Millennial Action Project Future Summit
In between coming back from Harvard and the NCSL Legislative Summit, I squeezed in the Millenial Action Project's Future Summit on its last day.  This is a bipartisan gathering of younger legislators from the US to share ideas on the future of policy and fostering bipartisanship.

NCSL Legislative Summit
The NCSL (National Conference of State Legislators) Conference was in Denver this year.  These conferences are opportunities for us to learn and share  new ideas and meet other legislators from around the country. Many of us also serve on committees to develop policy positions which are shared with the Federal government.







Campaign Kickoff Party
Since I was gone much of the summer, I got my campaign kickoff started a bit later than usual, but it was a great event and was attended by many wonderful constituents and elected officials. 

Aurora Pride
It is August, but there is one late Pride event in Colorado, and it's for a good reason. Aurora Pride is at the Reservoir which is a great place to beat the heat. Elysia and I visited some friends and watched some of the festivities. There were storms that day, but they did not rain on our parade. 

Jeffco Public Schools meeting
I try to catch up with the Jeffco superintendent a few times a year to keep up with what's happening. I had a chance to meet up with her to discuss what's happening and how I can support Jeffco schools to be the best district it can be. 

Jeffco 911 Tour
Although I didn't get to take photos at Jeffcom, I was treated to a great tour fof the facility and watch our dedicated call center folks in action answering 911 calls.  They are the first people to intervene with medical, fire and police emergencies and they literally help to save lives. These dedicated individuals experience trauma similar to other first responders. Let's all be sure to let them know how much we appreciate them and the critical role they play in keeping us all safe.

And to top off the past two months, I took a long awaited trip to see my brother get married. After all the studying, meetings, and events this summer, I really needed a break and this joyful event was just what I needed.

Upcoming "Meet Brianna" Events

• Beers With Brianna:  August 23rd, 7-8pm @ Colorado Plus 49 Cidery & Pub
• Golden Bike Cruise: August 30th, 5:30-6:30pm @ Calvary Church
• Golden Farmers Market:  September 3rd, 9-10am
• Capitol Coffee Talk:  September 20th, 8-9am @ Generous Coffee

What's Happening in Arvada?

What's Happening in Golden?

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