18 Feb The Grand Opening of the 73rd General Assembly
Friend,
Over the past month, Colorado has done a great job in slowing the spread of COVID-19. We’ve seen a sustained decrease in new cases and hospitalizations, and more vaccines are being administered every day. We find ourselves in a much better place to return to in person work at the Capitol. So,today we gaveled in – again.
In many ways, today felt like day one of the 2021 session. However, we returned to a session that’s already seen rules set and legislation passed, with new bills prepped and a handful already introduced. I’m returning committed to meeting the moment’s particular challenges and delivering real results for Coloradans.
This session, we have an opportunity to show our state and the rest of the nation that we can work together to solve big problems. We’ll work to respond to the immediate needs of Coloradans, restore our community pillars like schools and small businesses, revitalize our struggling economy, and reimagine a future where all Coloradans can thrive.
My first bill introduced this session, Senate Bill 21-029, would allow for Native American students in tribes with historical ties to Colorado to pay in-state tuition at the state’s public universities and colleges. Colorado has long benefitted from federal grants of land taken from Native American people. We have a responsibility to their descendants to both recognize and reconcile that painful history. This bill would be an important step in creating opportunities for American Indian students to access high quality higher education at a rate that any resident of Colorado is able to.
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