Hey folks,
August was a month chock-full of important dates: Back to School, Colorado Day (Aug 2nd!), the National Park Service’s birthday, International Beer Day – just to name a few.
But we also celebrated the success of some MAJOR pieces of legislation from the past two years. From tackling climate change head-on to getting our veterans the care they’ve earned, and lowering health care costs for our seniors to bringing back American manufacturing and innovation, we’ve been hard at work in Washington to address the issues facing Colorado communities – and it’s paying out, big, for our state.
Keep reading to learn more about how three pieces of transformational legislation are helping Coloradans like you:
PACT ACT
Our veterans have sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms, and we owe it to them to ensure they can get the care they’ve earned. It’s why we passed the bipartisan PACT Act – the largest expansion of health care in VA history. This law honors our promise to those who served our nation and helps veterans suffering from exposure to toxic burn pits during their service access the care they need.
Since the passage of the PACT Act, over ONE MILLION veterans and their survivors are now receiving new service-connected disability benefits, including screenings for toxic exposures, reduced care delays, increased eligibility requirements, and more. Over 20,000 claims for Colorado veterans have been approved!
We’ve been traveling all over the state to Durango, Pueblo, Denver, Colorado Springs, and more to hold listening sessions with veterans to discuss the PACT Act and learn about what they still need most. Colorado is home to over 400,000 veterans, and we’re committed to making sure all get the care they deserve.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
Everyone was saying we couldn’t do it, but we did it. We took on Big Pharma and passed the largest climate investment in the history of the world when the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law.
Colorado is leading the way in America’s transition to a clean energy economy, with over $1.7 billion in investments to boost our thriving clean energy manufacturing, including wind turbine and solar manufacturing, and address environmental health disparities.
Our seniors are also seeing major $$$ savings on their health care, thanks to Inflation Reduction Act provisions that:
- Capped out-of-pocket costs for the 177,000 Medicare recipients in Colorado
- Negotiated prices on the most expensive prescription drugs. Now, over 100,000 Medicare enrollees who rely on these commonly used drugs will pay much less for these prescriptions
- Capped insulin at $35/month, which led most pharmaceutical companies to follow suit for everyone
We’re creating thousands of good-paying jobs in manufacturing from Brighton to Pueblo and cutting pollution for the communities that experience the worst of it. Families are saving hundreds on their electricity bills and seniors are paying less for prescription drugs. And we’re helping address the deficit by making wealthy corporations pay their fair share and taxing stock buybacks.
We’re just getting started.
CHIPS + SCIENCE ACT
Our bipartisan
CHIPS + Science Act is growing the U.S. semiconductor industry, boosting investments in research & development for key technologies, and reinvigorating American innovation.
Thanks to our bipartisan CHIPS + Science Act, Colorado was awarded
a significant investment to make our region the new Silicon Valley of quantum computing! Our tech hub not only cements the Rocky Mountain West as the global epicenter of quantum computing, but will create 10,000+ new jobs in quantum industries, train 30,000 new workers, and support over 50 new quantum startups in the next decade.
Wonder what the heck quantum is? We break it down for you in our HikTok.
We’re also bringing back American manufacturing jobs and shoring up our semiconductor supply chains in the aftermath of the shortages driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This also helps secure our national security and become less reliant on countries like China. Colorado is leading the way with over $165 million coming to companies in the Pikes Peak region to create jobs and increase the production of semiconductors!
This is just the beginning – we’ll be seeing results from these historic bills for decades to come!
Cheers!
Senator John Hickenlooper
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