ON THE ISSUES
I believe that together we can build a future full of hope, equity, and opportunity for each and every Coloradan. Serving our community as the State Representative from House District 53 remains the privilege of a lifetime. In these uncertain times, the challenges before us can feel overwhelming and insurmountable. We must not lose faith in our ability to solve problems together. As Margaret Mead reminds us: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Affordable Housing
The availability of affordable and attainable housing remains one of the top concerns across Colorado. As a legislator, I have focused on passing practical, bipartisan solutions that increase housing supply, protect residents, and preserve the affordability of our communities.
In 2025, I was a prime sponsor of HB25-1272, Construction Defects and Middle Market Housing, legislation that removes long-standing barriers to the construction of condominiums and townhomes. This reform helps unlock more attainable housing options for first-time buyers, teachers, nurses, and working families by reducing unnecessary legal risk while maintaining strong consumer protections. You can read the bill here.
I was also a prime sponsor of HB25-1273, Residential Building Stair Modernization, often referred to as single-stair reform. This legislation modernizes outdated building codes to allow safe, well-designed multifamily buildings with a single stairwell. By lowering construction costs and enabling more flexible designs, this reform will open the door to more affordable rental housing for families, seniors, and working Coloradans. You can read the bill here.
In addition, I have been a leader in protecting mobile home park residents. I have passed legislation to strengthen resident protections and helped secure $35 million in revolving loan funds that allow residents to collectively purchase their mobile home parks. This preserves affordability while also ensuring access to safe, clean drinking water that meets federal standards.
Looking ahead, I am working to advance the HOME Act (HB26-1001), which I am sponsoring to reduce red tape and allow schools, housing authorities, transit agencies, and nonprofits to build affordable housing on land they already own. This commonsense approach will help increase housing supply without sprawl or higher taxes. Learn more about the HOME Act here.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These housing reforms help Fort Collins address rising housing costs by making it easier to build condos, townhomes, and affordable rentals, protecting residents in mobile home parks, and allowing trusted local institutions to develop affordable homes on existing land. The goal is simple. Keep Fort Collins a place where people who work here can also afford to live here.
If re-elected, I will continue fighting for affordable paths to homeownership, strong renter protections, and increased workforce housing, so that hardworking Coloradans can continue to live and thrive in the communities they call home.
Gun Violence Prevention
Gun violence is not inevitable. Our children should not live in fear. The gun violence epidemic in the United States is a problem we can solve. In my time in the General Assembly, we have taken historic action to reduce gun violence in our communities. In previous sessions, I have passed legislation banning ghost guns in Colorado, as well as legislation regulating firearm dealers in our state. Additionally, I am proud to have supported bills that:
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Keep firearms out of the hands of those charged with domestic violence
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Establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention
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Raise the age to purchase firearms in our state
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Mandate safe storage for firearms
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Require reporting lost or stolen firearms
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Allow for Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)
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Remove Special Immunity for the Gun Industry
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Create mandatory waiting periods
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Close the Charleston Loophole
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Allow for stricter local gun violence prevention laws
In 2025, I passed SB25-003, Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices, a bill that strengthened firearm safety regulations for semi-automatic firearms statewide. You can read the bill here.
I was also a sponsor of HB25-1171, Possession of Weapon by Previous Offender Crimes, which improves public safety by clarifying when individuals with multiple prior felony convictions are prohibited from possessing weapons. You can read the bill here.
These laws complement existing measures, such as Extreme Risk Protection Orders and safe storage requirements, that reduce the risk of violence while respecting responsible firearm ownership.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These gun violence prevention bills help keep Fort Collins communities safer by preventing access to dangerous weapons for individuals prohibited under the law, while supporting responsible gun ownership and reducing firearm injuries.
Abortion & Reproductive Health Care
Reproductive freedom is a fundamental right, and health care decisions should remain between a person and their health care provider. I'm focused on making sure Colorado remains a place where personal decisions stay personal. Anticipating the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I stood alongside my Democratic colleagues and fought for 24-plus hours on the floor of the House of Representatives so that we could pass legislation to keep abortion safe and legal here in Colorado. Colorado has since adopted a constitutional measure that enshrined the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution. Decisions regarding reproductive health care and abortion belong solely between an individual and their health care professional. I will always protect the right to choose here in Colorado.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These protections ensure that people in Fort Collins can continue to access reproductive health care safely and legally, without fear of government interference. By safeguarding abortion rights in the Colorado Constitution, we provide long-term certainty for patients, providers, and families, and reaffirm Fort Collins as a community that values personal freedom, bodily autonomy, and access to essential health care.
Public Education
Public education is the foundation of opportunity for Fort Collins families. As a former public school teacher in a Title I school, and as a parent with three children in the Poudre School District, I know strong schools make strong communities.
In 2025, I was a co-sponsor of HB25-1131, Eliminate Student Cap at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Program, which expanded access to higher education opportunities in our state by removing enrollment caps at CSU’s veterinary program. You can read the bill here.
I have also supported state investments that eliminate the Budget Stabilization Factor, expand early childhood education through all-day kindergarten and free universal pre-k, and increase per-pupil funding so classroom resources follow students and teachers rather than paperwork. These investments lower out-of-pocket costs for families and give students the support they need to succeed.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These policies help ensure Poudre School District classrooms have adequate funding, expand local access to affordable post-secondary programs, and reduce costs for Fort Collins families. Strong public schools keep our community competitive and help every child reach their potential.
Older Adults
Older adults and retirees are an invaluable asset to our community, and deserve to age in place with grace and dignity.
I will work to lower prescription drug prices while protecting and expanding home-based medical services so that older adults can stay in their homes if they choose. I support affordable housing initiatives and will work to ensure that our older adults are both housing and food-secure. I will also work to combat predatory lending practices and other financial schemes that specifically target older adults and retirees.
I support LGBTQ+ affirming retirement homes and medical services. I will work to address isolation and loneliness amongst older adults and retirees and am committed to expanding access to transportation services.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These priorities help ensure that older adults and retirees in Fort Collins can age safely and independently in the community they call home. By working to lower prescription drug costs, expand home-based care, and support affordable housing and food security, this approach helps seniors stay healthy and housed. Combating predatory financial practices and expanding transportation and social supports also reduces isolation and protects the financial security and dignity of older adults throughout our community.
Elections
Colorado has the gold standard for elections and leads the nation in mail-in paper ballots, voter access, and conducting fair and secure elections.
Since being elected in 2021, the Colorado General Assembly has taken decisive action to protect and secure our elections in Colorado. I am proud to have supported the Vote Without Fear Act in Colorado, which prohibits the open carry of firearms at voting locations. I have also voted in support of the Election Official Protection Act, which protects election workers from doxxing.
In 2022, I supported the Colorado Election Security Act, which improves election security by, among other measures, prohibiting anyone from serving as an election official if they have been convicted of any election offense or any offense or conspiracy to commit sedition, insurrection, treason, or conspiracy to overthrow the government. This legislation also prohibits election officials or candidates from physically tampering with voting equipment, and from having access to or being present in a room with voting equipment without being accompanied by one or more persons with authorized access.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These policies ensure local voters can cast ballots without fear, protect election workers, and maintain strong confidence in how elections are run in our community.
Climate Change
Clean air, land, and water are essential to the health, economy, and quality of life of Fort Collins and communities across Colorado. As a legislator, I have focused on passing practical environmental protections that safeguard our natural resources while supporting working families and local economies.
I have passed legislation to expand and improve recreational trail access across Colorado, strengthening outdoor recreation, supporting tourism, and ensuring that more families can safely enjoy our public lands. Protecting access to the outdoors is both an environmental priority and an economic investment for communities like Fort Collins.
I have also been a leader in responsible oil and gas oversight. I championed and passed legislation requiring a comprehensive audit of the oil and gas industry, improving transparency and accountability while ensuring state regulators have the information they need to protect public health and the environment.
In addition, I sponsored and passed legislation to reduce the use of fresh water in oil and gas operations by increasing the use of recycled and reused water. At a time when water scarcity is one of Colorado’s greatest challenges, this policy helps conserve limited water supplies while maintaining strong environmental safeguards.
In 2025, I was a prime sponsor of HB25-1292 Transmission Lines in State Highway Rights-of-Way, legislation that supports upgrading and expanding Colorado’s electric transmission system. Modernizing our transmission lines is critical to electrifying our state, integrating more renewable energy, and ensuring reliable and affordable power for homes and businesses. Investing in transmission infrastructure helps lower long-term energy costs, strengthens grid reliability, and supports a growing clean energy economy. You can read the bill here.
I am committed to continuing Colorado’s transition to clean, renewable energy, while also supporting workers and communities navigating changes in an economy that has historically relied on carbon-based energy. Environmental responsibility and economic security must move forward together.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These efforts help protect Fort Collins’ air quality, safeguard our water supply, and preserve the natural spaces and open areas that define our community. Expanding trails, conserving water, strengthening oversight of industrial activity, and investing in modern transmission infrastructure all support public health, outdoor recreation, and a clean energy economy that creates jobs and opportunity here at home.
Health Care
Affordable, accessible health care is essential for Fort Collins families and communities across Colorado. Every Coloradan, regardless of age or income, should have access to affordable, comprehensive health care, including primary care, prescriptions, hospitalizations, reproductive health care, mental and behavioral health care, dental care, and specialty care. No Coloradan should risk losing their home or their life savings if they get sick.
I have passed legislation to limit hospital facility fees, as well as legislation that provides $1M in funding to our health care providers so that they can provide culturally competent care to LGBTQ+ Coloradans along with other priority populations. I have also passed legislation that protects health care workers from doxxing.
In addition, I have supported Colorado’s efforts to study the implementation of a single-payer health care system, because we must seriously evaluate every option that could lower costs, expand access, and reduce administrative waste in our health care system, especially when federal inaction threatens affordability.
My focus remains on making sure Coloradans can get the care they need without fear of financial hardship.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These policies help Fort Collins families avoid unnecessary medical costs, reduce surprise billing, and access more transparent and affordable health care. Regulating hospital facility fees and strengthening consumer protections means fewer financial shocks for patients and a health care system that works better for people in our community.
Workforce & Economic Opportunity
Every Coloradan deserves access to a high quality education, a good paying job, and the economic opportunity that goes hand-in-hand with the American Dream. I support a living wage, the right of workers to organize, and the strengthening of collective bargaining rights. I supported the expansion of county employees' rights to collective bargaining as well as legislation adding labor protections for public workers. Each and every worker in Colorado deserves access to a good paying job and a safe workplace.
I support job training and retraining programs, the work of unions in advocating for economic justice, an increased focus on vocational education, and apprenticeship programs. I have joined striking workers on the picket line and will continue to advocate alongside workers in our community.
What This Means for Fort Collins
This work helps grow local economic opportunities, protecting small businesses like those in Old Town Fort Collins, and expanding job pathways for Fort Collins residents.
Civil Rights
Colorado must be a place where every person is treated with respect and fairness.
The work continues to ensure that our great state is a welcoming, safe, and affirming place for LGBTQ+ people. I support Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, inclusivity training for healthcare providers and insurance companies, and the right of transgender people to access public restrooms and gender segregated facilities that correspond with gender identity. I support suicide prevention initiatives and recognize the need for more LGBTQ+ affirming mental health resources.
Children with disabilities have the right to learn alongside their peers, engage in school activities, sports, and receive an education that is committed to equity, safety, and inclusion in the classroom. I support equal pay for equal work and am opposed to paying people with disabilities a subminimum wage. People with disabilities are an asset to the workforce, and I support engagement with the business community and other stakeholders around this important issue so that together we can create an equitable wage and workplace for workers with disabilities.
In 2025, I was a co-sponsor of HB25-1239, Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which strengthens protections for individuals experiencing discrimination, especially Coloradans with disabilities. You can read the bill here.
I will continue to support policies that keep immigrants and refugees safe and welcome in our community as national leaders push dangerous overreach that threatens the constitutionally-protected freedoms of people in our community.
It is far past time to address the realities of systemic racism in our criminal justice system – including the racial disparities that are well-documented both in terms of sentencing and incarceration rates. I support diversion programs for non-violent, low-level offenders. Prison is not a catch-all solution, and the for-profit prison industry continues to wreak devastation on those struggling with mental health issues and/or addiction while disproportionately preying upon minority communities.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These civil rights protections help ensure Fort Collins is a welcoming, safe community for all residents. They give Coloradans meaningful legal recourse when discrimination occurs and protect individual dignity in education, housing, work, and daily life.
Transportation
Colorado’s economy, workers, students, visitors, and retirees all depend on a modern, safe, and sustainable transportation system. Transportation and infrastructure investments are essential to affordability, economic opportunity, and quality of life across our state.
Since joining the legislature, I have passed legislation to improve transportation safety, including bills that increase safety at roundabouts and strengthen transportation safety in rural Colorado. These commonsense measures reduce crashes, protect drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and make our transportation system safer for everyone who uses it.
I have also worked to advance Front Range Passenger Rail, recognizing that reliable passenger rail is a critical part of Colorado’s long-term transportation future. Connecting communities along the Front Range with safe, dependable rail service will help reduce congestion, lower transportation costs, improve air quality, and give people more choices for how they get to work, school, and daily activities.
In addition, I support e-bike rebate programs, bike commuting initiatives, and bike share programs that make it easier and more affordable for people to choose active transportation. I have worked to ensure that bike trails, including powerline trails, are considered whenever a transmission corridor is sited or expanded, helping connect communities and expand safe non-motorized travel options.
I also support building affordable housing near public transit, so families can spend less time commuting, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and lower household transportation costs while improving access to jobs, schools, and services.
What This Means for Fort Collins
These transportation priorities help Fort Collins reduce congestion, improve safety, and expand affordable transportation options. Investments in passenger rail, biking infrastructure, and transit-oriented housing give residents more choices beyond driving, shorten commute times, and improve air quality. Together, these solutions support a more connected, accessible, and affordable Fort Collins for families, workers, students, and seniors.