Jared Polis RSS Articles

Polis to Congress: Pizza is Not a Vegetable

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

To reverse Congress’ absurd decision to define pizza as a vegetable in school meals, Congressman Jared Polis today unveiled new legislation—the SLICE (School Lunch Improvements for Children’s Education) Act—to protect students’ health by allowing sensible nutrition standards for pizza in the meals our children eat at schools. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a rule that would have prevented pizza from being counted as a vegetable in meals but Congress succumbed to lobbying from the frozen food industry and blocked it.

“Agribusinesses should never dictate the quality of school meals,” said Polis. “Big food companies have their priorities, which include selling cheap, unhealthy foods at high profits. But parents and schools have their priorities; making sure our kids eat right because research shows a clear connection between nutrition and student performance in school.”

Polis announced the new legislation today at Louisville Middle School, where he was joined by Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Food Service Director, Ann Cooper, who has been a leader in improving nutrition in school meals.

“For the past three years BVSD has worked hard to ensure that all of our students have access to healthy delicious food in schools,” Cooper explained. “We have eliminated added transfats, high fructose corn syrup, colors and dyes. We are proud to have added salad bars in every school with fresh fruit and vegetables as well as organic milk, whole grains and instituted a priority on regional procurement. We fully support Representative Polis' work to improve school food as our children's health is our most important asset.”

With alarming increases in child obesity rates and other troubling indicators of child health, Congress acted to update national school meal standards in December 2010 by reauthorizing the federal Child Nutrition Act (the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act). But the current Congress undermined those standards last year when it included language in a USDA funding bill that would allow pizza to qualify as a vegetable due to the small amount of tomato paste it contains.

While tomato paste has a small amount of nutrients, pizza is loaded with sugar, salt, bread and cheese, which carry a great deal of fat and carbohydrates that turn into sugar during digestion. Categorizing pizza as a vegetable because of its small amount of tomato paste is exactly the wrong approach, as Type II diabetes rates among children and child obesity continue to climb.

The SLICE Act would restore USDA’s authority to implement healthful standards to pizza in public schools in three significant ways:

Allow the USDA to accurately count 1/8 of a cup of tomato paste as 1/8 of a cup, instead of half of a cup, which qualifies pizza as a vegetable;
Allow the USDA to implement science-based sodium reduction targets; and,
Allow the USDA to set a whole grain requirement.

With Congress preparing to reauthorize farm and nutrition programs this year, Polis is hopeful that the SLICE Act can be incorporated into the larger agriculture bill should it be acted on in this session. A fact sheet on the bill is available here.

Violence Against Women Act Should Include LGBT Protections

Tue, 08 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

To better protect LGBT victims of domestic violence, Congressman Jared Polis today sought to amend the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to bar discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity to ensure equal access to the services the legislation supports, such as legal representation, housing, and counseling. Studies show that while LGBT Americans experience domestic violence at roughly the same rate as the general population, less than one in five LGBT victims of intimate-partner violence receives help from a service provider. The amendment to the bill, H.R. 4970, failed on a party line vote of 14-18.

“All victims of domestic violence require our care, support and understanding,” said Polis. “On a bipartisan basis, we should be able to include these basic protections for LGBT Americans—as the Senate did—and ensure that the critical services supported by VAWA are available to all. No one should be denied any service based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The amendment would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the nondiscrimination provision in the bill, which already explicitly covers individuals regardless of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability. This would ensure that all programs or activities that receive federal funding from VAWA provide services regardless of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. This same language was included in the Senate VAWA bill, which passed by a vote of 68 to 31. The amendment was cosponsored by Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA).

The text of the amendment is available here.

Bipartisan Polis Privacy Amendment Added to Cybersecurity Bill

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

With Americans increasingly concerned about privacy and government use of personal information, the House adopted by a vote of 415-0 an amendment offered by Congressman Jared Polis to the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (H.R. 3523) that would restrict federal government access to library records, tax returns, and health records if the bill becomes law. Similar protections were included under the Patriot Act but were omitted from H.R. 3523.

“As a tech entrepreneur, I know that startup tech companies can’t get off the ground if they’re not able to protect their networks,” said Polis, “but that doesn’t mean we should give up all our privacy rights and liberties. We shouldn’t set up a false choice between security and liberty. If we’re thoughtful about how we approach this legislation we can keep our most sensitive private information out of the hands of the government while ensuring that networks are secure.”

While the amendment improved the bill, Polis opposed H.R. 3523 because it would continue to allow companies to share personal information with the federal government, which could then use that information without any meaningful oversight. The bill passed by a vote of 248-168.

H.R. 3523 would allow the private sector to share their customers’ private information directly with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, including the NSA. In addition, the bill allows the government broad discretion in how it can use this private information and provides no judicial oversight or allow for Freedom of Information requests.

“If this bill is enacted,” Polis added, “there is nothing to stop companies from sharing their customers’ private information with every branch of the government, including the military. Allowing the military to spy on American citizens, on American soil, goes against every principle this nation stands for.”

The Polis amendment was sponsored by Republicans Justin Amash of Michigan, Raúl Labrador of Idaho, Ron Paul of Texas, and Democrat Jerry Nadler of New York.

Polis remarks on the bill can be seen here. The text of the Polis amendment can also be accessed here.

Keeping College Loan Rate Low is Right for Students, Economy

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jared Polis applauded President Obama for his leadership in keeping higher education affordable and for his call to Congress to prevent federal student loan interest rates from rising from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The president will visit the University of Colorado, Boulder today to make the case for keeping higher education affordable. Polis is a cosponsor of legislation that would extend the lower student loan interest rate.

“On a bipartisan basis, Congress should act on President Obama’s call to keep student loan interest rates low so that more families and students can achieve the dream of a college education,” said Polis. “Opponents of keeping student loan rates low are dumping an additional $1,000 of debt on the backs of more than 160,000 Colorado college students every year even as they just voted for $46 billion in new tax breaks for the wealthy that aren’t paid for and that will increase the budget deficit.”

House Republicans have already voted this year in the Ryan budget to slash college aid for more than 9 million students – cutting the maximum Pell Grant below current-law levels and eliminating grants for 400,000 students in 2013 alone. Eliminating or reducing Pell grants will force students to take out additional loans to pay their tuition, leaving them with more debt at the higher interest rate.

Polis added, “If we want to strengthen our economy and ensure that young people have the opportunity to work hard and succeed, we shouldn’t be gutting student aid and raising college loan interest rates. It’s becoming harder and harder for families and students to afford college and keeping student loan interest rates low is more important than ever.”

Colorado’s US 36 in Line for New Federal Funding

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jared Polis released the following statement on the U.S. Transportation Department’s announcement that the US 36 project is one of five that can apply for a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan. Funding would help reduce congestion for commuters and businesses.

“Anyone who has travelled between Boulder and Denver during rush hour knows that we desperately need to invest in transportation solutions, including mass transit, that will help move workers and products more efficiently,” said Polis. “Here’s an opportunity to create jobs and reduce the headaches of traffic and delays. It further makes the case for why Congress should be passing a bipartisan transportation bill right away. I look forward to working with members of the Colorado delegation to secure these and other critical transportation investments.”

Polis Applauds White House Endorsement of Student Non-Discrimination Act

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jared Polis issued the following statement regarding the Obama administration’s endorsement of the Student Non-Discrimination Act, which Polis authored. To ensure that all students have access to public education in a safe environment free from discrimination, including harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence, the Student Non-Discrimination Act establishes a comprehensive federal prohibition of discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and provides victims with meaningful and effective remedies, modeled after Title IX.

“I’m extremely pleased that President Obama has endorsed my Student Non-Discrimination Act, which will help ensure that LGBT students can attend school free of harassment, discrimination and violence. This endorsement is an enormous step forward for equality, but on a human level it is about the right of any student in America to attend school and learn without the fear of being bullied. I intend to work with President Obama and Senator Franken, who introduced the companion bill, to see that the Student Non-Discrimination Act becomes the law of the land.”

House GOP Wastes Billions on Canadian Highway, Pork Barrel Earmarks

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Despite record deficits and in violation of a Congressional earmark ban, House Republicans today voted to spend $30 million on a highway in Canada and $3.7 billion on a pork barrel project for a beltway around the city of Birmingham, Alabama. House Republicans voted 176-242 against Congressman Jared Polis’ amendment to end these wasteful earmarks.

“It’s bad enough that House Republicans are breaking the ban on earmarks, but to spend U.S. taxpayer money on a highway in Canada is ridiculous,” said Polis. “We’ve all heard of pork barrel spending but now Republicans are apparently serving up Canadian bacon. If they were serious about ending earmarks, House Republicans would have supported my effort to cut funding for the wasteful Canadian Bacon-way and the Alabama ‘Pork-way.’”

The Polis amendment would have been included in a bill (H.R. 4348) that would extend federal highway programs by an additional 90 days. The extension is necessary due to the House majority’s refusal to consider the bipartisan Senate transportation bill and its inability to secure passage of its own partisan highway bill (H.R. 7), which would cut highway funding for Colorado by $90 million over five years and eliminate future guaranteed federal funding for mass transit solutions. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the House bill would actually bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund in 2016 and leave it with a $78 billion shortfall.

New EPA Air Quality Rules Needed to Protect Against Fracking Pollution

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

With Americans increasingly concerned about air pollution related to shale gas drilling, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) urged the Obama administration to implement new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that will protect public health from the impacts of rapidly expanding drilling. In a letter signed by more than 20 of their House colleagues, Polis and Hinchey called for the finalization of the EPA rules, known as the New Source Performance Standards.

“As we’ve seen in Colorado and in communities across the country, fracking is increasingly encroaching on homes and schools, and bringing with it serious health concerns,” said Polis. “The new EPA rules are a common sense approach to issues we’re seeing in Colorado in places like Erie, where drilling has forced families to leave their homes and is occurring far too close to schools. Natural gas is an important part of our energy future, but we have to make sure we extract it while protecting public health.”

“New Yorkers from the Southern Tier to the Hudson Valley have listened to the horror stories of families who have seen their air polluted by gas drillers and they don't like it one bit,” said Hinchey. “We need the President to act immediately to sign off on the proposed air quality standards so that these drillers cannot pollute our air without consequence. We cannot let the rush to drill blind us from the need to ensure the safety of our environment and public health.”

Shale gas drilling emits significant quantities of pollutants, including smog-forming chemicals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, and the potent greenhouse gas methane. These pollutants contribute to serious health problems.

The Colorado School of Public Health last month concluded a report based on three years of monitoring that found higher cancer, respiratory and neurological health risks (including headaches, chronic dizziness, eye irritation and difficulty breathing) among people living closest to drilling sites. The analysis found residents near wells faced volatile organic chemicals at five times the level at which the emissions are considered potentially harmful to public health, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Hazard Index.

The Medical Society of New York has recently urged caution with expanded drilling, underlining experienced health impacts and the need for more study on those impacts before more drilling moves forward. Even the government’s own science has shown increased ground level ozone and other pollution as a result of drilling, with data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

When fully implemented, the EPA’s proposed New Source Performance Standards would cause significant air pollution reductions, including: 540,000 tons of smog-forming chemicals, an industry-wide reduction of 25 percent; 38,000 tons of toxic air pollutants, an industry-wide reduction of almost 30 percent, and; 3.4 million tons of methane, an industry-wide reduction of about 26 percent. The lion’s share of these reductions come from ending the wasteful practice of venting or flaring pollution from new hydraulically fractured gas wells directly into the atmosphere. The rules instead require companies to capture these emissions, a time-tested technique that can be readily implemented.

While the new rules only apply to new drilling, Polis and Hinchey continue to press for legislation—the Bringing Reductions to Energy’s Airborne Toxic Health Effects (BREATHE) Act—which would extend clean air protections to existing wells. They have also worked together to introduce the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, legislation that would remove the oil and gas industry’s exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act and require the disclosure of the chemicals used in the practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The full text of the Polis-Hinchey letter follows:

Dear President Obama:

We write today to urge your administration to finalize the EPA’s New Source Performance Standards to address growing air pollution and public health impacts related to the rapid expansion of drilling in the United States, and ensure these standards are strong. This rapid expansion, largely related to new types of hydraulic fracturing, is increasingly occurring adjacent to population centers including private residences and schools, with reported health problems growing in tandem. Your administration has taken a strong stand in valuing science driven policy that protects public health and agency directive, we hope you will continue that standard with this decision.

This industry emits significant quantities of pollutants, including smog-forming chemicals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, and the potent greenhouse gas methane. These pollutants contribute to serious health problems. Just last month for example, the Colorado School of Public Health concluded a report based on three years of monitoring that found higher cancer, respiratory and neurological health risks (including headaches, chronic dizziness, eye irritation and difficulty breathing) among people living closest to wells. The analysis found residents near wells faced volatile organic chemicals at five times the level at which the emissions are considered potentially harmful to public health, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Hazard Index. The Medical Society of New York has recently urged caution with expanded drilling, underlining experienced health impacts and the need for more study on those impacts before more drilling moves forward. Even the government’s own science has shown increased ground level ozone and other pollution as a result of drilling, with data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The EPA’s proposed New Source Performance Standards would take an important step toward reducing health-harming pollution. When fully implemented, these rules would cause significant air pollution reductions, including: 540,000 tons of smog-forming chemicals, an industry-wide reduction of 25 percent; 38,000 tons of toxic air pollutants, an industry-wide reduction of almost 30 percent, and; 3.4 million tons of methane, an industry-wide reduction of about 26 percent. The lion’s share of these reductions come from ending the wasteful practice of venting or flaring pollution from new hydro-fractured gas wells directly into the atmosphere. The rules instead require companies to capture these emissions, a time-tested technique that can be readily implemented.

Because gas companies would achieve these reductions largely by capturing emissions before they escape, they can both reduce waste and pollution. In fact, the EPA estimates that because the value of captured product exceeds the cost of compliance, the proposed rules would yield a net annual savings of almost $30 million. With the industry seeing record growth and profits, a policy with such minimal if not positive economic impacts such as this, should not be opposed.

Although these rules are an important step, they could go even further to cut air pollution from oil and gas wells. The Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Shale Gas Production Subcommittee found that the rules are “a critical step forward in reducing emissions of smog-forming pollutants and air toxics” but fall short of its recommendations because they do not directly regulate methane emissions and only address pollution from new, not existing, gas infrastructure.

We respectfully urge your administration to finalize these important rules as soon as possible.

Colorado Should Receive $30 Million Early Learning Grant

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jared Polis’s advocacy for additional early childhood education funding paid off today as Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Health Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced that Colorado is one of five states invited to apply for an Early Learning Challenge grant of about $30 million over four years. Two weeks ago the administration decided to dedicate a portion of this year’s Race to the Top appropriation to early learning grants ($133 million) and U.S Department of Education officials cited proactive advocacy from members of Congress, including Polis, as a major factor in the decision to offer these grants.

“Decades of research shows that when children are engaged in quality early learning opportunities it pays dividends in terms of higher achievement and success throughout life, which is why I pressed the Department to offer these grants to states,” said Polis. “Today’s decision will strengthen Colorado’s young children’s academic and developmental opportunities for generations to come. These grants will lead to better educational child care opportunities for toddlers and more and better preschool opportunities, and our state leaders did an outstanding job putting this together.”

Colorado is in line to receive some of the Early Learning Challenge funds because the state ranked third among those not funded when 2011 funds were distributed in January. Race to the Top 2012 appropriations language that approved $550 million in new funding allows awarding this year’s grants to states based on previously submitted applications. The state will use the new funds, which will be half of the amount that the state originally applied for, to improve the professional early childhood workforce, bolster early learning standards and provide quality incentives.

Polis wrote the Department of Education and the White House in January recommending the early learning challenge investment from Race to the Top funds and joined other lawmakers expressing the same in a bipartisan February letter.

Investments turn ideas into new jobs

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Across Colorado, entrepreneurs are ready to turn great ideas into great, job-creating small businesses. What's holding them back? Not a lack of ingenuity or hard work. The problem is a shortage of capital.

One solution is "crowdfunding," which allows small businesses to accept small investments from friends and neighbors who see promise in their new idea or product.

As odd as it might seem, federal law has prevented small investors from backing a small-business idea with $100 or $1,000, unless you were a multimillionaire "qualified investor." That just isn't fair or good for small businesses and job creation.

It might also come as a shock that Democrats and Republicans actually worked together to fix the problem. We recently sent President Barack Obama a bill that will allow crowdfunding to help start and grow small businesses. That's exactly what we need more of in Washington, D.C.; less politics and more progress that helps small businesses to grow and create jobs.

Thanks to the crowdfunding bill, if you want to start a coffee shop or launch a software or app idea, you can affordably offer shares in the project to friends and neighbors and raise capital to create jobs and make your idea happen.

We know crowdfunding can work for small businesses because it's already done remarkable things for philanthropy and the arts. Websites such as Kiva.com and Kickstarter.com have helped provide millions of dollars to support great ideas. Here in Fort Collins, crowdfunding helped Cynthia Gray film a documentary on inspiring teachers. Local musician Jill Brzezick raised enough to record a new CD. Every week, Kickstarter delivers about $2 million to worthy artistic endeavors. I look forward to working with Fort Collins entrepreneurs to ensure that they are also in the forefront of implementing this new funding mechanism for startups.

Of course, no law can prevent someone from losing money on some harebrained ideas; indeed four out of five businesses fail. Outright fraud exists and rip-off artists should be punished. And no one should ever invest more than they can afford to lose. But there is nothing wrong with honestly trying and failing, and the secret to more fostering small businesses development and job creation is allowing entrepreneurs to take risks and found businesses. We don't prevent gamblers at Blackhawk or Las Vegas from betting their life savings away, so why would we prevent most Americans from making responsible, informed investments in startup companies?

The crowdfunding bill included several other measures that help small businesses, including removing regulations that prevent small and mid-size companies from going public, permitting a greater number of private shareholders before a company is forced to comply with onerous regulations, allowing small businesses raising money to post their business plan on their website, and expanding the number of shareholders for community banks.

Crowdfunding isn't the only change we really need for our economy. We need the same kind of nonpartisan, pro-jobs approach to reforming our tax code, cutting wasteful spending and reducing burdensome regulations. But crowdsourcing is an example of the progress we can make when we focus on common-sense job creating solutions. That must be the focus of Congress until Colorado's economy supports the hopes and dreams of small business people and workers alike.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120331/OPINION04/203310312/Investments-turn-ideas-into-new-jobs?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

Congress on Your Corner @ Vic's Coffee

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:03:37 GMT

Friday, August 7th Congress on Your Corner Vic’s Coffee 2680 Broadway Street Boulder, CO 80302 8:00 – 9:30 AM

Congress on Your Corner @ Southern Sun - Boulder

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:15:39 GMT

Monday, August 17th Congress on Your Corner The Southern Sun 627 South Broadway Boulder, CO 80305 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Eagle County Town Hall

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:16:34 GMT

Wednesday, August 19th Eagle County Town Hall Singletree Community Center 1010 Berry Creek Road Edwards, CO 81632 4:30 – 5:30 PM

Congress on Your Corner @ Boulder Whole Foods

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:36:05 GMT

Thursday, August 20th Congress on Your Corner Whole Foods Market 2905 Pearl Street Boulder, CO 80301 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Housing Fair

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:23:24 GMT

Congress on Your Corner @ Boulder Farmers Market

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:17:29 GMT

Wednesday, September 2nd Congress on Your Corner Boulder Farmers Market Next to Central Park on 13th Street between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue Boulder, CO 80302 5:30 – 7:00 PM

Congress on Your Corner @ Lafayette VFW Hall

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:18:20 GMT

Thursday, September 3rd Congress on Your Corner VFW HALL 105 West Emma Street Lafayette, CO 80026 5:30 - 7:00 PM

Boulder Town Hall

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:47:51 GMT

Friday, September 4th Boulder Town Hall University of Colorado at Boulder University Memorial Center (UMC)Ball Room 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Congress on Your Corner @ Rancho Liborio Grocery Store

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:19:17 GMT

Saturday, September 5th Congress on Your Corner Rancho Liborio Grocery Store 850 East 88th Avenue Thornton, CO 80229 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Adams County Town Hall

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:20:15 GMT

Saturday, September 5th Adams County Town Hall Welby New Technology High School 1200 East 78th Avenue #105 Thornton, CO 80229 1:00 - 3:00 PM