Another Day, Another Leap Forward for Colorado Comeback Legislation
Bills targeting relief for agricultural efficiency programs, drought resiliency, and community revitalization all advance through committees
DENVER, CO - Today, two senate committees advanced several stimulus bills that are a part of Colorado’s recovery package, all with strong bipartisan support.
SB21-252, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg and Minority Leader Chris Holbert, creates the Community Revitalization Grant Program to issue grants intended to support creative projects in commercial centers that would combine revitalized or newly constructed commercial spaces with public or community spaces. Projects could include flexible live-work or vendor spaces for entrepreneurs, performance spaces, child care centers, meeting spaces for community events, and other projects that renovate vacant property for creative industries, economic development, or historic preservation purposes. The bill passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee with unanimous support.
“The Community Revitalization Grant Program will help breathe life back into Colorado’s main streets that have been hit hard by the pandemic,” said Majority Leader Fenberg (D-Boulder). “Creative centers and community spaces are anchors of culture and identity in our rural communities and are the very places that make our small towns so unique. This is an incredible opportunity to invest in the diversity and longevity of Colorado’s cities and towns.”
SB21-234, sponsored by Senators Sonya Jaquez Lewis & Jerry Sonnenberg, allocates $3 million to the Department of Agriculture to increase the state’s ability to anticipate, mitigate, or respond to droughts. In 2020, each of the 64 Colorado counties were experiencing a drought. Major drivers were an absent monsoon season, increased soil moisture deficits, record-high temperatures, and extreme evaporative demands from winds and low humidity. This drought exacerbated many of the financial impacts on the agriculture sector, and as climate change worsens, drought could cost Colorado an additional $511 million dollars in expected annual damages to agriculture. This bill will help the state plan for and mitigate future droughts and climate disturbances. This bill passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support.
"Climate change has caused the worst drought for farmers in their planting season in 20 years,” said Senator Jaquez Lewis (D-Lafayette). “This legislation will provide funding for drought mitigation and wildfire prevention techniques. As a San Luis rancher's granddaughter, I am proud to support our agricultural families across the state"
SB21-235, also sponsored by Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, allocates another $5 million to the Department of Agriculture, with at least $3 million going to the ACRE3 energy efficiency program and at least $1 million going to conservation districts to implement voluntary soil health programs. Over the next decade, Colorado’s agricultural sector must comprehensively reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also increasing energy efficiency and cutting costs. ACRE3 is Colorado’s premier state-level program for agricultural energy management and provides financial aid, technical assistance, and education to help the agriculture industry cut energy costs and develop their own energy resources. To further increase the sustainability of the ag industry, producers can invest in healthy soil management, nutrient cycling, and erosion prevention strategies which will increase yields and resilience to extreme weather events. This bill also passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support.
"Agricultural businesses and working families depend on keeping costs low,” said Senator Jaquez Lewis (D-Lafayette). “This legislation funds energy-efficient techniques like improving soil health and Agrivoltaics, which combines solar energy creation over croplands. Farmers and Ranchers will have another way to improve their crop production.
All three bills now head to the Appropriations Committee for further consideration. To read the bills and find updates regarding their status, visit leg.colorado.gov.