JOINT RELEASE: Garnett, Garcia Appoint Lawmakers to ARPA Housing and Behavioral Health Task Forces
DENVER, CO -- Speaker Alec Garnett and Senate President Leroy Garcia today appointed lawmakers to the task forces established under HB21-1329 and SB21-137, legislation which set aside $850 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for housing and behavioral health. The task forces will make recommendations on policies to make housing more affordable, expand opportunities to build wealth through homeownership, address homelessness and increase access to behavioral health and substance use disorder services.
“The lawmakers I appointed today have extensive knowledge of housing and behavioral health policy, carry invaluable experiences with them and are dedicated advocates for their communities,” said Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver. “There is a clear need across Colorado for transformational changes to make housing more affordable and behavioral health care more accessible. We listened to our communities and created a responsible, transparent and bipartisan process to allocate $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create more affordable housing, reduce homelessness and increase access to mental health. I’m proud to make these task force appointments today.”
“After our statewide listening tour, communities across Colorado directed us to get to work on the issues they care about most. With $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funds, we have the opportunity to ensure that we can make transformational changes in Colorado that will impact our state for decades," said Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo. "The Senators I have appointed today will bring critical leadership skills and valuable policy knowledge to the table as we work to tackle the ongoing housing crisis and improve behavioral health access for Coloradans in need, and I look forward to the progress they make in the coming months.”
Democrats appointed to the Housing Transformational Task Force:
Rep. Dominique Jackson, Chair
Sen. Julie Gonzales, Vice Chair
Rep. Dylan Roberts
Rep. Steven Woodrow
Sen. Jeff Bridges
Sen. Rachel Zenzinger
Democrats appointed to the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force:
Sen. Brittany Pettersen, Chair
Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Vice-Chair
Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet
Rep. Judy Amabile
Sen. Faith Winter
Sen. Chris Kolker
During the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers worked collaboratively with Governor Polis to develop and advance the Colorado Comeback Roadmap to Building Back Stronger, which envisions investing nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to make housing more affordable and improve Colorado’s behavioral health system. HB21-1329 sets aside $400 million of ARPA funds for future housing efforts, and SB21-137 sets aside $450 million of ARPA funds for future behavioral health investments.
Under resolutions approved by the Executive Committee in June, the behavioral health and housing task forces will consist of legislators and members of departments, with each task force supported by its own sub-advisory panel of stakeholders and experts. Lawmakers on the task forces are appointed by the Speaker, Senate President and House and Senate minority leaders, who will also make appointments to the sub-advisory panels by July 23.
The task forces will convene by early August for organizational meetings. The subpanels will then begin meeting to analyze and discuss policies for consideration by the task forces. The task forces will start convening regularly during the late fall to discuss policies and ultimately approve recommendations that will be included in a final report and sent to the legislature and Governor. The timelines for task force and sub-advisory panel meetings are flexible and intended to serve as a guideline.