Democrat, are expected to take part in the meeting. He and senator durbin will work as a clearinghouse to field ideas from both caucuses. You can read more at the hill. Com. We may hear more during a White House Briefing, live on cspan starting at 2 00 p. M. Eastern. Henry kissinger and George Schultz and former deputy secretary of state will testify before the Senate Armed Services a minute on the u. S. Nationals 30 strategy. Ive coverage starts here on cspan. President trump will address a World Economic forum in switzerland, the first sitting u. S. President to address the forum since clinton. Live coverage starts at 8 00 eastern on cspan two. Colorado got governor in his final state of the state address outlined his priorities for the session including Economic Development, broadband infrtructure, and environmental protections. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and honor to present ,o you John Hickenlooper governor of the state of colorado. [applause] gov. Hickenlooper hi. Please. Thank you. At a time when sometimes shouting seems to replace talking and insults, sometimes it seems to replace ideas, i want to start with the men and those whojoin me and made it their lifes work to serve the people of colorado, driven by their abiding desire to serve and make our great state even greater. Speaker duran members of the General AssemblyLieutenant Governor lynne and her husband jim justices of the Colorado Supreme Court attorney general coffman treasurer stapleton secretary of state williams southern ute councilman frost ute mountain ute chairman cuthair and vicechairwoman cuthairroot members of the state board of education mayor hancock other elected officials in attendance my hardworking cabinet and staff and, of course, to my amazing wife, robin, who couldnt be here today. To my incredible son, teddy, and to all of my fellow coloradans we have so much to be thankful for. We thank our veterans and active Service Members and their families for their courage and sacrifice to the cause of freedom. We thank the members of the Colorado National guard, more than 600 of whom were deployed overseas last year. We thank our department of public safety, along with local first responders, who accept the daily dangers of their work as routine. We mourn alongside the families of those weve lost Deputy Sheriff zack parrish. Firefighters mike freeman, Brett Anderson and lieutenant jim schaefer. Sergeant first class stephen cribben, special Warfare Operator petty officer 1st class Remington Peters and Sergeant First Class mihail golin. Were here, as public servants, to make this place we love, stay a place we love; a place we can be proud of. Thats called topophilia its our love of place and reflects our love of colorado. Its the growling of tractors in brushs fourth of july parade. Its the smell of barbecue at the Little League ball fields in sterling on a summer night. If youve seen a sunrise over the plains, drank a cold beer after a day of hunting or consider rocktober a real month, youve experienced it. Heck, it was a carriage ride up pikes peak that inspired Katharine Bates to write america the beautiful. She later wrote we stood at last on that gateofheaven summit and gazed in wordless rapture over the far expanse of mountain ranges and the sealike sweep of plain. This love of place colors everything we do. We are a Community Thousands of years in the making, starting with the paleoindians, followed by more recent inhabitants including the arapaho and cheyenne, and utes. Renewed by the first hispanic settlers, the hopes of the 59ers, the coalstained faces of the next pioneers and the sweat of those who built train tracks, bridges and tunnels and stayed to start families and build communities. It was the germans, japanese and irish, immigrants from countless countries who planted the seeds of entrepreneurship, and our immigrants today who continue to harvest those seeds. As president reagan said about the shining city on the hill the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get there. Popular culture has tried to sell us a tall tale that colorados history is only about rugged individualism and conflict. But cooperation has always been the defining part of our dna. Trappers used to go out in packs of 10 or 20 because teamwork was safer and more productive. There were a lot more barn raisings than there were shootouts. Mountain residents at the turn of the century would leave their cabins unlocked and stocked with food in case a weary traveler in the area hit a storm. Those travelers were honorbound to clean the cabin and restock it later. Sometimes in this building we stray from this colorado way. We dont always restock the cabin. We dont always listen. Issues can get tangled in a web of special interests. Trust in our government, at every level, is a critical part of love of place. Not that our mountains and plains arent a big part of our communal affection, and sports teams as well. But i believe love of place is a key ingredient of most Economic Development. And people arent eager to make the investments that all prosperity demands if they dont trust the people who lead them and trust that those leaders will work together. In this past legislative session, we did just that. We finally fixed the hospital provider fee. [applause] we now have a little more sanity in our budget. And hospitals in rural colorado that would have closed, continue to serve thousands of patients. Jennifer riley, an executive at Memorial Regional Health in craig, told us, you helped keep our doors open. Thank you. Last year, we reformed construction defects. And slowly, were building more condos. We delivered a modest deposit on our broadband initiative. And today, a highschooler in julesburg is taking remote business classes so perhaps one day he can start his own company. For the first time we used marijuana taxes for a homeless initiative. We helped people save their own lives. Last year wasnt always pretty. Progress isnt always painless. But it was the most impactful, bipartisan legislative session since the great rrecession. We reminded everyone the collaborative colorado way is the best way. When were frustrated, we listen harder. When were stumped, we turn to facts and data. We try to bring the best ideas to the table. We dont define ourselves by those who oppose us. As any restaurateur knows, theres no margin in having enemies. Thats basically our slogan. And im grateful to have been your friend these last seven years. Most of the time. If you havent lived in colorado long, you might be tempted to think that the state you see today was inevitable. But when we first met in this room, our economy was in disarray. We had just ended the worst year for job seekers in generations . We were 26th in unemployment and 40th in job growth; nearly 400,000 coloradans were unemployed or underemployed; and tens of thousands more had dropped out of the workforce. So we did what coloradans do. We rolled up our sleeves and got to work. We hosted 50 meetings and took comments from more than 13,000 people in all 64 counties. Coloradans told us what they needed to shape their communities across the state from the bottom up. With this input, we created a new blueprint for a new economy. We cut red tape, promoted the state not just to tourists, but as a pro business destination for aspiring entrepreneurs; championed innovation and technology and made it easier for smallbusinesses to get a loan. The colorado blueprint made it easier for people to create and grow their own businesses, and helped make colorado a place that loves entrepreneurs. By almost any measure, weve become one of the best places for business in america. Were one of the most active and healthiest, one of the best states to raise a family and make a living. We shattered unemployment records, tourism records, and hosted worldclass cultural and music events. The state has become a bridge between nonprofits and the private sector. Weve leveraged a quarter of a billion dollars through publicprivate partnerships for Community Initiatives that have touched millions of lives. Were putting our faith in people like sevenyear old ashley scott from colorado springs. Two years ago, she started a holiday benefit and purchased blankets, socks and gloves for the homeless. This past year, she partnered with 20 businesses, her school, and the community to do even more. She said doing this makes me feel happythe homeless need a merry christmas, too. Ashley were grateful for you. For your presence and your incredible work. [applause] its a shame youre not 23 years older. You could run for governor everyone else is doing it. [laughter] [applause] weve swelled our ranks in health care with 600,000 more enrollees while prioritizing value. We lifted families out of poverty with a focus on twogeneration solutions. Our Family Planning initiative has helped reduce the abortion rate among teens in colorado by 64 percent. [applause] and reduced teenage pregnancies by 54 . [applause] weveecome the leading stat for aerospace employment. When our cyber secity cent reacs full capity, well have thousands of people a year getting certificates. We were the first state to legalize Recreational Marijuana while creating a roadmap for other states. By the way were not wild about washington telling us whats best for us. We expect the federal government [applause] we expect the federal government will respect the will of colorado voters. We charted our trails, expanded broadband to almost 100,000 rural homes, lured countless businesses large and small and revitalized dozens of main streets. We provided Wraparound Services for thousands of people like sarah middlebrooks, who completed the fort lyon programfound permanent housingand now maintains her own Small Business while pursuing her associates degree. She couldnt make it because of an accident over the weekend. Sarah if youre watching, we wish you a speedy recovery. And offer you a congratulations. [applause] we created the countrys first and best methane regulations; a by bringing together the Environmental Community of nonprofits and oil and gas industry. We brought together the entire state to greet create a water plan that secures food production; protected the sage grouse from being listed as an endangered species; and developed an electric Vehicle Infrastructure spanning 7,000 miles. We cut or modified almost half of our rules and regulions. And in doing so, saved businesses nearly eight Million Dollars and over two million hours last year alone. [applause] two million hours and we measured our progress on everything that matters. We trained thousands of employees who completed 600 lean process improvementscreated more value for coloradans and won several awards. Were one of the most innovative and transparent state governments in america. My mother used to say use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without those are pretty good words for a state to live by. Along the journey, our spirit was tested by floods and fires and inexplicable loss. On the other side of these tests, we became stronger. By nearly every measure, colorado is perhaps stronger now than at any point in history. Our economy is 10 times more diverse than when i was laid off in 1986. We developed a welldeserved reputation for innovationand welcomed the several hundred thousand pilgrims who have moved here from elsewhere, allowing them to experience, firsthand, just why we love this place so much. This is an era for the record books. But we cant rest on our laurels. As one farmer told me, in colorado, you can be a rainfall away from a record crop, but a hailstorm away from losing it all. So we will not let up. We wont stop to enjoy the view. We have a lot to accomplish in the next 119 days . We need to 119 days in this building. We need to find the right solution to peras unfunded liability. We need to pass legislation to safely cap orphan wells. We need to halt the Opioid Epidemic that continues to destroy lives and families, and we need to pass legislation to safely cap orphan wells. We need to halt the Opioid Epidemic that continues to destroy lives and families, and disproportionatelyffectsur Rural Communities. We need to enact a k12 and infrastructure funding plan that will help make the wer plan a reality. We need legislation and funds to ensure full broadband buildout in rural areas. And we need to protect our Rural Communities by addressing the intense, negative impact the gallagher amendment has had, and will have, in the future. [applause] its a commonsense agenda. And its an opportunity for us to continue showing the country how it can be done. That politics need not be a blood sportthat we need not wage war between the blue team and the red teamand that dedicated and caring people even those who may disagree at times can still achieve important goals together. Its also an opportunity to recommit ourselves to honor and respect our colleagues and uphold the dignity of our offices. Lets pledge here and now that we will not tolerate Sexual Harassment in colorado. In the early hours of the last centurytheodore roosevelt said of the United States it should be the growing nation with a future that takes the long look ahead. Lets take a long look and think together about the kind of place colorado must become so that we can pass our love of place onto the next generation. Today, more coloradans are working than ever before. The colorado secret is out, our inmigration to the front range is the envy of the nation. But our rural areas are not experiencing the same boom. Him we need to create the right ecosystem. Its like the bristlecone pine, unique to the west. It lives in a harsh but stunning High Altitude environment. Environmentthe perfect conditions for it to thrive. It may grow more slowly than the spruce, but it is sturdy, resilient and yes, beautiful. Most people in rural areas are filled with a love of place. I had lunch with 14 future farmers of america almost a year ago. I asked these young adults how many would choose to return to their small hometowns if they could make a living. Every hand went up. But one young woman later noted, if i came back with someone i loved, theyd need a job too. We need more good jobs in rural colorado. Many Outdoor Recreation and manufacturing companies, sports enthusiasts, and adventurers from around the world seek out dynamic rural areas. And thats great. But some of our best entrepreneurs are already in Rural Communities. Seven years ago, robert graves, a fourthgeneration dairy farmer in bellvue co, started making an australian styleogurtw you can now buy in all fifty states. Noosa yogurt is in all 50 states and has annual revenues of over twohundred Million Dollars. [applause] they have 200 employees in bellvue, colorado. But to reinvigorate more of our smaller communities, we need to incentivize companies and rural entrepreneursor the urban ones who want to be rural. To take a chance, and start a business where theyre needed the most. Thats why we Just Announced a 10 million Rural Venture Fund to focus Equity Investment and access to capital in rural parts of the state, similar to what theyve been doing along the front range. Startup colorado is a fiveyear initiative to organize and convene startups around the statesupported by brad feld and other top entrepreneurial leaders. We are expanding our blueprint and rural jumpstart Economic Development programs. Maybe we need to expand the jumpstart incentive to seven years . Were backstopping loans for rural markets that allow businesses and startups to get more access to capitalmaybe we should do more . We need to make it easier for anyone to love any part of colorado and start a business here. Companies need affordable, Quality Health care. We have some of the most expensive counties for health care in the countryand 14 counties only have one option on the exchange all of them are in rural areas. We need our friends in washington to finally move past the tired fight over the Affordable Care act. Its not perfect, and we need to strengthen it in lots of ways but it has helped reduce our uninsured rate by half. 600,000 coloradans many from rural parts of the state now have coverage who didnt before. It has helped save lives. However, we all can agree that america spends too much on healthcare and gets too little for it. This is an economic argument as much as a Health Related one. The year before the Affordable Care act, twothirds of bankruptcies were caused by medical debt. Two thirds. That is over 100,000 bankruptcies, individuals and families. A disproportionate number in rural areas. The following year, the aca helped reduce that number by sixty percent. [applause] more than 60,000 familiesdidnt go through the trauma of bankruptcy. When were secure in our health care, were more likely to take a chance and start a business. Every economist and anyone with a smartphone would agree our economy is undergoing tectonic shifts with the acceleration of automation and artificial intelligence. Yet today, in almost every part of colorado, zip code still determines your educa