Cheers to our bright future! 


** Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Here is to a bright future in 2021!
------------------------------------------------------------
We have seen a lot of change in 2020 and there is much work to be done in 2021! I am ready to put in the long hours necessary to ensure the quality of life we appreciate in rural Colorado.


** Special Session Wrap Up:
------------------------------------------------------------
The session culminated with the approval of a $280 million bipartisan stimulus package to address numerous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of ten bills were ultimately passed by the legislature.

HB20B-1002 Emergency Relief Programs for the Child Care Sector
HB20B-1002 invests $45 million of state general fund into two new grant programs. The first grant program will provide $35 million in sustainability funding to all existing, licensed child care providers and neighborhood youth organizations. The actual amount that each provider will receive will depend, in part, on the number of kids the facility is licensed to serve. Roughly 2,600 child care providers are expected to receive the funding.

The second grant program will consist of roughly $10 million and will support existing child care providers who wish to expand their capacity to serve their community or help new child care centers startup. These funds can help pay capital and operating costs and hire and pay staff and part-time help.


HB20B-1003 Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program
HB20B-1003 provides $3 million for food pantries and food banks to purchase food for Coloradans in need. This bill expands on the work of HB20-1422 which granted these entities $500,000 of CARES ACT funding. That funding ultimately went to 130 vendors in 62 counties.

Under HB20B-1003, food purchased by a grant recipient must - to the extent possible - be designated as a Colorado agricultural product. This requirement is intended to help support rural economies. The bill also specifies that food pantries and food banks that receive funding can use a portion of their funding to cover transportation, food delivery, staff expansion, refrigeration, and storage costs.

SB 20B-003 Money for Energy Utility Bill Payment Assistance
This bill will help individuals who are unable to pay their energy utility bills because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill transfers $5 million from the State General Fund to the Energy Outreach Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Fund, which is administered by the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). The transfer to CEO is to take place immediately upon the governor’s signature. CEO is required to distribute the money to the non-profit organization within three days of receiving the money.


SB20B-002, Housing & Direct COVID-19 Emergency Assistance
SB20B-002 transfers a total of $60 million from the General Fund to cash funds supporting housing assistance programs. The bill creates and appropriates $5 million General Fund (GF) to the Emergency Direct Assistance Grant Program in the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). This program will be administered by the Division of Housing and will provide grants to individuals who experience financial need due to the COVID-19 pandemic and who may not be eligible for other types of assistance (such as unemployment insurance, food assistance, and/or federal stimulus payments). The bill orders the Division of Housing to work with local nonprofit organizations to award grants.

SB20B-001 Relief for Small & Minority Owned Businesses and Arts Organizations
SB 1 creates the Small Business Relief Program within the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and makes $37 million available to certain restaurants, bars, gyms, and movie theatres that are operating under severe capacity restrictions due to a local or state public health order and have suffered at least a 20% reduction in profits during the pandemic.

The relief payments to restaurants, bars, gyms, and movie theatres will be done on a tiered system, based on that business’ receipts in 2019. Based on their receipts, businesses will be eligible for payments between $3,500 and $7,000.

The bill also makes $4 million available to minority-owned businesses through a program in the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and $7.5 million available to eligible arts, culture, and entertainment organizations through the Creative Industries Division in OEDIT. Finally, the legislation waives a host of state licensing fees to provide additional relief for various businesses.

HB20B-1001 Grants to Improve Internet Access in P-12 Education
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many schools to move to online learning this year and this has put many students who lack high-speed Internet access to the home at a serious learning disadvantage. HB 1001 creates the Connecting Colorado Students Grant Program within the Colorado Department of Education to attempt to address this lack of broadband access across the state. The program will provide $20 million in grant funds to school districts throughout Colorado to enhance broadband access for students and teachers through wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) antennas, mobile hotspots, satellite connections, and other technologies.
As the special legislative session concluded Rep. Donald Valdez of House District 62 met with community members in the San Luis Valley to discuss mental and behavioral health issues on Thursday, December 3rd. In attendance were several behavioral health experts who were able to share their experiences on how mental health services have been changing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately, we know that this pandemic has added extra stressors on everyone, especially on low income, homeless, and rural populations. The area is seeing increased issues with substance abuse and family conflict. Several different resource and counseling centers in the valley are working together to service marginalized populations. These centers are also working towards making methadone and Narcan treatments along with clean needles and testing kits more widely available for people struggling with addiction. It is critical that mental health services are widely available during these challenging times. Representatives from the San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group explained how providers can reach people in need via teletherapy. Many clients are taking advantage of these new services. Those without internet access or who are unable to obtain the technology necessary to participate in such services are still being helped. Some people in the valley are able to engage in therapy via
telephone. Others are able to have technology lent and delivered to them by the behavioral health center.

Community members and behavioral health experts are working very hard to expand access to vital services to everyone in the area. There are still some face to face services available and a mobile center that visits different communities to provide care with no appointment necessary. A hybrid approach of mixing virtual appointments with limited and safe in-person appointments seems to be very popular with clients and is seen as an effective way to aid those who are struggling. Although there has been much progress made and there is so much to be proud of in the realm of mental health, there are still needs not being met. With San Luis Valley being a rural area it often enjoys less funding from the state and presents challenges with broadband connectivity and access in general. Moving forward into 2021 we are hoping to resolve these issues and do all we can to improve mental and behavioral health for Coloradans.
COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Helpful resources:
* For more information visit [link removed] ([link removed])
* For frequently asked questions visit [link removed] ([link removed])
* Here is today’s presentation ([link removed]) and watch today’s press conference ([link removed])

Great news for our watersheds! The map below illustrates the snow to water equivalent for Colorado.
Make sure to get outside and get some fresh air! Wolf Creek Ski Area is open! Visit their page for more information and guidelines.
[link removed]
View this email in your browser ([link removed])

============================================================
** [link removed] ([link removed])
** [link removed] ([link removed])
** [link removed] ([link removed])
Copyright © Representative Donald Valdez HD 62, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
[email protected]

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can
** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.


This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
Representative Donald Valdez . 1525 Sherman Street . Denver, Co 80238 . USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]