Issues

Education

My goal on education is to achieve results, not talk. Just as we challenge our children to excel and better themselves, so too must the federal government challenge itself to do a better job for our children.

Colorado's schools, to be successful, must have the resources they need to educate our children. In the competitive world economy of today and tomorrow, our children must be equipped with the tools to succeed.

I believe accountability, parental involvement and choice - with solid, measurable results - is the best way to ensure we live up to the promise of education.

I also believe in local control and that local school districts know what is best for their students.

Agriculture

Colorado's rural communities and agricultural heritage are not just economic building blocks of the past - they are the key to a thriving future as well. A vibrant, thriving rural Colorado means a healthy economy statewide.

Agriculture remains one of the top three economic drivers in Colorado today. As a member of the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Livestock Committee, I have been a champion for rural Colorado. As a member of Congress, I will once again lead the way, making agriculture and rural Colorado even stronger.

Our farmers and ranchers deserve a strong voice in Washington, D.C. - someone who understands water policy and law, a person who recognizes the important role that trade and agriculture policy play in rural communities.

Opening new markets, creating value added opportunities, furthering renewable energy development, and continued advancements in crop technologies will help put profit back into agriculture.

I am proud to call rural Colorado my home.

Transportation

Twenty-first century transportation solutions rely on cooperation, ingenuity and forward thinking. There is no single magic wand that can be waved to provide for our transportation needs. Private-based solutions are every bit as important as government solutions. Our economic future relies on a safe and sound transportation infrastructure. I am committed to investments in our long-term transportation policy.

Water

I believe in a water policy that conserves, protects, and enhances our water supply and improves our quality of life; one that respects water rights, water right holders, and Colorado water law.

In the rotunda of the capitol building, Thomas Hornsby Ferril's writing echoes what we all now recognize: that the history of Colorado is written in water. So is its future. Growing demand for the same finite supply will continue to cause problems. The "pie" is the same size, even as needs are growing. Thanks to the nation's premier water laws, Colorado can balance the needs of water users with the needs of the environment and recreation, without resorting to federal reserved water rights. Storage, conservation and environmentally sound water policies should remain at center stage.

Healthcare

Our federal healthcare system is broke and broken. Free market solutions have been abandoned in favor of government care and mandates. We must develop healthcare options that deliver increased quality of care at a lower cost, freeing consumers to make their own choice about their own care. Electronic medical records, telemedicine, and interstate insurance purchasing are all pieces of the solution. If the federal government continues on its healthcare spending spree, it will take more than a band-aid to put the budget back together.

Natural Resources Conservation and Outdoor Recreation

In addition to farmers and ranchers, sportsmen have always been our nation’s foremost conservationists. Throughout the last one-hundred years, sportsmen have helped fish and game agencies manage wildlife to ensure sustainable populations, contributed their money and labor to restore and improve habitat, and voluntarily paid license fees and excise taxes to fund game management and habitat conservation. In addition, hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation have proven physical, psychological and educational benefits for our nation’s young people. Despite these benefits, our country has experienced declining participation in hunting and other forms of wildlife dependant recreation over the past two decades due to a growing disconnect between children and nature. As more and more adults hang up their fishing rods, rifles and boots, fewer and fewer young people are picking them up.

As a member of Congress, I will work to address these issues by supporting the recruitment and retention of a new base of sportsmen-conservationists. I will develop and support federal incentives that allow farmers, ranchers and other landowners to keep more of the income they earn in exchange for voluntarily conserving wildlife habitat and allowing hunting and fishing access on their property. I will work to increase hunting and fishing opportunities on the federal lands that the American tax payers own and support responsible implementation of state wildlife action plans. I will support legislation to make self-imposed excise taxes fairer and more sustainable for the manufacturers of sporting arms and ammunition and I’ll work to ensure that on the ground habitat conservation figures prominently in the development of legislation related to climate change, energy and transportation.

Family

The strength of our families starts with the emphasis we place on life, the unborn, the living and the old. I believe we need more emphasis on life, protecting it at all stages.

We can also strengthen our families by taking the bold step to correct policies and entitlements that promote divisions rather than family unity. The family in its many forms is the center of every culture. If we want our culture to survive we must keep our families strong.

Card Check

The secret ballot is an integral part of our Nation’s history, which I believe must be preserved. A person’s right to cast a ballot privately – whether for a local, state or national election, or the choice to join a union or not – should remain private and not be changed.