Wes McKinley

With the arrival of 2008, my Democratic colleagues and I in the General Assembly will convene in Denver with a job to do - to improve the quality of life for Coloradoans.

We will build on our successes from 2007, when we worked closely with Governor Bill Ritter to boost Colorado's renewable energy economy and to expand pre-school and kindergarten programs for our kids.

While I am proud of our work last year, there is still much left to do. In 2008, I will work every day with three goals in mind: to help

you and your kids have access to quality, affordable healthcare; to make sure our children get the education they need to meet their potential; and to help Colorado attract the best, high-paying jobs that

the 21st century has to offer.

• Access to quality, affordable healthcare

This legislative session I’m committed to expanding access to health care; limiting the financial burden placed on individuals, families and employers; and putting a premium on personal responsibility and

prevention. I will work to hold insurance companies accountable for their rates and make sure that hospital charges are clear and transparent.

• Educating Colorado’s children

I am committed to removing obstacles that prevent students from receiving a meaningful education that allows them to pursue their passions and opportunities and matches the demands of the 21st century.

I also plan to redirect money to programs we know work, to keep kids in school.

There is no more important time in a child’s education than the earliest years. Along with Governor Ritter, we plan to give our kids a

smart start by making early childhood education available to every four- and five-year-old in the state.

Excellent teachers inspire and enable children to succeed. We will pass legislation to help schools to recruit, train and retain the very best teachers in America. Every child deserves a top-flight teacher.

Finally, you can't teach or learn effectively in a school building that's falling down. Unfortunately, that’s literally what’s happening all over Colorado. Every child deserves a safe, healthy place to go to

school and we’re going to make sure that is what they get. The Building Excellent Schools Today – or BEST – program will leverage $1 billion to repair and rebuild crumbling schools without raising taxes.

• Energizing our economy. Colorado is part of an increasingly global economy. We don’t just compete with Wyoming and Utah to attract jobs, but with China and India too. Recognizing these new challenges, my colleagues and I are working with Governor Bill Ritter on a two-fold strategy to energize our

economy and attract good 21st century jobs to our state. We will slice through the red tape that hurts Colorado businesses and continue investing in growing industries like bioscience and renewable energy.

If you’re a small business owner, you have enough to worry about without an overly complicated tax code. I will co-sponsor legislation that gives over 30,000 small businesses much-needed tax relief by

raising the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $7,000. We will also streamline the tax code so business owners pay taxes based on sales only, instead of navigating a complicated formula.

We will continue to nourish start-up companies statewide, working together with our universities to help move innovative ideas out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. Our plan is working: the emerging bioscience industry is already bringing new jobs to the state with an average salary of $63,200.

In order to help the state and the nation achieve energy independence, we will continue investing in new technologies to tap Colorado’s renewable energy potential – like solar power plants and wind turbines. Is this going to be a tough session? You bet! But I am ready to take on the tough fight for your healthcare, your children’s education, your economy – for our Colorado.