|
Hello everyone,
This week, I traveled across Colorado—from the Western Slope to Boulder—to hear from business owners, health care providers, and local leaders working on COVID-19 recovery.
We kept our distance, wore our masks, and discussed how Congress can help Coloradans safely reopen schools, keep their businesses afloat, and make sure their loved ones are healthy and safe.
I also met up with The Lumineers, Colorado’s very own folk rock band, who are joining hundreds of artists around the country to save local music venues by supporting the RESTART Act. You can see more photos and videos below.
As always, please reach out to my office with any questions or feedback—especially as we continue to contend with the pandemic’s profound effect on our health and economy.
Have a great weekend,
Michael
CALLING FOR ACTION WITH THE LUMINEERS TO SAVE OUR STAGES
On Thursday, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites from The Lumineers joined us at the Boulder Theater to support the RESTART Act, my bipartisan bill to save small- and mid-sized businesses who need relief from the pandemic. This includes independent music venues, like Z2 Entertainment’s Boulder Theater, Fox Theatre, and the Aggie Theater, that could never reopen if Congress doesn’t act. When these venues close, it’s also devastating for the artists, studio professionals, and workers who rely on them.
The Lumineers are one of hundreds of artists supporting the movement to save our stages by passing the RESTART Act—including Lady Gaga, OutKast, Foo Fighters, and more. When we head back to the Senate next week, I’ll be pushing to include RESTART in the next COVID relief package.
You can watch the event with The Lumineers on Facebook HERE. And be sure to show your support on social media using the hashtag #RESTART!
"Places like this are the first to close and the last to reopen. I think people really need music and culture, and that’s really what’s going to save us after this kind of upside down here, so thank you to Senator Bennet for putting this bill forward. Without places like this, The Lumineers don’t exist, you know, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, all these bands that we love and that impact people’s lives in a meaningful way. That’s what we’re really going to need in 2021."
- Jeremiah Fraites, The Lumineers
SUPPORTING HEALTH CARE WORKERS
At the beginning of the week, I sat down with leaders from the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials (CALPHO) in the San Juan Basin to learn about the work they’re doing to respond to the pandemic.
I also met with health care workers at Montrose Memorial Hospital to hear directly from those on the front lines about how we can support rural hospitals and patients.
To protect Coloradans and safely reopen our economy, communities need federal support for testing, contact tracing, and other essential public health efforts. That’s why I’m working to create a national Health Force—to recruit and train hundreds of thousands of young people, who are currently looking for work, in jobs that help us tackle this pandemic.
"We appreciate the senator’s efforts to create a national Health Force that would ramp up testing and contact tracing effort and support public health professionals as we continue to face the effects of this pandemic and strive to improve public health in communities across the state."
- Liane Jollon, CALPHO Board President
BUILDING BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE
On Wednesday, I toured water improvement projects in the North Fork Valley. Water infrastructure is critical to regional economic development, so communities throughout our state can continue their long-standing tradition of self-reliance. I’m working on legislation that will empower rural communities by improving USDA’s water and wastewater programs.
"While there has been a lot of talk recently about the critical need to fund infrastructure projects, these conversations have put little focus on the importance of water infrastructure to the West. We thank Senator Bennet for traveling to see these projects first-hand and engaging with us to improve water infrastructure for communities across the state."
- Andy Mueller, General Manager of the Colorado River District
SUPPORTING THE STATEWIDE MASK ORDER
This week, Governor Polis issued a statewide mask order—which I strongly support.
This is a moment for all of us to do our part and take personal responsibility by wearing a mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19. It is a matter of self-reliance. When you wear your mask, you are not only protecting yourself and your neighbors, you are also protecting seniors and our most vulnerable communities, assisting Coloradans on the front lines, and keeping us on track to safely reopen our economy and return to school safely.
So heading into the weekend, here’s your friendly reminder to wear your mask and do your part to keep Colorado safe!
Click here to respond to this email.
 
Unsubscribe |