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Dear
Friend,
Let
me
be
extremely
clear:
sexual
harassment
and
workplace
misconduct
have
no
place
in
America,
and
certainly
have
no
place
in
the
United
States
Congress
Last
week,
Senators
Kirsten
Gillibrand
(D-NY),
Ted
Cruz
(R-TX),
and
I,
along
with
several
of
our
colleagues,
introduced
new
bipartisan
legislation
that
would
overhaul
the
current
process
that
victims
of
harassment
in
Congress
must
go
through
when
reporting
a
claim, eliminate
the
use
of
taxpayer
funds
to
pay
out
claims,
and
increase
public
disclosure
of
claims
against
Members.
The
current
process
for
victims
of
harassment
in
Congress
lacks
transparency
and
is
difficult
to
navigate.
This
legislation,
the Congressional
Harassment
Reform
Act,
would
bring
transparency
and
accountability
to
the
current
process
by
extending
protections
to
interns
and
fellows,
eliminating
forced
mediation,
ending
the
current
required
secrecy
in
the
process
by
allowing
victims
to
speak
publicly
about
their
case,
requiring
Members
of
Congress
found
personally
liable
for
harassment
to
pay
settlements
out
of
their
own
pockets,
and
improving
systems
to
address
harassment
and
discrimination
in
Congress.
(Click
here
or
on
the
image
above
to
download
Gardner’s
video
statement.)
Over
the
past
few
months,
our
country
has
experienced
a
much-needed
transformation
when
it
comes
to
listening
to
courageous
women
share
their
stories
about
harassment.
No
one
should
be
forced
to
work
in
an
environment
where
they
are
made
to
feel
uncomfortable
or
intimidated.
Let
me
be
extremely
clear:
sexual
harassment
and
workplace
misconduct
has
no
place
in
America,
and
certainly
has
no
place
in
the
United
States
Congress.
I’m
proud
to
join
Senators
Kirsten
Gillibrand
(D-NY),
Ted
Cruz
(R-TX),
and
my
other
colleagues
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle,
to
introduce
this
bipartisan
legislation
that
reforms
the
way
Congress
deals
with
harassment.
This
legislation
ensures
we
have
an
open,
transparent
process
that
does
not
leave
the
taxpayers
on
the
hook
for
Members
of
Congress’
misconduct.
I’m
proud
to
introduce
this
bill
and
call
on
each
of
my
colleagues
to support
this
important
proposal.
EPA
Decision
to
Elevate
Bonita
Peak
Mining
District
as
a
Priority
Superfund
Site
I
was
glad
to
hear
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
decided
to
list
the
Bonita
Peak
mining
district
as
a
top
priority
superfund
cleanup
site.
Administrator
Pruitt
assured
me
when
I
met
with
him
before
his
confirmation
and
when
we
visited
the
site
in
August
that
the
EPA
would
make
the
right
decision
for
the
people
of
Southwest
Colorado,
and
I
appreciate
his
agency
following
through
on
their
promise.
The
Gold
King
mine
spill
has
had
a
significant
impact
on
our
state
and
there
will
continue
to
be
a
lot
of
work
done
by
our
elected
officials
and
community. This
latest
commitment
to
the
Bonita
Peak
Mining
District
along
with
continued
attention
to
Pueblo
cleanup
actions
are
important
steps
in
the
progress
that
needs
to
be
made
by
the
EPA
at
both
locations.
Learn
more
here.
Secure
Rural
Schools
I
recently
joined
a
bipartisan
group
of
senators,
including
Senator
Michael
Bennet
(D-CO),
in
sending
a
letter
to
Senate
leadership
last
week
to
call
for
the
inclusion
of
a
reauthorization
of
the
Secure
Rural
Schools
(SRS)
program
in
any
end-of-year
legislation.
SRS
supports
public
schools,
public
roads,
forest
health
projects,
emergency
services,
and
many
other
essential
county
services
for
more
than
775
counties
across
the
country.
I,
along
with
several
of
my
colleagues,
sent
a
letter
to
Senate
Leadership
requesting
a
two
year
reauthorization
of
the
program.
My
colleagues
and
I
wrote,
in
part:
"The
SRS
program
continues
to
be
a
critical
safety-net
for
forest
counties
as
we
work
to
diversify
rural
economies,
improve
forest
management
and
forest
health,
strengthen
historic
forest
revenue
sharing
with
local
governments,
and
ensure
that
our
forests
provide
a
range
of
values
such
as
clean
water,
jobs,
and
wood
fiber
for
local
economies.
In
the
interest
of
working
together
in
a
bipartisan
way
to
support
local
rural
communities,
we
ask
that
you
include
a
reauthorization
of
Secure
Rural
Schools
in
any
end-of-the-year
legislation.
We
appreciate
your
assistance
with
this
matter."
Read
our
full
letter
here.
Central
70
Project
Funding
Recently,
I
announced
Kiewit
Meridiam
Partners
LLC
has
been
awarded
a
Transportation
Infrastructure
Finance
and
Innovation
Act
(TIFIA)
loan
of
up
to
$416
million
for
the
Central
70
Public-Private
Partnership
Project
with
the
Colorado
Department
of
Transportation
(CDOT).
The
project
seeks
to
make
several
updates,
including
replacing
a
ten-mile
segment
of
I-70
east
of
Denver,
to
help
mitigate
traffic
and
bolster
safety.
This
critical
funding
for
the
Central
70
Project
was
one
of
the
major
reasons
I
fought
to
protect
TIFIA
funding
during
consideration
of
the
2015
highway
bill.
With
Colorado’s
growing
population,
it’s
important
we
ensure
our
state
receives
enough
resources
to
properly
serve
Coloradans.
Infrastructure
affects
everyone
across
our
state
and
going
forward,
I’ll
keep
fighting
for
Colorado
at
the
federal
level.
Meeting
with
Coloradans
On
Friday,
I
met
with
the
North
I-25
Coalition
in
Greeley.
We
had
a
positive
meeting
about
this
important
project
and
I
will
continue
to
work
at
the
federal
level
to
make
sure
Colorado
has
the
support
they
need.
I
also
met
with
members
of
the
Colorado
Fruit
and
Vegetable
Growers
Association.
We
had
a
great
conversation
about
how
trade
is
extremely
important
to
Colorado's
Ag
industry.
Need
Help
with
a
Federal
Agency?
My
staff
is
available
to
assist
you
with
finding
out
the
status
of
a
case
and
requesting
additional
information
from
a
federal
agency.
I
have
offices
in
Denver,
Durango,
Pueblo,
Grand
Junction,
Fort
Collins,
Greeley,
Yuma,
and
Colorado
Springs.
Learn
more
about
how
we
can
help here.
Thank
you
for
taking
the
time
to read
my
weekly
update.
If
I
can
be
of any
assistance
to
you,
please
contact my
Washington,
D.C.
office
at
(202)
224-5941.
Sincerely,
Cory
Gardner
United
States
Senator
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