Senator Recaps Work and Accomplishments for the People of Colorado in 2019

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following message wishing Coloradans a Happy New Year and recapping his work and accomplishments in 2019 on behalf of the people of the Centennial State.

Year End Message 2019 NOTE: Go to: https://sengardner.box.com/s/9kguzrkv92x8vh6dbwuwpv786ggc1224 to view remarks from Senator Gardner.

"This holiday season as we spend time with our families, look back on the past year, and plan for the year ahead, I want to share some highlights of our successful efforts for Colorado this year,"said Senator Gardner.

"This year, we successfully passed permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and moved the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction - to better protect our public lands and better serve the people impacted by the BLM's decisions. And we've made great progress to lower the cost of health insurance in Colorado. Our state's reinsurance waiver will lower costs for Coloradans on the individual market by more than 20 percent, and the full repeal of the health insurance tax will save Colorado families hundreds of dollars a year. As we head into the next year, I feel honored to represent the greatest state in the country and I will continue to fight every day for what's right for Colorado."

Notable achievements for the state of Colorado in 2019 include:

* Gardner's push to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline took two critical steps forward. A day after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously approved Gardner's legislation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 5-0 to move forward with establishing the 9-8-8 suicide hotline.

* Gardner secured an increase of funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the year-end spending package, which was signed into law.

* The Senate passed Gardner's bipartisan VA Provider Accountability Act, which would bring much needed accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This bill is part of Gardner's VA Readiness Initiative, which he launched to ensure the government is always ready to assist veterans and prepared to fulfill the promises our country has made them.

* Gardner secured the repeal of the costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT) and Medical Device Tax with passage of the year-end federal spending package. Gardner and previously introduced S. 172, a Senate bill to stop the HIT from raising costs on Coloradans.

* Congress provided $425 million for states to improve election security with Gardner's support.

* The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law and included numerous Gardner-supported provisions, including authorization of $322 million for military construction projects in Colorado, the largest pay raise for troops in a decade, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all 2.1 million federal employees.

* Gardner's measure to provide potentially billions of dollars to fund rural broadband expansion was approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

* Gardner's amendment to increase funding for the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program(CAMP) was included in the year-end spending package and signed into law.

* The bipartisan TRACED Act is headed to the President's desk to be signed into law, which Gardner cosponsored to crack down on illegal robocalls and scams. Coloradans receive 2.5 million robocalls every day, and El Paso County has the highest rate of robocall complaints per capita in the United States.

* The bipartisan FUTURE Act was signed into law, which included Gardner's legislation to simplify the federal student loan application process for nearly 20 million students and their families.

* Gardner's legislation to reauthorize Brand USA and support international travel to Colorado and the U.S. was signed into law.

* The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed Gardner's bipartisan bill to provide full, permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

* The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved Gardner's bipartisan legislation with U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (CO-1) to establish the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics.

* Two bipartisan Gardner bills to protect firefighters from harmful PFAS chemicals advanced in the Senate. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously passed the Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act, and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed the Guaranteeing Equipment Safety for Firefighters Act.

* The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously passed the bipartisan Energy Jobs for our Heroes Act, introduced by Senators Gardner and Bennet to help ease the transition back to civilian life for service members and connect veterans with jobs in the rapidly expanding energy sector.

* The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed the Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment (EFFORT) Act, introduced by Senators Gardner and Chris Coons (D-DE) to support research on opioid addiction.

* The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee passed the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act, which included a number of provisions supported by Gardner to bolster the Colorado aerospace sector.

* The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution authored by Senators Gardner and Bennet to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Colorado Farm Bureau Federation and celebrate the long history of the Farm Bureau representing farmers and ranchers in Colorado.

* The Senate passed Gardner's bipartisan Deepfake Report Act to assess deepfake technology, its uses by foreign and domestic entities, and available countermeasures to deepfakes, and to help policymakers and the public better understand the threats deepfakes pose to our national security and election security.

* U.S. Space Command was established at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Gardner has long pushed for the Department of Defense to reestablish U.S. Space Command in Colorado.

* The federal government released the first measure of state-level data for the outdoor recreation economy. Prior to Gardner's Outdoor REC Act becoming law in 2016, the federal government did not measure the state-level economic impact of outdoor recreation.

* The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed three bills authored by Gardner and a number of bills cosponsored by Gardner to enhance energy storage, enhance state energy security planning, and provide physical and cyber security assistance to electric utilities.

* Gardner applauded the final repeal of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, a burdensome regulation that would have been harmful to Colorado's economy and agriculture community. Gardner has consistently opposed WOTUS since it was first revealed and celebrated the announcement as preventing an unconstitutional takeover of Colorado's rivers, streams, and local waterways.

* The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a new rule to provide reimbursement for time that residents spend training at Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), which serve rural communities. This policy was included in Gardner's bipartisan Rural Physician Workforce Production Act.

* Colorado's reinsurance waiver was approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which will lower health insurance premiums on the individual market by more than 20 percent across Colorado. Gardner directly pushed CMS, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services in support of Colorado's waiver application.

* Gardner announced the Bureau of Land Management will relocate its headquarters to Grand Junction, an idea Gardner first raised in June, 2016.

* Gardner's legislation to permanently reauthorize the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was signed into law. The VCF provides financial compensation to first responders and individuals injured in the September 11th attacks, like Colorado's Task Force One, which deployed to Ground Zero in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.

* Gardner announced the formation of the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, which will embrace and promote constructive efforts to address environmental problems, promote economically viable policies to improve the environment, and base policy decisions on science and quantifiable facts.

* Gardner-supported legislation to help prevent law enforcement suicides was signed into law.

* The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously passed Gardner's bipartisan Developing and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act, which would convene a working group of federal entities and experts from the private and academic sectors to recommend to Congress how to facilitate the growth of connected Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

* The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced bipartisan legislation written by Senators Gardner and Mark Warner (D-VA), co-founders of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, to improve cybersecurity of Internet-connected devices.

* The Senate passed Gardner's legislation to permanently reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, which law enforcement agencies use to purchase lifesaving bulletproof vests.

* Gardner chaired a hearing on climate science research to examine research advancements on climate issues and the developments in climate science.

* Senators Gardner and Bennet secured congressional passage of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which was then signed into law and authorized the implementation of the Drought Contingency Plan agreements forged between the seven Colorado River Basin states and Indian tribes.

* Gardner secured permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was signed into law in March. Gardner has championed the LWCF in the Senate and currently pushing for full, permanent funding of the LWCF.

In 2019, Gardner was recognized for his work across the aisle:

* Gardner was ranked the 5th most bipartisan Senator in the 115th Congress by the Lugar Center, moving up three spots from number eight in 2017.

* Quorum Analytics analyzed Congress' legislative data in 2019 and found Gardner was one of the most bipartisan Senators at this point in the 116th Congress.

Notable efforts to promote democracy, human rights, and American interests around the world include:

* The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Gardner's hard-hitting Russia sanctions package to deter the Russian Federation's malign actions around the world.

* The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Gardner's legislation to determine if Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

* Gardner secured $2.5 billion to implement the Gardner-Markey Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, a comprehensive Asia policy framework which was signed into law in 2018.

* Gardner's legislative provision expressing U.S. support for democracy in Hong Kong was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

* Gardner's provision to impose sanctions on North Korea was signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

* The Senate passed Gardner's bipartisan resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, marking the first time in history the Senate recognized the Armenian Genocide.

* Gardner applauded the announcement that the Federal Communications Commission would ban telecommunications providers from using federal subsidies to purchase equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE. Gardner has long warned about the risks of ZTE and Huawei technologies and his resolution warning allies of the risks of Huawei and ZTE products was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously in June.

* The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI Act), authored by Senators Gardner and Chris Coons (D-DE), to strengthen Taiwan's standing around the world and respond to increased pressure and bullying from China.

* Gardner commended new sanctions placed on North Korea, which were mandated by his 2016 North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act.

* Gardner hosted President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen and high-ranking Taiwanese officials in Colorado. President Tsai's visit marked the first time a sitting president of Taiwan visited the state of Colorado.

Read this original document at: https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-releases-year-end-message-highlights-accomplishments-for-colorado