First, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner wanted to hear from the farmers about Washington policies that might affect them. This week he put out the call to Colorado’s collective technology brain trust.

The thoughts-collecting effort by Gardner and the Colorado Technology Association is called the One More Job/One More Innovation Initiative “to give the Colorado technology industry a voice at the table in Washington, D.C.,” Gardner said in a statement.

“It’s important that Colorado ideas drive the decisions made in Washington,” said Gardner, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “With the start of a new Congress and a new administration, we must explore opportunities to work together to set a robust agenda.”

The idea, he said, is “to listen to Coloradans about how we can best grow the tech industry, work to target regulations they find burdensome, and pursue legislative solutions that will expand Colorado’s technology footprint and ensure the United States remains a global leader in this space.”

Members of the tech community can register to provide feedback by sending their name and contact information to the Colorado Technology Association at  innovationinitiative@coloradotechnology.org.

The Colorado Technology Association said the state has more than 14,847 tech companies with about 187,000 employees.

Feedback could include not only opportunities and challenges, but also federal regulations that should be repealed or amended to promote innovation and create jobs, the association said.

“Colorado Technology Association aims to modernize laws as technology evolves and bridge our tech community with policy makers to further advance Colorado’s fast-moving tech ecosystem,” Andrea Young, president and CEO of the Colorado Technology Association, stated. “This collaborative initiative with Sen. Gardner opens the door for our tech leaders to engage directly with government by providing insight and expertise on what will help them succeed and how to solidify Colorado’s standing as the definitive tech hub between the coasts.”