Boulder County’s priorities ahead of the General Assembly’s 2020 legislative session include climate change preparedness and resiliency, as well as limiting tobacco use and vaping.

The Daily Camera reports that at its Tuesday afternoon meeting, the Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt the list of legislative priorities (Commissioner Matt Jones was absent.)

Commissioner Elise Jones, noting the inclusion of racial, gender and LGBTQ equity as another priority, said that it was critical for “people in our community and across the state to know we have their backs.”

In the past, the board’s legislative agenda has noted that county staff are actively involved as bills arise in the legislature pertaining to the county’s priorities. Last year, the county’s first item to pursue was “aggressive and enforceable goals to reduce net statewide heat-trapping emissions.”

Other goals from 2019 included expanded local government authority to regulate oil and gas operations, substance abuse treatment in the criminal justice system, and improving access to health care.

Those three items ultimately were addressed by a combination of legislation, executive agency announcements and interim legislative committee recommendations.

In 2018, Boulder County adopted a five-year plan for its own priorities. Among those were achieving 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2024, pursuing “desirable exchange projects” for federal government land, and providing more self-service features for county services.