State Sens. Rhonda Fields, Jeff Bridges and Cleave Simpson and Rep. Julie McCluskie are the Colorado Community College System’s legislators of the year.

Fields is a Democrat from Aurora. Bridges is a Democrat from Greenwood Village. Simpson is a Republican who hails from Alamosa, and McCluskie is a Dillon Democrat.

“I am so grateful to the Aurora Community for honoring me with this award,” Fields said in a statement Monday afternoon. “The Community College of Aurora is shaping the minds of the future, and doing it one student at a time, one class at a time. Our workplaces need these students, our society needs them.

“I am committed to working to provide avenues for students and teachers to succeed at every education level, and will continue to support Colorado’s robust community college system.”

Fields is a member of the Capital Development Committee, which steered $75 million into the Community College System in the last session to complete construction projects and maintain campuses. 

Fields sponsored Senate Bill 13, signed into law by the governor in May, to find products and strategies to help students recover from lost learning opportunities caused by remote lessons caused by the pandemic. 

McCluskie sponsored House Bill 1325 to create a legislative committee to focus on legislation that pertains to school funding. She also led House Bill 1330 that steered $51.5 million in federal relief money into attracting students to post-secondary credentials, while allowing community colleges to offer a bachelor’s degree in applied science, among other changes.

Bridges sponsored Senate Bill 119 a career development program that provides financial incentives to school districts that encourage students in grades 9 to 12 to enroll in trade credentialing programs, including internships and apprenticeships.

The state Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Community College System are charged with working with private employers to find those opportunities.

Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill into law in June.

Simpson sponsored the successful Senate Bill 8, which removed the name “junior” from the remaining community colleges that still used it.