While the cost of living continues to skyrocket across the state and the national inflation rate is at a nearly 40-year-high, the state of Colorado’s spending continues to spiral out of control. As the state of the economy continues to stretch the budgets of families and deplete their savings, it is clear that as lawmakers we need to do everything we can to reduce the burden on families and taxpayers.

For fiscal year 2022, the state of Colorado has appropriated more than $34 billion. Since fiscal year 2013, in only nine years, the state has doubled the amount of money it spends on “health care policy and financing” annually. This year, the state will spend over $13 billion on health care policy and financing. That’s almost one third of the entire state budget. This is outrageous. This out-of-control spending is taking more and more from Colorado taxpayers.

My constituents have been telling me what they’re most concerned about: the increasing cost of living, the increasing crime rate and restricted educational opportunities for Colorado’s students. That’s why I’ve introduced multiple bills this session to reduce the cost of living for my constituents.

One of the bills I’ve introduced to keep more of your money in your pocket is HB22-1024, the “Sales and Use Tax Exemption Municipal Public School Construction” Act. Under current state law, construction materials for public construction projects, such as highways, bridges, and public buildings, are exempt from the state sales tax and certain local sales taxes. However, current state law does not include public school buildings on this list of tax-exempt construction projects.

I am proud to bring this bill forward with Rep. Shannon Bird (D-Westminster) on this bill. She understands how increasing taxes and fees have created a burden on families, businesses and schools. Hopefully, by working together we can get productive policies passed for the people of Colorado.

I believe common sense should be a guiding factor in fiscal decisions. It doesn’t make any sense to me why the state of Colorado would pay state taxes to itself to build a school – all this does is increase the cost of building the school and take more money from Colorado’s families to put more money in the state’s treasury.

This legislative session, I’ve introduced multiple pieces of legislation to make Colorado more affordable:

• HB22-1020, the “Customer Right to Use Energy” Act, which would have allowed customers to choose what type of energy to use, rather than allowing state and municipal governments to decide for them. Unfortunately, Democrats in the House Energy Committee killed this piece of legislation before it even had a chance to be discussed on the House floor.
• HB22-1127, the “Income Tax Deduction For Rent” Act, which would create a tax deduction for renters who make below $40,000 per a year filing alone or $80,000 per a year filing as a household.
• HB22-1026, the “Alternative Transportation Options Tax Credit” Act, which would replace an existing income tax deduction for employers when they provide alternative transportation options to employees with a refundable tax credit of 50% of the expenses for those employers.

All of these bills would make life more affordable for families and business owners. I’m committed to continuing to introduce and support legislation that will save my constituents, and the people of Colorado, money.

I decided to run for the House seat I now hold because I shared the frustration many of you feel watching policy after policy pass through the Colorado Legislature that have a direct impact on the cost of living in Colorado. I saw the direct impact of these policies raising my energy bill and affecting my children’s education. I felt the frustration of watching the government spend more and more taxpayer money as the state budget has increased year after year.

During this legislative session I will continue to fight to keep down government spending and make Colorado more affordable for all Coloradans. I believe all of these things are more easily accomplished by a government guided by common sense and fiscal responsibility. It’s time to modify laws that make no sense and allow the government to take more from you and your paycheck. I consider it an honor to serve you in the Colorado House of Representatives and support legislation that brings the American dream closer, instead of pushing it further out of reach.

Dan Woog, a Republican from Erie, represents District 63 in the Colorado state House.