Welcome to Briefly, Colorado Politics’ daily news briefing. Here’s what’s going on today:

Polis talks tech, healthcare, finance at numerous events throughout the day. 

Gov. Jared Polis attended several events today focused on lowering healthcare costs, advancing technology policy, and boosting economic growth in Colorado. 

This morning, Polis gave opening remarks at the Progressive Policy Institute’s Tech Innovation Panel, an event that aims to bring bipartisan leaders together to discuss the economics that shape tech policy at the state level. 

“Colorado is the best place to start and grow a business, we are a national hub for the tech industry,” Polis told attendees. “Our robust tech industry is made up of Colorado-grown companies as well as companies that flock here for our low taxes, business-friendly environment, quality of life, and strong workforce, and we will continue welcoming new businesses to our great state.”

The tech industry has contributed to a 116% growth in likely employer business in Colorado over the past five years, as well as a 28% increase in new businesses. 

Polis then attended the State of Reform Health Policy Conference, where he discussed ways to save Coloradans money on healthcare. He highlighted several state initiatives, including lowering the prices of prescription drugs, the Hospital Price Transparency tool, the Colorado Option plan, and the state’s reinsurance program.  

“In Colorado we are committed to cutting costs and supporting quality health care that is more affordable and accessible to all Coloradans,” he said. “We know that when we come together and innovate, we can tackle even the most complex challenges, which is why I am excited to be here today to continue our work to save people more money on healthcare and help Colorado thrive.” 

Polis’ final event of the day was CO Impact Days, an event hosted by Impact Finance Center that aims to foster community-centered investments.

“Investing into our schools, communities, and local infrastructure is a top priority in Colorado,” said Polis. “Not only are we making bold progress to deliver on the promise of more housing now by cutting red tape and breaking down artificial barriers that prevent or delay housing from being built, we are fully funding education and providing robust support for meaningful, enriching, safe out of school time opportunities for students. All of this work would not be possible without key investments and a deep love for Colorado, and I am excited to continue to grow Colorado’s capacity and build a Colorado for all.”

Polis, Illinois governor launch new initiative to “fortify essential Democratic rights nationwide”

Gov. Jared Polis and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker have announced the creation of a new initiative, Governors Safeguarding Democracy (GSD). 

According to Pritzker and Polis, who will be the coalition’s chair and co-chair, respectively, GSD is a nonpartisan group of governors working together to preserve “the state-level institutions of democracy, leveraging their unique legislative, budgetary, executive, and administrative powers to deliver results for the American people.”

“In this moment, protecting democracy has never been more relevant or important, and doing so demands strong leadership at the state level,” said Polis. “Governors Safeguarding Democracy shows our shared dedication to defending the democratic principles upon which our country is built.”

The coalition will work alongside think tanks, legal experts, and democracy experts to develop “playbooks” for governors to respond to “emerging threats to democracy”, as well as designing strategies to “protect the rule of law” in each governor’s respective state and provide protections for state agencies, elections, and courts.