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House District 20 is currently represented by Terri Carver for El Paso County.
The candidates in this upcoming General Election for House District 20 are Terri Carver (R), Meg Fossinger (D), and Judy Darcy (L).
We sent out a questionnaire to the candidates regarding the recovery of COVID-19 economic impacts, legislation they hope to introduce and what they think should be done to help fund our schools. Here are the responses from those who filled out our questionnaire:
Terri Carver
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: I support legislation that helps our businesses recover, such as the 2020 legislation on small business grants (for businesses with 25 employees and less), the creation of a small business recovery loan program, and the continuation of alcohol-to-go sales legislation requested by restaurants and bars. During the COVID shutdown earlier this year, I held several virtual town halls to help small businesses and independent contractors (ex., hair and nail salons, massage therapists, etc.) navigate the various programs available to help them survive the COVID-related restrictions. I have also focused on helping individuals with unemployment insurance claims and small businesses with state and federal assistance programs to get them on their feet.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: I will be focusing on a bipartisan criminal justice sentencing reform consistent with public safety, justice for crime victims, decrease in recidivism, increased diversion/treatment for mental health and drug addiction, and truth in sentencing. I also intend to introduce legislation I have been working on for over a year in two areas: (1) consumer data privacy, and (2) improving the state program for victim assistance for domestic violence and sexual assault.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: This year, the top priority with a reduced state budget was to fund K-12 education. A significant amount of federal CARES money allocated to Colorado went to local school districts for COVID preparations. In 2021, K-12 education again is a top funding priority, as our state economy recovers from COVID. We also need to give parents more support and flexibility in choosing educational options that work for their children, especially for children that do not do well with virtual learning. Finally, we must ensure that all Coloradans have a quality education and opportunities to succeed. This must include giving every student the tools they need to succeed in technical careers and college by reducing high school dropout rates, expanding technical training and workforce development, encouraging young adults to start their own business, and increasing successful completion of postsecondary education.
Meg Fossinger
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: In order to recover quickly, the General Assembly will need the permission of taxpayers to suspend the TABOR requirements which limit the amount of taxes they are allowed to collect based on the previous year. Additionally, they must go line by line through the budget and evaluate what programs are serving our communities well and what are not.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: Elected Officials have access to payment of their legal bills when an ethics violation is filed and they rack up bills far exceeding the amount of the ethics violation. This is something politicians from both sides of the aisle have taken advantage of. I would like to introduce legislation that requires that official to pay back a percentage of the taxpayer funds used if they are found to be in violation of the law.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: There is no single answer to this or simple answer. One of the most immediate impacts we can have on school funding is to vote Yes on Colorado Amendment B, which would repeal the Gallagher Amendment. While the intention of Gallagher was positive, the consequences of it have been incredibly detrimental to our school funding and our ability to fund special districts, such as fire. In addition to that, the legislature needs to do a thorough evaluation of what is currently being funded (this year, a grant program to investigate cannabis home grows received nearly $1 million dollars while school funding was cut), and if that funding matches our communities needs and priorities.
Judy Darcy
Q: How should the General Assembly work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19?
A: Get out of the way. Government created the economic crisis, not the virus. Repeal any actions by the government that helped create it & create legislation that limits the impact of government in the future. Where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual, and should protect life, liberty & property. Government actions violated all of those since March.
Q: If elected, what is one piece of legislation you hope to introduce and why?
A: I do not want to add any legislation. I want to remove unjust legislation. All People, including government employees, should be treated the same. It is easy to pass laws if you are not subject to the consequences. Part of individual liberty is personal responsibility. Government has gotten too big, it needs to be so small that the average citizen does not notice it in their daily lives.
- End Qualified Immunity for all government employees.
- - Government reaction to the possibility of widespread illness has led to the loss of livelihood for millions. In Colorado, those draconian regulations were enacted by the Executive with no consequence to him.
- - The issue of police brutality across our country, and in our own state, have been neglected for too long.
- Repeal all legislation that creates criminals with no victim.
- Repeal mandatory sentencing and use alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.
- Repeal any legislation that infringes upon our rights.
Q: School funding has become a topic of discussion in recent years- what do you think needs to be done to fund our schools?
A: As demonstrated since March, government doesn't do the best job of running schools. Children were displaced from their routines, their friends, their support, their safety-net against abuse, and most importantly their education. Throwing more money at the problem will not solve it. It will take more than funding to repair the problems in the school system. The money is already there. It is being mismanaged by the government. A prime example is Amendment 23. It required K-12 funding to increase by inflation plus 1% from 2001-2011. The state legislature actually violated that and invented the "negative factor" instead. Government is corrupt & does not represent the will of the People.
