Spot: Championing Our Commitment to Colorado!

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Championing Our Commitment to Colorado!

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Dear Neighbor,

Last week, after finishing out the year in Washington, I made my way back to Colorado to spend time with my family and folks from across Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. I hope each of you have a wonderful holiday season with your families, and am looking forward to visiting with you in the New Year! With 2024 in sight, we will continue to champion our commitment to Colorado by working together to make progress for our state — read on below for some updates on our work!

INVESTING IN COLORADO'S INFRASTRUCTURE — INCLUDING HIGH-SPEED RAIL!

Since its enactment in 2021, the bipartisan infrastructure law that I worked to enact has delivered $5.6 billion funding for communities across Colorado. This funding has been allocated to more than 300 projects across the state that help improve our roads, bridges, public transit, and more.

Most recently, after I led an effort to convince Federal regulators earlier this year, I was excited to announce that the Front Range Passenger Rail Project will be included in the Corridor Identification Development (Corridor ID) Plan – a program to facilitate the development of intercity passenger rail corridors. The Front Range Passenger Rail Project would connect cities from Fort Collins to Pueblo, with intermediate stops in Boulder, Longmont, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Thanks to an initial $500,000 in federal funding to kick-start development efforts, we are one step closer to making the project a reality for our growing communities.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE! The Denver Post, "Front Range Passenger Rail receives starter money from feds — with the promise of much more"

Also, last week, we announced nearly $24 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been allocated to the City of Boulder, the City of Fort Collins, and the Town of Lyons for cyclist and pedestrian safety improvements. Thanks to this latest investment we are helping ensure that everyone can navigate our cities safely.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE! Coloradoan, "Fort Collins, Boulder net nearly $24 million for bike, pedestrian safety improvements"

Pictured Above: Congressman Neguse and Senator Michael Bennet celebrating investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in Colorado earlier this year.

IMPROVING MAIL DELIVERY IN OUR
MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES

After continued advocacy from our office, local leaders, and members of the media – earlier this month – the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of Inspector General released their audit noting the severe service delays impacting Colorado's rural and mountain towns. Notwithstanding the herculean efforts of the front-line postal workers at these locations, the report makes clear that these rural mountain communities are simply not receiving a level of service even close to what the agency is required to provide.

For seniors, small businesses, and households that rely on timely deliveries for their medications, bills, checks, passports, packages, and other essential items, it is vital that the USPS improve the level of service it provides to Colorado's mountain towns. Our office will continue to hold the USPS accountable and ensure it implements the much-needed remedies outlined in the audit, including improved package handling and mail reporting systems and additional steps to reduce delivery delays.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE! Summit Daily, "Audit finds U.S. Postal Service delivery to Colorado mountain towns lagging due to staffing issues, mishandling of mail"

Pictured Above: Congressman Joe Neguse with the recipients of the First Responder of the Year (Left) and Community Service Award (Right) at the 2023 Second Congressional District Service Awards.

WHAT ELSE HAVE WE BEEN WORKING ON?

We held the 2nd District Service Awards! During this event we recognized local educators, students, and first responders for their contributions to our communities. (See photos above)

I was excited to announce that Colorado State University in Fort Collins and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder were awarded federal funding to support their groundbreaking drought and flood preparedness research.
The Senate Energy Committee advanced two of our bills: The CORE Act and the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Reauthorization Act! These bills work to protect public lands across the state and threatened and endangered fish in the Upper Colorado & San Juan River Basins.
ICYMI: Last week, I had the opportunity to ask a few simple questions during a Rules Committee proceeding, which apparently caught the attention of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. You can watch HERE.