Rob’s upbringing taught him the value of hard work, grit, determination, and what small businesses mean to a family and a community. Rob's great-grandfather moved to Riverton, Wyoming, in 1906 to serve as the surveyor for the town, canal, and road projects throughout Wyoming. His grandfather George was born in that same town in 1910 and drove trucks for his entire adult life. Rob’s father Bob was born in Riverton in 1947. ​When Rob was born, his family lived in a camper while his dad moved around the state on a road construction crew. When Rob was two, his dad quit in order to seek more stable opportunities for his young family. They moved into the trailer court with a single-wide.
As a father of three, improving education is one of my passions and will be a priority as a legislator.
Education is a fundamental responsibility that we owe to our children. Colorado deserves a quality education system that benefits students, parents, and teachers. Something needs to change about how Colorado funds its education system. We can do better. Simply put, more money needs to reach the classroom.
We must provide resources to our students, not the growing bureaucracy. Colorado spends more on administrative costs than the U.S. average, and only 53 percent of total expenditures go to instruction.
Teachers are some of the hardest working professionals in Colorado. We should pay them accordingly. From 1992 to 2014, overall education spending increased 15%, but teacher pay decreased 11%. Meanwhile, between 2011 and 2017, the number of K-12 “administrators” skyrocketed 34%.
I will advocate for more dollars to reach the classroom and teachers, not administrative bureaucracy.
It is unacceptable that the State of Colorado has not found a way to solve our road capacity and maintenance problems. As your state senator, the need to improve trip reliability and decrease congestion is at the top of my list.
For years, the legislature has failed to provide meaningful dollars from the general fund budget. As a result, Coloradans are frustrated because we are driving on dangerous, congested, and aging roads that cost us time, money, and lives.
We waste precious time and resources as we sit idling in traffic jams. We cannot afford to continue kicking the can down the road while ignoring the people’s priorities.
​ Funding immediate transportation and infrastructure needs should be the legislature’s highest priority.
The solution is to prioritize our spending. We do this by dedicating a portion of the budget directly to roads, bridges, and infrastructure early on instead of treating it as an afterthought. Along with that, I plan to take a strong position with CDOT on the prioritization of pending projects.
One of the core responsibilities of state government is to ensure that our communities are safe. As a senator, I commit to working alongside community law enforcement to support laws and resources that protect families. At the same time, I will make certain that our criminal laws and processes are fair to all.
Water is vital to Colorado. As our population grows, the demands on our water supply will also grow. Conservation is undoubtedly an important piece of the puzzle. Beyond that, our only choices are to dry up farmland or store excess water during wet years. We need bold leaders who can balance impacts while planning for our future
The housing affordability crisis in Colorado is growing. We find ourselves in a space where people across the housing spectrum are being squeezed by high housing costs, and 1 in 3 Colorado families are housing burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The time to act is now. At the state level, we are working quickly to get dollars out the door to help address the problem, but we can’t do it without our local partners on the front lines.
We have to use every tool at our disposal to get more units of housing online to ensure they are available in the market, including bolstering manufactured homes, helping the private sector access more resources and capital, and utilize meaningful partnerships like those with local Housing Authorities and Habitat for Humanity.
More than ever, small businesses are being asked to play by the same rules as large multinational corporations like Amazon and Walmart. This is unfair and unrealistic. During my first term, I led the charge to exempt small businesses from burdensome sales tax regulations and to delay the impact of new state rules. My bill to exempt small businesses from these sales tax regulations was signed into law in January 2022.
Small business paid a steep price during the COVID pandemic, and good state policy allowed Colorado’s economy to recover more quickly than that of most other states. I will continue to do everything I can to support this most fundamental building block of local communities.
LAST SESSION:
I introduced SB19-131 allowing certain businesses to be exempt from the destination sourcing rule. SB19-131 would exempt Colorado small business from the first $100,000 of out-of-jurisdiction sales. This would have put Colorado businesses on a more level playing field with the out-of-state retailers who are selling into Colorado, because the WayfairSupreme Court decision demands a de minimisexemption of at least $100,000. I want to empower businesses to make smart decisions and have the ability to do so through the system in Colorado.
MOVING FORWARD:
Although SB19-131 was pushed back by the Democrats, I plan to continue fighting for small businesses in Colorado. I plan to work on removing the burdens weighing down on small businesses, giving them more room to succeed and grow in their community.
LAST SESSION:
As I walked doors November of 2018, voices were continuing to echo the same concern: sooner or later the big one, the fire that will burn the state to the ground. Once I heard these concerns, I took action and introduced SB19-037. This bill would have authorized Larimer County to step in on behalf of their residents so that the county can step on to federal and state land to reduce the fuel and reduce the threat of a potential wildfire. As your State Senator, I want to ensure the big one is delayed for as long as possible and when it comes, Colorado is able to handle the repercussions.
MOVING FORWARD:
As Colorado continues to fight back against the horrible concerns of wildfires, I plan to continue finding remedies to these issues. I want to ensure homeowners living in the very depths of the forests feel safe and protected by their surroundings. I want them to feel comforted that their state and city is doing everything they can to protect their lives.
LAST SESSION:
Last year, I witness first-hand how little effort our Legislature puts into Colorado roads and transportation. I worked hard and tirelessly to ensure we were alloting money towards our road systems in Colorado, yet there still was no change.
MOVING FORWARD:
For decades, the people of Colorado have sent billions of dollars to CDOT and the State, only for them to squander the money on pork and pet projects. Meanwhile we have some of the worst roads in the country. We all pay the cost of the bottlenecks and traffic jams. We witness the injuries and accidents happening on our crowded highways. CDOT and the Colorado Legislature need to prioritize their budgets. Spend money on core responsibilities, and if there is anything left, then can spend it on other good (but lower priority) projects. I plan on ensuring Colorado transportation is a priority moving foward.