Economic Mobility and Consumer Protection
Jason has working class roots and paid his way through college by working construction and enlisting in the National Guard. He knows how hard families across Colorado work to make ends meet. Hard-working Coloradans deserve good-paying jobs that can support their families. Jason believes that economic policy should ensure opportunity for everyone to work, get an education, and reach their goals. As a board member of the Bell Policy Center, Jason supported consumer protections to level the playing field for all Coloradans.
Most of us strive for the American Dream, but for too many Coloradans that dream is out of reach. We must create an economy that works for everyone, not just the special interests who benefitted hugely from the 2017 Republican tax plan. Two of the biggest crises we face in our economy are growing inequality and lack of economic mobility. Ensuring good wages, affordable housing, and access to opportunities that provide ways for Coloradans to climb the economic ladder will provide benefits for families and our entire community.
Fulfilling our Promise to American Workers
Wages and benefits have failed to keep up with the cost of living in Colorado, especially in the expensive Metro areas. Too many hard-working Coloradans are struggling to provide for their families and achieve the American Dream. We must attract better jobs that have good wages and benefits to ensure that Coloradans can afford a home, finance a college education or specialized job training, access health care, and save for retirement. We also must make sure that all work provides dignity. Jason fought alongside other veterans to bring the new VA hospital to Aurora and will continue his fight to bring similar high-paying jobs to the 6th District.
In Congress, Jason is working to:
- Ensure equal pay for equal work, cosponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act which combats wage discrimination on the basis of sex
- Increase wages, cosponsoring the Raise the Wage Act, which supports an increased federal minimum wage
- Raise the overtime salary cutoff so that workers get paid for the work they are actually doing
- Protect workers from wage theft
- Defend and strengthen collective bargaining rights so that workers have a say in their working conditions, wages, and benefits, cosponsoring the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act
- Protect and expand access to health care coverage while fighting to make it affordable
- Ensure paid leave for workers to care for a child or other loved one, cosponsoring the FAMILY act, which establishes the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration
- Support small businesses through tax reform that promotes re-investment, hiring, and better wages for workers, cosponsoring the The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Improvements Act
- Bring high paying jobs to Colorado’s 6th District in clean energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing
- Train and Educate tomorrow’s workforce
By investing in workforce development, apprenticeship training, and growing industries like healthcare, technology, advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy, we can open the door to career advancement and better opportunities for Colorado families.
In Congress, Jason is fighting to support:
- Access to higher education by supporting federal grants and student loan programs that make college education affordable
- Universal benefits and flexible learning systems to prepare for a changing economy
- Apprenticeship and training programs to fill much-needed gaps in skilled labor
- Investment in community colleges and technical training programs
- Reforms to the student loan program to decrease interest rates, allow consolidation of loans, and expand loan forgiveness for those entering public service or underserved professions, cosponsoring the Student Loan Refinancing Act
- A focus on two-generation economic mobility by tackling early childhood education in tandem with post-secondary training and education, cosponsoring the Rebuild America’s Schools Act
Restoring Consumer Protections
In addition to ensuring good wages, benefits, and educational opportunities, we must work to ensure that our economy provides opportunities for people to move up the economic ladder.
In Congress, Jason is working to:
- Crack down on predatory economic behaviors like payday lending, unregulated student loan servicing, and for-profit colleges that fail to deliver value to students, cosponsoring the Student Loan Disclosure Transparency Act
- Protect and strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other Obama-era rules that protect consumers, including banking regulations and forced arbitration clauses in consumer agreements
- Promote policies that protect our aging population through a focus on long-term care, retirement savings, and protecting Medicare benefits, cosponsoring the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act
- Protect property tax deductions that make home ownership accessible to more families
- Promote more affordable and varied housing options to meet the needs of all Coloradans
- Tackle the increasing cost of childcare that prevents families from getting ahead
- Preserve net neutrality to protect user control and competition and protect user privacy
- Increase scrutiny under antitrust laws to ensure consumer choice, privacy, and fairness are protected
Jason’s Commitment
Jason has lived the promise of the American Dream. He knows that families do not climb the ladder of economic opportunity alone. Jason was fortunate to have high quality neighborhood public schools, veterans benefits, and student loans and grants that offered him opportunities he would never have otherwise had. Jason will fight every day so that each family in Colorado’s 6th District has these same opportunities.
