sam valeriano
 sam valeriano
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    • Legislative Priorities
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  • SUPPORT SAM
  • Legislative Priorities

Legislative priorities

HOUSING

Increase Housing Supply in High-Cost Areas

Limit local veto power over projects that meet state affordability and density standards.

Target Rent Reductions Through Supply & Demand Strategies

Encourage private development of “missing middle” for-sale housing (condos, townhomes, duplexes, etc).

Create a process to establish publicly funded social housing that is deeply and permanently affordable.

Support adaptive reuse of underused commercial buildings into residential units.

Streamline Permitting & Environmental Review

Set statewide maximum timelines for permitting approvals.

Limit use of environmental review processes for infill housing.

Create “by-right” approval for projects that meet affordability and environmental standards.

Integrate Housing Policy With Anti-Poverty Strategy

Treat housing affordability measures as anti-poverty policy in state strategic plans.

Use Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) adjustments to track real impacts of housing costs on poverty.

Encourage Regional Housing Coordination

Establish a Front Range Housing Council to coordinate supply goals, infrastructure, and affordable housing investment across jurisdictions.

Develop a statewide, standardized residential zoning system with multiple options for urban, suburban, rural, and frontier communities.

Repeal the Statewide Ban on Local Rent Stabilization

Encourage local rent stabilization policies paired with increased supply to prevent displacement.


CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY

Expand Evidence-Based Policing Strategies

Support hot spots policing by funding data-driven deployment of law enforcement in high-crime areas.

Encourage focused deterrence initiatives (like Operation Ceasefire) that clearly communicate consequences to high-risk individuals and offer pathways to exit cycles of violence.

Fund Environmental Crime Prevention

Increase grants for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design  (CPTED) projects, such as better street lighting, clear sightlines,  and community surveillance infrastructure in urban neighborhoods.

Prioritize these investments in communities most impacted by crime and disinvestment.

Enact Swift-and-Certain Sanction Models

Implement or expand programs like HOPE Probation or 24/7 Sobriety that use frequent monitoring and modest but immediate sanctions for violations.

Provide counties with technical and financial support to pilot these models.

Shift Resourses to Prevention Over Incarceration

Reallocate a portion of state corrections funding toward community-based crime prevention, behavioral health services, and neighborhood safety improvements.

Conduct a statewide audit to identify areas where punitive spending can be redirected to high-impact prevention strategies.

Improve Risk Communication in the Justice System

Train probation and parole officers, police departments, and community leaders to clearly communicate the likelihood and consequences  of violations to high-risk individuals.

Support public messaging campaigns that emphasize the certainty—not  the severity—of enforcement.

Support Diversion and Treatment as Triage Tools

Use certainty-based sanctions (e.g., mandatory check-ins, drug testing) as a screening mechanism to distinguish who can be deterred from who needs intensive services.

Expand access to voluntary and court-ordered substance use treatment, mental health care, and housing support, especially for justice-involved populations.

Limit Sentence Lengths in Favor of Predictable Enforcement

Reform sentencing laws to reduce unnecessary long-term incarceration in favor of consistent, proportionate responses.

Ensure that parole and probation systems emphasize compliance      through structure and support, not punitive revocation.

Require Statewide Reporting on Certainty Metrics

Mandate that local agencies report and analyze data on the likelihood of apprehension and sanctions for different categories of crime.

Use this data to improve transparency, equity, and evidence-based policymaking.


Provide Grants for Local Innovation in Certainty-Based Deterrence

  

Establish a “Certainty and Safety Innovation Fund” to support local governments piloting strategies that increase the predictability of enforcement and reduce harm.

Encourage cross-sector partnerships between law enforcement, community organizations, and public health agencies.

Train Judges and Prosecutors on Triage-Oriented Justice

Offer continuing education on the role of certainty in deterrence, the risks of “random draconianism,” and how to tailor sanctions to risk levels.

Encourage use of graduated sanctions that preserve resources for the most persistent or dangerous offenders.



MENTAL HEALTH

Expand & Diversify the Mental Health Workforce

Streamline licensure and credentialing for out-of-state providers, especially in telehealth.

Expand diverse pathways into the workforce (e.g., peer support specialists, community health workers).

Improve Mental Health Insurance Coverage

Strengthen enforcement of state-level mental health parity laws to ensure coverage equality between behavioral and physical health.

Increase Access to Affordable Care

Expand low-cost, community-based behavioral health centers through targeted state grants.

Integrate mental health services in school-based health centers, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and urgent care settings.

Expand sliding scale and grant-supported services for low-income, uninsured, and undocumented populations.

Address Youth Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

Fund statewide youth peer support programs and youth crisis response services.

Support trauma-informed care training for educators and require behavioral health integration in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Improve early screening and referral systems in schools, clinics, and emergency departments.

Treat Substance Use Disorders

Legalize and expand harm reduction strategies (e.g., syringe exchange, naloxone distribution, and supervised use sites).

Increase funding for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and low-barrier recovery programs, especially in primary care and justice settings.


Expand Housing Supports for People with Mental Illness

Provide bridge housing and short-term rental assistance linked to mental health recovery services.

Prohibit discrimination against renters with mental health conditions through stronger housing protections.



Enhance Data Collection & Provider Accountability

Require standardized reporting from all  mental health providers and facilities on access, outcomes, and equity metrics.

Partner with academic institutions to evaluate mental health program impact and gaps.




BUSINESS & LABOR RELATONS

Strengthen Union Rights

Repeal or reform the Colorado Labor Peace Act to make it easier for workers to unionize.

Extend collective bargaining rights to groups excluded from federal protections.

Allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits.


Ban Practices that Limit Worker Mobility & Voice

Prohibit noncompete agreements for all but the highest-paid executives.

Ban employer “captive audience” meetings on politics or religion.

Protect workers from retaliation for legal  activities or expression outside of work. 

Expand Existing Wage Order Authority

Direct the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) to expand wage orders to cover more occupations and industries, ensuring fair pay and better conditions.

Allow CDLE to use tripartite advisory councils to propose standards that reflect local economic realities.


Strengthen Union & Worker Organization Involvement

Formalize worker organization participation in policy-setting bodies such as workforce development councils, economic development boards, and training initiatives.

Provide state funding for worker outreach and education about labor rights and sectoral bargaining opportunities.


Build Legal Infrastructure for Sectoral Bargaining

Launch pilot programs in targeted industries (e.g. grocery, hospitality, restaurants) to test regional collective agreements covering multiple employers.

Pass legislation enabling multi-employer collective bargaining where industry-wide representation thresholds are met.

Develop statutory frameworks for pattern bargaining, ensuring agreements automatically extend to all employers in a sector once adopted by a majority.



Protect Workers from Technology Abuse

Pass AI transparency and worker protection laws, including disclosure of AI monitoring, banning harmful applications, and opposing federal efforts to block state regulation. 

Prohibit discrimination against workers who have been the targets of deep-fake AI or "doxxing." 



Expand Workforce Development

Increase funding for registered apprenticeships—especially those run through labor-management partnerships.

Expand training for high-demand fields like childcare, construction, and healthcare.

Ban rent seeking practices from incumbent businesses and professional organizations that increase costs by stifling market competition.




Copyright © 2025 Sam Valeriano for State Representative  - All Rights Reserved.

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