Jared Polis

Jared Polis has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 2nd district of the State of Colorado, since 2009 (map).

Environment and Climate Change
Polis says he will be supporting policies that emphasize sustainability through innovation and collaboration. The best environmental policy, Polis says should include defending the Clean Water Act, working to expand community-based recycling, reducing pollution, restoring the Clean Air Act and preserving woodlands and wetlands.

To slow the progress of climate change, Polis says he would pass effective carbon emission–reduction legislation, increase investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy research and technology, and provide incentives for research into green technology.

Healthcare
To create a better healthcare system for the U.S, Polis says he will support establishing a universal healthcare program that provides coverage for all Americans, regardless of age or employment status. He would also like to strengthen Medicare by implementing simple, affordable and reliable prescription drug benefits and control the increasing costs of medical care and insurance premiums. Polis also wants to expand Medicaid and SCHIP to cover additional groups. .

Immigration
Polis supports immigration legislation that establishes a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that qualify, increasing the number of border patrol agents, and tightens security at the borders and work sites. He would also support establishing an identity verification system.

Iraq
Polis supports removing troops from Iraq as soon as possible. He has also endorsed the endorsed the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, which sets a series of goals in troops leaving Iraq as soon and as safely as possible.

Ethics
Polis supports tough ethics reform. He would support banning lobbyists gifts, free meals and use of private planes. Also, Polis wants increase disclosure of contributions made to lawmakers by lobbyists, tougher penalties for violators, and restrictions on public officials working as lobbyists after leaving office.

Poverty
To help lessen the rate of poverty, and to strengthen the middle class, Polis has proposed a number of changes. He would expand vocational training programs for unemployed workers, raise the minimum wage, target redevelopment in depressed regions, and support affordable housing initiatives. Polis also says he would reduce predatory lending and unfair mortgages, encourage more Americans to save, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Jobs
Polis supports investing in research and development, increasing access to broadband internet, protecting intellectual property of American inventors, strengthen the patent system, and end tax breaks for companies that are outsourcing jobs to other nations. Polis believes taking these steps will help provide for economic recovery. He would also increase investment in area with high returns like education, research and development and national infrastructure.

Human and Equal Rights
Polis' human rights strategy would include respecting international law, defending human and civil rights internationally, ending weapons of mass destruction proliferation, increasing American involvement in global environmental issues, and working to end terrorism and genocide.

Polis is also a strong supporter of American equal rights. He supports federal legislation that would prohibit discrimination in employment because of sexual orientation or gender identify, the rights of same-sex couples to marry, the Equal Rights amendment, the end of 'don't ask, don't tell'.

Privacy
Polis supports the right to privacy and abortion.

Education
Polis strongly believes that an adequately funded public education system can give every student the opportunity to succeed. He supports universal access to preschool, increasing funding for No Child Left Behind so schools can meet its mandates, offering additional programs that help reduce high school dropout rates, use of creative teaching methods, and  promote strong accountability for teachers by using assessment tools that measure learning broadly and across many areas.

Polis does not support alternatives that divert attention and resources from reducing class size, enhancing teacher quality, and providing every student with books, computers, and safe schools.

Bio
Polis founded ProFlower.com, a web company that sells flowers directly from growers. The business was recently acquired by Liberty Media Corporation.

2008 elections
Polis won the Democratic nomination seeking to replace incumbent Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who was running for Senate, in the 2008 congressional elections. He went on to defeat Republican nominee Scott Starin in the November 2008 general election.

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Committees

 * House Committee on Education and Labor

Twitter
 Jared Polis posts on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jaredpolis/

Latest posts: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/jaredpolis.rss|title=none| max=3| short See all the members of Congress who Twitter

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:Colorado and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Colorado's 2nd Congressional District
 * Official Jared Polis for Congress website
 * Jared Polis's personal website
 * Colorado Pols: Politics, News & Inside Information (website on Colorado politics)