State Representative Dylan Roberts

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CONTACT

E-mail:

Dylan.Roberts.House@State.CO.US

My Personal Phone:
(970) 846-3054

My Capitol Phone:

(303) 866-2923

NEWS

⇻ SEPTEMBER 19, 2020

Speaking at the Club 20 Candidate Debates

It was great to share my ideas for the future, answer questions, and connect with constituents via the debate stage. I always enjoy talking about the work I do in the capitol and the work that needs to be done. Speaking at the Club 20 Candidate Debates was a pleasure, and I greatly appreciate the invitation — also, a special thanks to District 2 Commissioner Merrit Linke for moderating. To watch the full video, click below.

⇻ September 9, 2020

Legislative committee seated to stem Colorado water speculation via Colorado Politics

“A special committee tasked with stemming the flow of state's water into the speculation market was identified Wednesday afternoon.

The 18-member committee will look at ways to strengthen anti-speculation laws and make a recommendation to the state legislature, the product of last session's Senate Bill 48. A report is due by Aug. 15, 2021

The bipartisan legislation was sponsored by Democratic Sen. Kerry Donovan of Vail and Republican Sen. Don Coram of Montrose, with Republican Rep. Marc Catlin of Montrose with Democratic Rep. Dylan Roberts of Avon.”

Read the full article here.

⇻ September 2, 2020

“You still have the option to go vote in person, which I fully believe in as well,” Roberts said. “But it has become a very popular way to vote — either to mail in your ballot or drop it off — and that means we have some of the highest turnout rates in the country, here in Colorado.”

Roberts attended the demonstration Saturday in Edwards, saying in Eagle County — where many workers telecommute, and travel out of the area is high among locals during the October-November offseason — mail-in voting is essential.

“I could not think of a more important place to be right now, on this morning, than right here in front of one of our post offices, standing up for the United States Postal Service,” Roberts said.

Roberts pointed out that when Colorado became a universal mail-in election state in 2013, the measure was signed into law by a Democrat governor and implemented by a Republican secretary of state.

“Universal mail-in elections are a bipartisan issue,” Roberts said. “They benefit both political parties because they mean that everybody has the right to vote, and that voting is easy, safe and accessible.”

Read the full article here.

⇻ August 10, 2020

Eagle, Routt counties pinched by pandemic on health insurance via Real Vail

With so many people losing health coverage along with their jobs, Roberts vows to try again during the session slated to begin in January in order to have a public option up and running for 2022, adding Routt and Eagle counties deserve more than just one ACA-compliant plan that can’t deny for coverage due to preexisting conditions such as COVID-19.

“That is simply not fair, and when you combine that with the fact that our tourism-based mountain communities were hit hardest by the virus and face record unemployment because of this global pandemic and recession, it is a public health emergency,” Roberts said.

Read the full article here.

⇻ JULY 29, 2020

Has Gallagher Amendment outlived its usefulness? Via The Aspen Times

“Dylan Roberts, who represents Eagle and Routt counties in the Colorado House of Representatives, said the impact to rural areas was a driving force in the Colorado Legislature putting a Gallagher repeal on the November ballot.

While special districts in the area have often gone to voters asking for either mill levy increases or permission to leave tax rates where they are, Roberts said that isn’t sustainable. Roberts said he’s heard often from special district directors and board members saying “Gallagher is crushing us; we can’t keep going back to the voters.”

Roberts was a co-sponsor of the Gallagher repeal bill. That bill had to pass both the Colorado House and the Colorado Senate with two-thirds majorities. That meant both Democrats and Republicans had to vote for it.

In addition to sending the repeal measure to voters, Roberts noted the Legislature passed companion legislation freezing current property tax rates for four years. That gives the Legislature time to either come up with a new formula, or go to what Roberts called a “market-based” system seen in most other states.

NOT A TAX HIKE

And, Roberts added, property tax rates still can’t be raised without voter approval, thanks to a 1992 amendment called the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, or TABOR.”

Read the full article here.

⇻ JUly 10, 2020

“I am thrilled to see this bill signed into law today because our economy needs help getting back to work, especially in rural Colorado,” said Democratic Rep. Dylan Roberts. “From Routt County to Mesa County, the Rural Jump-Start Program has been the reason that dozens of businesses were able to open their doors and hire employees in rural Colorado.”

Read the full article here.

⇻JUne 26, 2020

2020 Legislative Wrap-Up Town Hall Meeting

On June 25, 2020, Rep. Dylan Roberts and Sen. Kerry Donovan hosted a virtual town hall that recapped the unique 2020 legislative session and answered questions submitted by the audience.

To see a full report on the bills Rep. Roberts got passed in 2020, click here.

To see a full report on all major legislation that passed in 2020, click here.

⇻ JUne 24, 2020

Monthly Vail Daily and Steamboat Pilot column: What Got Done at the Capitol

Last week, the Colorado legislature concluded our 2020 legislative session — a session that will likely go down in history as one of the most unique, trying, and historic terms in our state’s history. I am so glad to be back home in House District 26 and have returned both proud of the work we were able to get done but also humbled by the challenges that remain for Colorado.

Normally, we are in session from the beginning of January to the beginning of May — our constitutionally-mandated 120-day session. However, COVID-19 forced the legislature to temporarily adjourn on March 14 and we returned to the Capitol in Denver on May 26 for a three-week “mini session” which we adjourned on June 15 for a total of 85 days of legislative work for 2020. Here is a brief recap:

When we began in January, it was impossible to foresee the unique and challenging months that were ahead. Just as the first case of COVID-19 in Colorado was identified here in our mountain communities, I was introducing my bill with Sen. Donovan to create a Colorado Health Care Option to finally bring choice and lower health insurance prices to our counties. Coronavirus then tragically spread though Eagle County and Colorado, caused extreme financial hardship for individuals, businesses, strained our economy, and decimated our state budget.

So, when we returned to the Capitol last month, we were faced with a completely different legislative reality than what we had left in March. While some of our big ideas like the Colorado Option had to be put on hold due to that reality, I am proud to have been a part of a legislature that came together to respond to the needs our state faces.

First, we were able to pass a package of bills that respond directly to the impacts of COVID-19 in Colorado: bills aimed at boosting small businesses, protecting vulnerable workers, expanding unemployment resources, preventing outrageous price gouging on essential goods, housing assistance for renters, and much more.

Several of the bills channel federal CARES Act funding directly to vulnerable Coloradans and small businesses. Below is a full list of all bills we passed that will help Coloradans continue to work through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and prepare our communities for future crises as well. 

One of my final bills of the session was an idea that both Eagle County Treasurer Teak Simonton and Routt County Treasurer Lane Iacovetto approached me with during the first week of the shutdowns. I worked with them and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and wrote HB1421 which will allow counties to reduce or waive interest penalties on property tax payments in 2020 so we can help individuals and businesses hit hard by the loss of revenue. After passing the legislature unanimously, that bill was signed into law last week.

Another bill idea I brought from home back to the Capitol was giving restaurants the ability to continue selling to-go and delivery alcoholic beverages with their food. This extra revenue has been a life-saver for so many local restaurants and the bipartisan bill I was able to get passed extends this crucial tool until July 2021.

The killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests demanding justice and equality occurred during the first week we were back in Denver. Over the next two weeks, we introduced and worked with all sides to craft a historic police accountability bill that passed both chambers with large bipartisan votes and was signed in law last week making Colorado the first state in the nation to respond. I was proud to co-sponsor this bill and give huge thanks to the community members for your advocacy and to law enforcement leaders across Eagle and Routt Counties who helped me work with the bill sponsors to amend the bill so that it works for our local law enforcement while still getting all Coloradans the reforms they demand and need. While this bill moved quickly, the reforms within it are topics and conversations that have been happening for years and I am glad our state acted in a collaborative, bipartisan, and swift way to put them into law.

Finally, while it was not easy, we were able to pass a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year even when we faced a $3.3. billion deficit when we started caused by the COVID-19 downturn. While nobody is happy with the cuts we had to make — especially to education — we believe that we have made decisions that will help us recover more quickly than expected. Further, I supported efforts that will create more funding for education and ask voters on their ballots this November for more through a new tax on tobacco products and through a repeal of the Gallagher Amendment.

Thank you, once again, for the privilege of serving our communities at the Capitol. Even in these trying times, it is an honor. Please contact me anytime on my cell: 970-846-3054 or e-mail: Dylan.Roberts.House@state.co.us.

⇻ JUne 22, 2020

That’s A Wrap! The 2020 Legislative Session has concluded. Read about the work we did to balance the budget, respond to COVID-19, help businesses, and more in my latest newsletter.

⇻ JUne 7, 2020

Back to the Capitol!

We returned to the Capitol to resume the 2020 session on May 26th. Check out my latest newsletter here to read about the bills I am working on, how we are responding to COVID-19, and the tough choices being made on the state budget.

⇻ May 21, 2020

My most recent newsletter is out! Click here to learn about COVID-19 updates in Eagle and Routt Counties, distribution of the $1.6 billion in federal coronavirus aid through the CARES Act, and updates on COVID-19 testing in Colorado and newly available resources.

⇻ MAY 6, 2020

Rep. Dylan Roberts Op-Ed in the Steamboat Pilot and Vail Daily: The path to the Colorado Healthcare Option

…we have reached the difficult decision of withdrawing the Colorado Option from the remainder of this year’s session in order to ensure that those whom the bill is meant to serve and those it will impact can be robustly involved in the process. Nothing about this decision means my resolve to ensure every Coloradan has access to affordable health care has weakened. However, we must responsibly move forward and respect the life-saving work our health care community is doing right now.

We believe the Colorado Option is the right policy and will help people across Colorado by increasing access to affordable healthcare. We also believe that a critical stakeholder group — our nurses, pharmacists, EMTs, doctors and hospital staff — cannot participate in a policy process while they are responding to this worldwide emergency. A successful Colorado Option needs the input of our frontline workers and right now they need to focus on taking care of patients and themselves.

We will continue to not only work on the Colorado Option throughout the coming months but also fight to ensure the healthcare industry focuses on people, not profits, in the future. We look forward to safely gathering around meeting tables with all stakeholders to make this policy work for Colorado and address the gap COVID-19 has illuminated.

Read the full article here.

⇻ May 4, 2020

Colorado Health Care Option dropped for this year but effort continues

Two weeks ago, Sen. Kerry Donovan, Rep. Chris Kennedy, and myself decided to formally withdraw HB20-1349, the Colorado Affordable Health Care Option, from this year's legislative session. This was a very difficult decision, but we wanted to ensure that all relevant stakeholders can be robustly involved in the process, which is simply impossible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While our state battles COVID-19, we note that this crisis is illuminating the vast gaps in our healthcare system. As the economic devastation unfolds and more Coloradans lose their access to employer-based insurance, it’s more clear than ever that our system is broken and that Coloradans deserve more choice and lower prices. We are still committed to to developing affordable healthcare options that increase access and competition throughout Colorado, making healthcare accessible and affordable for all. We will continue to work on the Colorado Option bill and fight for a change in this industry so it focuses on people, not profits. 

Read the full op-ed in the Denver Post.

More coverage from CPR News: Lawmakers Will Not Consider ‘Public Health Care Option’ This Year.

⇻ May 1, 2020

FULL VIDEO: Bipartisan Virtual Town Hall on Agriculture & COVID-19

Missed our virtual community agriculture briefing this morning with Department of Ag. Commissioner Kate Greenberg, Sen. Donovan, Sen. Sonnenberg, and Rep. Catlin? No worries, here is the recording! 

⇻ APRIL 29, 2020

Polis signs five major water bills into law: instream flows, anti-speculating, and more via Water Education Colorado

“This bill becoming law is crucial for our state’s rivers, our outdoor recreation businesses, and downstream agricultural users who depend on strong river flows,” said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon. After a similar bill he sponsored failed to pass last year, he said, “I knew I needed to work to bring more people to the table and improve the bill so we could garner the support we needed, and that is what we did. I am thrilled that we were able to get this done with strong bipartisan support.”

Read the full article here.

⇻ APRIL 21, 2020

Vail Town Council, state and federal legislators talk about emergency funding via Vail Daily

Councilmember Jenn Bruno asked Roberts and Donovan if there’s a way to push the state’s tourism promotion group to focus on in-state travel as resort areas gradually re-open.

“We should,” Roberts said, adding that there’s still concern right now about bringing Front Range residents into the mountains.

Councilmember Brian Stockmar also asked about bringing guests back to the High Country, particularly since those flying into Eagle County tend to stay longer and spend more money while they’re here.

“We’ll have to double down on reaching out to Mexico,” Donovan said. Given that Vail was one of the state’s COVID-19 hot spots, Donovan said it’s going to take some effort to convince potential visitors they can still count on Colorado’s mountains as a good place to visit.

Donovan, Roberts and Neguse all urged council members and local residents to continue to reach out to them.

“I know you have some of the best handles on issues affecting our main streets,” Donovan said, adding that’s how state and federal officials will learn about gaps in current state and federal programs. Donovan noted that state government will be asked to fill gaps that federal programs can’t address.

Donovan also urged town officials to keep meticulous records on how money is spent from state, and particularly federal, programs.

“You have to be able to prove expenses are for COVID-19,” Donvan said. “Accounting will be really important.”

But, Roberts noted, state funding, while important, isn’t endless.

“We don’t have a pool of untapped money we can use,” he said. 

Read the full article here.

⇻ April 19, 2020

My most recent newsletter is out! Click here to learn about COVID-19 updates in Eagle and Routt County, resources and volunteer opportunities available in your area, and other updates on the legislative session.

⇻ April 16, 2020

FULL VIDEO: Virtual Town Hall for Senate District 5

Thank you so much to everyone that was able to join the town hall meeting hosted by Senator Kerry Donovan. We were joined by Small Business Development Centers, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and a Delta Memorial Hospital medical professional. For those of you that were not able to make it, you can watch the full video below:

⇻ April 9, 2020

FULL VIDEO: Last Week's Town Hall

Thank you so much to everyone that was able to join our town hall meeting last Thursday on business and employment resources in Eagle and Routt Counties and Colorado! For those of you that were not able to make it, you can watch the full video below:

⇻ April 7, 2020

Roberts appointed to Governor's Economic COVID-19 Stabilization Council

House Democrats to serve on four key committees

Denver, CO– House Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder, today announced House Democrats’ appointments to the Governor’s Council on Economic Stabilization and Growth. House Democrats will serve on four of the eight sub-committees.

• Rep. Shannon Bird, vice-chair of the House Finance Committee, will join the Financial Services Committee.

• Rep. James Coleman, vice-chair of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, will join the Local, Rural, Women & Minority Led Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits-Entrepreneurs Committee.

• Rep. Dylan Roberts, chair of the House Committee on Rural Affairs and Agriculture,will join the Tourism Committee.

• Rep. Dominique Jackson, chair of the House Committee on Energy and Environment, will join the Energy Committee.

“House Democrats are working around the clock to help constituents during this public health crisis,” said Speaker KC Becker, D-Boulder. “We’re organizing PPE drives, connecting constituents with critical state and federal resources and hosting virtual town halls with public officials. Helping our state right now is a team effort, and I know our members will bring valuable experiences and resources to the governor’s council.”

The Governor’s Council on Economic Stabilization and Growth is looking at how COVID-19 is impacting all aspects of Colorado’s economy and will make recommendations to the governor on how to help families, businesses and communities through the crisis. Other committees include Infrastructure, Workforce and Education, Arts and Culture and Outdoor Recreation. Members of the legislature from both chambers and both parties have been appointed to the committees. Read more about the Council on their website.

⇻ April 7, 2020

Rep. Dylan Roberts Op-Ed in the Vail Daily: “Silver linings and thank yous”

The news is filled with uncertainty and challenging new realities, so in this month’s column, I want to focus on some of the bright spots in our community as we work our way through this. It really only takes two words: thank you.

Thank you to every single one of you for taking COVID-19 seriously to protect yourself, your family, and our community as a whole. The sacrifices you all are making during this time are immense and challenging — but they are important. I thank you and salute you for your service to our community, state, and country for doing your part. There is evidence this is working, so let’s keep it up!

…

As we wade through these unknown waters working as a team to navigate the consequences of this pandemic, there have been both struggles and triumphs, innovations and stagnations, dark clouds but also silver linings. I know this will get harder before it gets easier, but I feel comforted in knowing each and every one of us is putting our best foot forward to take care of each other. The vitality of our Eagle County community stands strong. We will get through this together even while we are physically apart.

⇻ April 6, 2020

My most recent newsletter is out! Click here to learn about COVID-19 updates in Eagle and Routt County, the 2020 Census, and resources and volunteer opportunities available in your area.

⇻ March 29, 2020

New Colorado law strengthens historical agricultural water uses via Steamboat Pilot

CRAIG — A bill that cleared the Colorado legislature with bipartisan support March 4 seeks to resolve an eight-year debate over how ranchers and other water users can maintain their historical water use when dry conditions trigger cutbacks to protect streamflows.

House Bill 1159, which passed the House with a unanimous 63-0 vote and the Senate with a 31-1 vote, authorizes state water officials to confirm historical usages, such as water used for livestock, whether or not it’s held in an official water right. This allows ranchers’ uses to stay first in line for water ahead of the stream protections, known as instream-flow rights.

“It’s really a belt-and-suspenders clarification of existing authority,” said Zane Kessler, director of government relations for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, which drafted the language for the bill. “I think it’s a good example of when we sit down and pore over these issues, it’s not hard to come up with a fix that protects West Slope water users and provides the state engineer the authority he needs to continue administering them.”

Read the full article here.

⇻ March 23, 2020

VIRTUAL TOWN HALL VIA ZOOM THIS WEDNESDAY, March 25th!

Please join Sen. Donovan and myself for a virtual town hall meeting via Zoom to discuss the state's response to COVID-19, the latest from the legislature, and to ask your questions! Heath Harmon, Public Health and Environment Director for Eagle County, health officials from Vail Health, including President & CEO Will Cook, as well as local County Commissioners will join us to speak about local response and resources and answer your questions. More information on the Facebook event page found here.

Please click this link to join the webinar: https://zoom.us/j/379765896
Or iPhone one-tap :
    US: +13462487799,,379765896#  or +16699006833,,379765896# 
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 346 248 7799  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 929 205 6099
    Webinar ID: 379 765 896
    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aRpvG6wTF

Lastly, please fill out this google form with one question you would like answered during the meeting.

⇻ March 22, 2020

My most recent newsletter is out!

Click here to learn about COVID-19 updates in Eagle and Routt County and resources and volunteer opportunities available in your area.

⇻ March 5, 2020

Vail Valley lawmakers Kerry Donovan, Dylan Roberts preview state public health insurance option via Vail Daily

House Bill 1349 would push private insurance companies doing business in other parts of the state to offer a public option plan in the 22 out of 64 Colorado counties that have just one insurance provider offering plans on the individual market (for people who don’t get their health insurance through their employer). The state will not run the plan but will oversee it. Initially, it would affect roughly 300,000 Coloradans on the individual market.

Eagle County is one of those underserved areas, with just Anthem offering Affordable Care Act-compliant plans on the individual market. A family of four in Eagle County will pay around $1,600 a month for health insurance (before any ACA tax credits if they’re eligible).

Bringing down costs in Eagle County

Roberts, who represents Eagle and Routt counties in the legislature, said Thursday that the public option will bring down individual market prices by up to 20% in Eagle County when it’s available in 2022.

Asked how the state insurance commissioner and an advisory board set up under the bill will decide which insurance providers have to provide a public option, Roberts said the state will lean toward companies that have some history of selling insurance products in a county.

He gave as an example his employer, the district attorney’s office, which offers insurance to its employees through a small-group plan from Cigna. Previous proposals were aimed at compelling more insurance providers to step into underserved markets.

“[Cigna] may be well more situated to come into a county like Eagle than a plan that doesn’t sell any type of insurance in Eagle County. So those are the unique factors that the commissioner and the board will look at to determine which insurance company’s best to move in,” Roberts said. “And it’s a pare-back of what we came out with in the proposal in trying to move a bunch of insurance companies into new counties. We want to pick the one that is the most reasonable to do so.”

Roberts added that a county like Summit, which has the recently created Peak Health Alliance co-op, would not necessarily see a public option plan. Led by the Vail Valley Partnership and Vail Health, efforts are underway to offer a Peak-inspired plan in Eagle County called the Mountain Healthcare Coalition.

“The commissioner can consider that as competition and not have to move a Colorado option company into that county because we want to recognize the great work that some of those collaboratives and co-ops are doing,” Roberts said.

⇻ Read the full story in the Vail Daily here.

⇻ FEBRUARY 29, 2020

Colorado bill to expand loan of water to the environment has wide support via Ski-Hi News

“I represent Eagle and Routt counties, which are home to four major river systems, and I know how vital it is to the Roaring Fork Valley, the Eagle River Valley and the Yampa River Valley to have a really strong flowing river,” he said.

The Eagle, Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers flow through Eagle County, and the Yampa River flows through Routt County.

“Instream-flow loans allow people to loan the water back and help the river, while not losing their water rights,” Roberts said.

In the new bill, lawmakers added more protections for water-rights holders by increasing the window for people to appeal a loan. The legislation quadruples the comment period from 15 to 60 days so that those who feel they could be harmed by a loan of water have sufficient time to raise their concerns with the state engineer.

Colorado’s instream-flow program gives the CWCB the ability to hold water rights specifically for preserving the natural environment “to a reasonable degree” by keeping water flowing in the river. Since 1973, the CWCB has appropriated instream-flow rights on more than 1,700 stream segments, covering more than 9,700 stream miles.

⇻ Read the full story in the Ski-Hi News here.

⇻ FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Town Hall Tour Coming Up!

Please join me for a town hall meeting to get an update on our work at the Capitol and ask questions.

⇻ FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Prescription drug transparency bill advances through House committee via The Center Square

House Democrats in Colorado’s legislature advanced a bill that they say would further reform drug pricing transparency if passed.

The proposed Colorado Prescription Drug Transparency Act of 2020, or House Bill 1160, cleared the House Committee on Health and Insurance this week. 

The bill from state Reps. Dominique Jackson, D-Aurora, and Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, is intended to increase the transparency surrounding prescription drug pricing. HB 1160 would ensure that drug manufacturer rebates are passed along to consumers through lower insurance premiums for patients.

The committee’s members advanced the bill in a 7 to 3 vote on Thursday.  

“With multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical corporations making record profits, it’s time to finally hold these companies accountable for all the factors that are making prescription drugs unaffordable for far too many Coloradans,” Jackson said in a statement. “Access to life-saving medication is a right. This bill will bring badly needed transparency to the complex and secretive deals between drug manufacturers, insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers that are driving up the cost of drugs.”

“It’s clear that pharmaceutical corporations and drug middlemen are using rebates to get their drugs to market and to drive consumers to high-cost drugs, but these rebates aren’t being passed along to save people money,” Roberts added.  

⇻ January 30, 2020

As Lawmakers Battle Hospitals Over Health Care Costs, West Slope Residents Feel The Pinch via KUNC.org

As Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic lawmakers wage a war with hospitals over the rising cost of health care in Colorado, many residents like Jamie Harrison are still stuck paying high premiums on the West Slope.

"I think paying $1,700 a month for an insurance policy I don't use is not sustainable," Harrison said last week after finishing a day of skiing in Beaver Creek. "Something has got to give."

If Harrison, a retired lawyer in Eagle, injures himself skiing or needs any other medical care, his insurance policy won't start to help cover the cost until he has spent about $6,500 out of his own pocket. But he doesn't have any other options because there is currently only one insurance carrier he can choose on the state's individual market.

"The only benefit I got from the payment I made to the carrier (last year) was a physical and maybe a vaccine," Harrison said. "So that was $24,000, ya know, I can't say that's down the drain, but it's awful hard to swallow that I'm paying that much money and I essentially got nothing for it except for some peace of mind."

Harrison did see some relief in the form of lower premiums this year after the recent passage of a reinsurance proposal. But he still is being forced to pay significantly more for his insurance simply because of where he lives in the state.

And he says he forgoes some travel because of the rising cost of health care.

Other residents in his community aren't as lucky and are being forced to choose between their housing payments or health care, he said.

Harrison is one of the residents Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, says he's fighting for as he pursues a public health insurance option.

Under the measure, the state would dictate how much hospitals could be reimbursed under a new insurance plan.

Roberts hopes that by adding another insurance option in the 22 counties that currently only have one to choose from, there will be more competition, leading to lower prices.

Battle brewing

Hospitals and insurance companies are fiercely objecting to Roberts' plan to create a new public insurance option.

The Colorado Hospital Association says such a plan could result in less patient choice and "destabilize" the insurance market.

And groups tied to hospitals and insurance companies are spending thousands of dollars on advertisements attacking the public health insurance proposal.

Multiple calls from Rocky Mountain Community Radio to the Colorado Hospital Association to discuss their opposition to the plan were not returned.

Roberts says he won't be deterred by the negative ad campaign.

"It shows we're taking on a big fight, because they are clearly going to work hard to protect their massive profits, but for me I think it doesn't intimidate me at all," Roberts said. "I find it fairly ridiculous… We don't work for the special interests. We work for the people of Colorado. And the people of Colorado are still struggling with high health care costs."

Roberts added that a public option is a "way we can lower insurance premiums and give people choice they desperately need, especially in western and eastern Colorado."

He's also getting some backup from Gov. Polis, who has been critical of hospitals for attacking the measure. This month, the Polis administration released a report showing hospitals in Colorado have seen their profits jump more than 280% in recent years while patients have been forced to pay higher costs.

"We have not used the word greed, but I think what we're trying to show is some business decisions that have been made by the hospitals really haven't made a difference for people the consumers who really need it," said Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera this month.

Waiting for change

Back in Eagle County, Jamie Harrison is waiting for change.

Lawmakers have spent years studying how to help residents on the West Slope and Eastern Plains get relief from high insurance premiums.

They have rejected previous proposals to combine all the insurance zones in the state into one so that Front Range insurance plans are not significantly cheaper than ones in regions with fewer hospitals and less competition.

"Change has to happen and one of the things that I admire about my representative and my state in particular is he is saying what I think is true and that is the states need to be the crucible for experimentation, and Colorado is in a position where we may be able to do something different," Harrison said. "Now there is always the possibility it doesn't turn out as good as we want it be. And maybe it turns out to be not good. But we've got to do something. Let's get something together so we can at least see what the impacts are and modify it as we go along."

Harrison thinks a public insurance option could help him and his community.

"We need an entity on the other side that's an effective negotiator for me and the other consumers, and it seems to me a public option could be a way to get that sort of bargaining power that, to my mind, is still missing," he said.

⇻ January 28, 2020

House panel OKs changes to rural economic development program via The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

A House committee unanimously agreed Monday to reauthorize and make some changes to a state program designed to help boost economic development in more rural parts of the state than it already does.

That program, first started in Mesa County in 2015, is credited for helped bring more than a dozen new businesses to the Grand Valley.

Because of some of its provisions, however, smaller rural areas haven’t been able to take full advantage of it, the bill’s sponsors told the House Rural Affairs & Agriculture Committee.

Under the program, qualifying businesses can get tax credits that give them low to zero income, sales and property taxes for four years. Their employees, too, pay no state income taxes for that time.

But to help smaller rural areas also utilize the program, the measure aims to lower to three, instead of five, the number of employees a qualifying business would need to qualify for those tax breaks. It also would allow the businesses to partner with organizations other than a university or college, such as a business incubator or workforce center.

Most importantly to many supporters, however, the measure would alter the unique business clause of the program, to one that would allow competing businesses to qualify as long as they are not located in the same part of the state.

“The rural Jump Start program has worked well in some areas of the state, but we recognize that it hasn’t worked for all of rural Colorado,” said Ted Jensen, who manages the program.

“We believe the lack of participation in some areas is primarily due to the competition clause,” he added. “This clause has prevented businesses from even applying because they would be competing with Front Range businesses. The competition clause is a significant factor in the administration of the program.”

In addition to Mesa, 15 other counties have created Jump Start tax zones, including Delta, Rio Blanco and Montrose counties, but most of them have not had businesses qualify for it.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which oversees the program, has identified 26 other counties that meet the “economically distressed” criteria to be considered Jump Start tax zones.

If passed, up to 20 new businesses are expected to be added to the program statewide in 2021, with about 15 a year after that. Last year, businesses in the program, on average, claimed about $3,000 in income tax credits and about $1,300 in sales tax exemptions, according to the economic development office.

The bill heads to the House Finance Committee.

⇻ January 22, 2020

My second January newsletter is out! Click here to read about new bills I’ve introduced, upcoming town halls. and more!

⇻ January 20, 2020

Avon’s Dylan Roberts braces for public-option insurance battle via Vail Daily

With a pitched battle brewing in the state legislature over his signature “public option” health insurance bill (HB19-1004) from last session, state Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, is urging calm before the coming storm.

Sponsored in the state senate last session by Vail Democrat Kerry Donovan, the bill directed state insurance regulators to draft a proposal for a state option insurance plan — a proposal that was vetted in stakeholder meetings around the state before being presented to the legislature earlier this month. Roberts is now working on a bill based on some version of that plan.

“The governor’s proposal is just that — a proposal,” Roberts said. “Now it’s back in the legislature’s hands, and Sen. Donovan and I and others — hopefully Rep. Marc Catlin (R-Montrose), who was on 1004 last year — are going to be crafting a bill that works for as many people as possible.

“We’re not just going to accept the proposal carte blanche and put it in a bill,” he added. “We’re doing a lot of work.”

Focused on the individual market

The executive branch proposal landed on a public option insurance plan run by private insurance companies but regulated by the state. Initially, it’s focused on people who buy insurance on the individual market — about 8% of the state and 3,000 people locally — and aren’t insured through their employer. But eventually, the plan may expand to include small businesses.

Roberts, who hopes to introduce the latest public-option bill by early to mid-February, is waiting on an actuarial analysis on how to protect rural and critical-access hospitals that are operating on lower profit margins than hospitals in more populous or affluent areas.

Hurting or helping rural hospitals?

One of the biggest criticisms of the public option plan coming from groups that launched a negative ad campaign in December is that rate-setting, or a state formula dictating how much the plan will reimburse hospitals, could further squeeze rural hospitals that don’t have high patient volume and also see a lot of Medicaid patients. Some hospitals could be forced to close, they say.

“I actually see this could be a win for rural hospitals because they’re going to get reimbursed at a higher level than they’re currently being reimbursed for those that are on this plan,” said Roberts, explaining some rural hospitals are currently being reimbursed 120% of Medicare rates. At the low end of the public option, reimbursements will be closer to 175% of Medicare, he added.

Chris Brown with the Common Sense Policy Roundtable, a Denver-based, nonprofit public policy think tank representing four business organizations, said he thinks limiting the amount insurance companies can retain to administer plans could actually hurt rural hospitals.

“Some of the primary concerns here are a large portion of the state, primarily in rural parts of Colorado — in wealthier mountain communities, lower-income mountain towns, out east and down south — already have issues with medical shortages, and those have to do with a lot of the market dynamics,” Brown said. “You have smaller populations, higher fixed costs and fewer people to spread those costs across. And it also costs more to attract doctors and nurses.”

Roberts counters that rural hospitals will also benefit from more people insured in general and adds that the current bill will include protections for hospitals operating on lower profit margins. But Brown still has his doubts.

“It’s hard to see how paying less, giving insurers less incentive to retain and compete, is going to in some way improve the access or quality of services and doctors and physicians in rural Colorado,” Brown said. “There are a lot of questions that still remain.”

Outside attacks

While the Colorado Hospital Association opposes the public option, Roberts said he meets regularly will rural hospitals in his district and that most are keeping an open mind and waiting on the bill. The heated anti-public-option campaign, he said, is mostly coming from outside, national for-profit hospital and insurance groups worried about a national precedent.

With huge profits being reaped by those industries in recent years, Roberts said they’re pulling out all the stops to keep the state from moving toward more insurance choice, competition and lower patient costs. He blasted the notion that larger employers will wind up shouldering the costs of the public option.

“Any sort of argument about cost shift is just a scare tactic at this point to try and get people to be opposed to something before it even begins,” Roberts said, pointing to rate setting in place in Maryland for many years without cost-shifting. Maryland does not offer a public option.

Washington state is also in the process of setting up a public option, which was one of the original concepts behind the Affordable Care Act before federal lawmakers gave up on the idea. Roberts said the Colorado version will include protections against cost-shifting. He also said a major misconception is that the public option will be state-run insurance.

“The way we’re proposing it is running it through an already existing private insurance industry,” Roberts said. “That’s the most fiscally responsible way to do it. The state will never be on the hook for any large insurance liability and it’ll take a really limited general fund appropriation just to administer the program every year.”

CSPR’s Brown said in fact the state is acknowledging the risk of being an insurer.

“So they said, ‘Well, this is better because the state doesn’t have that risk,’ but they’re transferring that risk or they’re putting that risk on insurance companies,” Brown said, adding that could lead to big companies being unwilling to take those risks and actually reducing choice.

Increasing choice

The whole idea behind a public option is increasing insurance choice in places like Eagle County — one of 22 counties in the state with just one ACA plan (Anthem). The public option bill will require companies selling insurance anywhere in Colorado to participate in the public option.

“I think it’s absolutely a legitimate question,” Brown said. “It has not been appropriately explored in any of the modeling, so it remains a very important question — the extent to which this will actually drive traditional insurers out of markets.”

Asked for an official comment on the public option in November, Vail Health CEO Will Cook praised the efforts of Roberts and Donovan but did not state an actual position — instead pointing to the hospital’s efforts to lower costs and help create the Mountain Healthcare Coalition.

That upcoming nonprofit co-op is also a project of the valley-wide chamber of commerce, the Vail Valley Partnership, whose president and CEO, Chris Romer, is opposed to the public option plan.

⇻ January 18, 2020

Roberts introduces bill to extend, tweak Rural Jump-Start program via Steamboat Pilot

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Rep. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat and native of Steamboat Springs, has introduced a bill to extend and expand the Rural Jump-Start economic development tax credit in an effort to promote economic development in rural areas of Colorado —  including Routt County.

“I think the program’s been incredibly positive for rural Colorado, and we’re starting to see the impact of it in Routt County,” said Roberts, whose district includes Eagle and Routt counties. “I wanted to introduce legislation to continue the program for five more years, as well as change some of the details about the program, so that more businesses can have access to it.”

The Rural Jump-Start program provides specific tax relief to new businesses and new hires of the businesses that are located in certain designated areas of rural Colorado.

Former Democratic state governor John Hickenlooper signed the program into law in May 2015, and it was launched in 2016. The program was slated to run for six years and will sunset at the end of this year. No new zones or businesses will be approved after Dec. 31 without the extension.

“It’s a big deal,” said Bob Pole, a Steamboat Springs businessman. “Certainly the Rural Jump-Start program was something that we never anticipated when we decided to do what we do.”

Pole, and his son RJ, are the founders of hearOclub a Steamboat-based hearing aid subscription service that has expanded its reach to more than 40 states since beginning operations last year.

“I have to admit that we’re not far enough along where (it was) going to affect us too much in 2019, but we anticipate a lot of benefits in the next few years,” Pole said. “It’s really a terrific thing, and we’re very grateful for it.”

John Bristol, director of economic development for the Steamboat Springs Chamber, was thrilled that Roberts introduced the bill this session, and said it’s one of several economic-related bills that he is watching this session.

“There are several economic development-related bills in the legislature this year that I am tracking and keeping a close eye on,” Bristol said. “Programs like the Rural Jump-Start and some others that really impact rural communities.”

He is also watching the Rural Economic Development Initiative program, which  is designed to help rural communities comprehensively diversify their local economy and create a more resilient Colorado. Bristol said Oak Creek and Hayden have been able to take advantage of that program in the past.

“Unless the legislature reauthorizes Rural Jump-Start, it will go away in 2021,” Roberts said from the Colorado Capital on Tuesday. “I think the program’s been incredibly positive for rural Colorado, and we’re starting to see the impact of it in Routt County. I wanted to introduce legislation to continue the program for five more years, as well as changing some of the details about the program so that more businesses can have access to it.”

⇻ January 17, 2020

Legislator Q&A: Colorado Enacts Nation’s First Insulin Cost Cap, Requires Attorney General to Investigate Prices via NASHP

In 2019, Colorado became the first state to pass legislation to cap insulin costs. The law, introduced by state Rep. Dylan Roberts, prohibits health insurers from charging enrollees more than $100 for a 30-day supply of insulin. It also requires the state’s attorney general to investigate insulin pricing and report the findings to the state legislature by Dec. 1, 2020.

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) spoke with Roberts to learn about the legislation, what he hopes it will accomplish, and what advice he would give lawmakers in other states who are considering a similar approach.

Since 2018, attorneys general in Minnesota and Kentucky have filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers for deceptive and misleading insulin price increases. In May 2019, Connecticut and 43 other states filed a lawsuit against 20 of the nation’s largest generic drug manufacturers, alleging a conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices. NASHP is following these cases closely.

Why did you choose to introduce a bill to address insulin costs?

My little brother had type 1 diabetes, so I know about what it means to have to rely on insulin on a daily basis to stay alive. Over the last six or seven years, insulin costs have become more of a national story, and during my first years as a legislator, I wanted to figure out a way to reduce insulin prices. In 2018, I introduced an insulin price transparency bill that passed the House but died in the Senate. Coming back last year, I knew I wanted to continue to work on the transparency issue, but I also wanted to do something that could immediately help Coloradans by lowering the cost of insulin. That’s where I came up with the idea of an insulin cap.

How do you anticipate the insulin cap will impact Coloradans?

We have examples of people in this country who are spending anywhere from $300 to over $1,000 per month just on their supply of insulin, not including their medical supplies. Reducing those costs to $100 is going to mean a huge cost savings for Coloradans. That’s money in their pocket that they didn’t have before, which is the immediate effect of the bill.

What tools or authority does your bill give the attorney general?

Capping copays is only a first step, that’s why I put the attorney general piece in the bill. The law gives the attorney general investigative authority. Having the attorney general investigate insulin pricing and then submit a report to the legislature is going to be very valuable. It also allows the attorney general to request new authority to do something on the issue. There are attorneys general in other states who are filing lawsuits against insulin manufacturers, so that might be something for the Colorado Attorney General to consider as well.

Does the legislation have a mechanism for preventing cost-shifting to premiums? Was this a concern?

This was a concern when I drafted the bill, so we worked closely with the insurance companies

and arrived at $100 for the cap as the point where we could save money for people who need insulin without raising costs for everybody else on the same insurance plan. The insurance companies have said publicly that insurance prices won’t go up because of the cap.

What advice would you offer other states that want to enact similar legislation?

One piece of technical advice would be to make sure your bill is tightly written to avoid unintended changes during the rule-making process. For example, it should be clear that the cap refers to the total costs a patient would pay per month, not per insulin product per month, which would result in patients who take multiple insulins paying more than $100 a month.

I would also encourage lawmakers to work with all relevant stakeholders, including the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. In the end, even though there was opposition from the pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies, they were not active in lobbying against the bill. Compelling consumer testimony made it hard to vote against the bill.

I also think it’s important to recognize that this is only a first step with the potential for further action informed by the attorney general’s report. The cap alone is not a solution to the long-term problem. We need a national solution on drug prices, but if Congress isn’t going to step up, it falls to states to do something.

⇻ January 16, 2020

Why A Dark Money Campaign Has Colorado In The Center Of The National Health Care Debate via CPR News

In recent weeks, a national campaign has aired hundreds of advertisements and sent countless mailers to Coloradans in an effort to defeat a bill that doesn’t even exist yet.

They’re aiming to defuse a sweeping effort by Gov. Jared Polis and some legislative Democrats to reform the health care system. 

The state’s Democratic legislators haven’t yet introduced an expected “public option” bill, but the advertisements already warn about government interference that could kill jobs and hurt hospitals.

The latest round of mail has already arrived in communities from the Western Slope to the Front Range, according to Rep. Dylan Roberts, who will sponsor the bill.

“This is probably just the opening gambit,” he said at the Capitol on Tuesday, later describing it as a "dark money" campaign with little transparency about its funding. “But I’ll keep working through. It doesn’t intimidate me, and it doesn’t intimidate my co-sponsors on this legislation.”

The campaign is run by Colorado's Health Care Future, part of a new advocacy group called Partnership for America's Health Care Future. It's a sign of just how quickly Colorado has inserted itself into the national debate about health care. Until now, the Partnership had largely focused on fighting Medicare for All and other federal proposals by Democratic presidential candidates.

“They will be pouring a lot of money into Colorado to keep this from happening. They don’t want other states to look at Colorado as an example of something that might work,” said Wendell  Potter, the former vice president of communications for CIGNA who later became a health care reformer with the group Medicare for All NOW!

“It’s going to be quite intense. They’ve been known to spend enormous amounts of money to keep legislation or ballot initiatives from succeeding.”

Who’s behind it?

Gov. Jared Polis has accused Colorado hospitals of funding the ads in order to protect their bottom lines.

“We know there are powerful special interests who have a financial stake in preserving the current system,” he told a joint legislative session. Hospitals on the Front Range, he said, are “using those profits from overcharging patients to run ads against legislation that could save families money.”

Julie Lonborg, a spokesperson for the Colorado Health Association, contested the governor’s accusations.

“He believes that this is being funded locally. I think he’ll be surprised to find out that it may not be,” she said. “I don’t know which if any of our members may be involved.”

It’s impossible to say with certainty who is funding the Partnership for America ads, or even the amount that the group is spending. The campaign has spent close to $130,000 on Facebook and broadcast ads in Colorado, according to disclosures from Facebook and the Federal Communications Commission. 

But the group may not have to report its full spending — including the cost of the mailers — because they don’t directly relate to an election or a call for action, said Matt Arnold, whose company Campaign Integrity Watchdog advises candidates on campaign finance compliance and files complaints against perceived violators.

And when it comes to donors, as a nonprofit, Partnership for America likely isn’t required under state or federal law to disclose their names or the amount they donated. 

PFA did not directly answer questions about how much it is spending in Colorado, but a spokesperson for the group said it is composed of “doctors, nurses, clinicians, community hospitals, health insurance providers, business organizations, and biopharmaceutical companies committed to working together to ensure access to affordable, high quality coverage.”

Polis hasn’t called any companies out by name, but Partnership for America has named dozens of supporters, including HCA Healthcare — which operates facilities in Colorado, including Rose Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center and five other Denver locations.

HCA supports the campaign because the state government option would “not protect patient choice” and “would dramatically impact care for rural Coloradans,” according to a statement forwarded by a spokesperson.

Also included in the alliance is the Federation of American Hospitals, a group of investor-owned hospitals that includes the operators of about 3,000 hospital beds in Colorado.

Colorado in the crosshairs

Only one other state, Washington, has passed a law on the scale of what Colorado is considering, according to Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Washington lawmakers approved a similar “public option” law in 2019.

“I think there’s a real concern that if Washington and Colorado are successful, it could set a precedent — more states will follow,” she said.

To be clear, the Colorado proposal would not replace private insurance, as Bernie Sanders and some other Democratic primary candidates have proposed.

“Colorado’s idea is to almost double down on the role of private health insurance,” said Joe Hanel, spokesman for the Colorado Health Institute.

The Colorado plan would create a new “state option” health insurance policy that insurers would be encouraged — or forced — to make available to businesses and the public. It also would limit the costs that hospitals can charge under that policy. That’s triggering a strong response, in part, because it’s targeting the industry’s income.

Corlette believes the states are on the right track, especially in trying to control prices and she thinks hospitals will fight “tooth and nail” against that idea because it puts most of the risk and costs on the private providers.

And while Colorado isn’t a comparatively large state, it’s one of the most likely to approve major legislation.

“What Polis is after is lowering costs in health care. And when you have a chief executive who has a pretty single-minded focus like that, and a legislature that is kind of champing at the bit to get at this for several years, big things are going to happen,” Hanel said.

The Partnership ads portray ideas like Medicare for All and the public option as a government intrusion.

"The proposed state government option is not designed to compete with private insurance plans — it’s designed to force as many Coloradans as possible into a new government-controlled health insurance system over time.  It would shift $1.5 billion in costs to those with private insurance and studies show similar systems could force rural hospitals, serving thousands of Coloradans, to close," the group's statement claimed.

The $1.5 billion figure comes from a study by the Colorado Hospital Association, while the claim about rural hospitals comes from REMI Partnership, a group of business interests. Both reports came out weeks before the state's own report on the details of a potential state option.

Instead, PFA and its backers say legislators should focus on the tools in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as Politico reported.  State Rep. Roberts counters that a public option was part of the original ACA debate, although it didn’t make it into the final law.

What’s next?

Some of the state’s largest health organizations told CPR News that they weren’t involved in the PFA campaign — but all who responded expressed strong concerns.

“If we don’t know the unintended consequences, I worry,” said Margo Karsten, CEO of Banner Health in Northern Colorado. “In fairness to whoever’s running the ads, they’re trying to alert people. Stay alert.”

The proposal would put Colorado at “the leading cusp,” she said. “I’m not convinced that we’ve done this in the collaborative fashion, including the insurance industry and pharmaceuticals, to make sure whatever gets put in place will truly reduce the cost to the patient and the community members.”

The Colorado Hospital Association will run its own campaign on the public option, too, but it will bear the organization’s name and will be much smaller than the Partnership for America effort, Lonborg said.

Roberts, the sponsor, said that the idea is grounded in years of research, including a report commissioned under a state law passed in 2019. That report sets a template for the bill to come — but a lot can change in the four months of the legislative session. In Washington, the health care industry won concessions including higher prices, as The New York Times reported.

In particular, Hanel said, the bill could live or die by the question of how it will affect some of the state’s smaller and less profitable hospitals. 

And while the idea clearly has Polis’ support, other Democratic leaders haven’t spoken up so strongly yet. Senate President Leroy Garcia is open to considering “all ideas and options,” but won’t take a position until he has seen the bill, a spokesperson said. 

House Speaker KC Becker is “open to considering a number of options that would lower health care costs, including the governor's public option proposal,” a spokesperson said, calling for collaboration.

⇻ January 8, 2020

Rep. Dylan Roberts Op-Ed in the Steamboat Pilot: “2020 legislative session — here we go”

Check out my op-ed in the Steamboat Pilot from the first day of this year’s 2020 Legislative Session, in which I review my goals for this session and the main areas I will be focusing on.

“This week, your Colorado State Legislature will begin its 120 day-long 2020 legislative session. That means all 100 legislators convene at the State Capitol in Denver to begin our constitutional duty to pass a balanced budget and tend to the business of the state of Colorado. Once again, it will be a humbling privilege to step into the Capitol to represent you, the people of Eagle and Routt counties, in the House of Representatives.

The relatively short session means for my colleagues and me, the preparation has been happening for months. As you have read in past columns, that means serving on interim committees, monitoring the implementation of bills that passed last session, connecting one-on-one with community members and conducting town hall meetings across the district. 

After a busy and productive 2019 session, you are probably wondering what is ahead for 2020. While there is no way to know exactly what we will be debating until bills start to be introduced in the weeks ahead, there are certainly some big topics already emerging.

The first is our continued work to lower health care costs. Eagle and Routt counties’ residents face some of the highest health insurance costs of anyone in the nation just because of where we live — that is not right, and we have taken action to fix that and will continue to do so.

After passing the bipartisan Colorado reinsurance program last year, customers on the individual market in our area are seeing up to 30% reduction in monthly premiums on individual market plans. This is huge news, and it has been exciting to hear from so many of you about the $200 to $1,000 per month savings you are starting to see in this new year.

Combine this with other legislation we passed to help health insurance co-ops to start forming to offer plans in our communities (look for these soon in Eagle and Routt counties thanks to promising efforts by several local leaders and groups), progress is being made on this issue.

Yet, we need to continue working on the underlying forces causing high health insurance costs. To that end, Sen. Kerry Donovan and I passed a bipartisan bill last session that directed the state to craft a proposal for a Colorado public option for health insurance. That proposal was completed, and we are now working collaboratively to craft a bill to implement a Colorado public option.

In creating a public option, Coloradans will be guaranteed access to an additional option on the market, which for 22 counties, including Eagle and Routt, will finally mean competition. Further, a public option could help you save between 10% to 18% more every month. This bill is still being written along with a broad group of stakeholders, but we look forward to introducing it in the coming weeks and passing it before the session is done in May.

Another big priority for me will be economic development in rural Colorado. On day one of the session, I will introduce a bill to reauthorize and expand the Rural Jump-Start economic development tax credit. The Rural Jump-Start tax credit was established in 2015 and has been a successful program that has assisted nearly 20 businesses open their doors and hire employees in rural Colorado.

However, we need to make changes, so that even more areas of the state can encourage new companies to establish roots right in rural Colorado. I am thrilled to be sponsoring that legislation with Sen. Donovan as well Republican co-sponsors from across the aisle.

You can also expect to see legislation introduced by my colleagues on a multitude of issues like school finance, transportation funding, environmental policy, family leave and much more.

To everyone who has reached out to me during this interim period whether it was during my pre-session town hall tour, individual meetings, e-mails or phone calls, thank you. Your input truly guides me as we craft legislation and head into the 2020 session.

As we continue through the coming months, please join me at a town hall meeting in your area and never hesitate to contact me to share your thoughts, criticisms and ideas. My cell is 970-846-3054, and my e-mail is Dylan.Roberts.House@state.co.us.”

⇻ December 22, 2019

Thousands of Coloradans will pay less for insulin in 2020 via KKTV

Many Coloradans will likely have more money in their pocket starting on Jan. 1, 2020. Gov. Jared Polis signed a new law into effect in 2019 that caps the price of insulin.

Now, anyone on a private, commercial health benefit plan will pay no more than $100 for a one-month supply of the drug.

"Insulin pricing has gone through the roof over the past few years," said Gail Devore, a Type 1 diabetes advocate.

Devore helped craft the new law. She and other advocates estimate it could save those who depend on insulin to stay alive hundreds of dollars per month.

"Those individuals have very few resources to afford one $350 bottle of insulin let alone three or four as most prescriptions are written for," she said.

Eagle County Democrat Rep. Dylan Roberts sponsored the bill in the state legislature. He has a personal connection to the disease. His brother, Murphy, who had Type 1 diabetes, died from a diabetic seizure in 2016.

"I knew when I came into the legislature two years ago that this was an issue I wanted to work on," he said.

Colorado is the first state to cap insulin copays, but the idea is catching on. Roberts has heard from almost 30 different states requesting information about the bill he crafted.

The new law also directs Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser's office to investigate the price of insulin and the companies that make it. According to Roberts, Weiser will recommend the next steps that can be taken to the legislature in 2020.

Advocates hope the major benefit to an estimated 6,000 families who qualify for the new copay will be less expense and less worry.

"People with Type 1 live sort of an invisible disease most of the time. It's a huge struggle and it's very expensive and shouldn't be that way," Roberts said. "Any little thing we can do makes me happy and makes a big difference."

Only plans regulated by the Colorado Division of Insurance qualify. According to DOI, one of the best ways to determine if your plan qualifies for the insulin price cap is to look for "CO-DOI" on your insurance card.

A spokesperson for DOI says the new law is not expected to lead to a rise in insurance premiums.

⇻ December 15, 2019

Great Steamboat Springs Town Hall Meeting!

After excellent pre-session town hall meetings in Eagle and Basalt last month, we hosted our final pre-session town hall in Steamboat. Lots a great discussion about health care, transportation, education, wolves, and more.

⇻ December 5, 2019

As Coloradans Demand Action On Health Care Costs, Lawmakers Work On A Public Option

RADIO INTERVIEW: Rep. Roberts sits down with KUNC to discuss his upcoming legislation with Sen. Kerry Donovan and others to create a public health insurance option in Colorado. Listen to the full interview: CLICK HERE. Read the full article here.

⇻ December 4, 2019

Monthly Vail Daily and Steamboat Pilot column: Bringing the Capitol to a Town Near You

EXCITING NEWS in this month’s column:

In the U.S. Congress, unfortunately, there are many times when bills are introduced by legislators and then never see the light of day; no committee hearing, no vote, nothing. Or, sometimes a bill will pass one chamber and then go over to the other chamber to expire with not a single moment of debate. Such is life in a divided Washington, I suppose.

Thankfully, at the Colorado legislature, it is not like that at all. Here in our state, there is a constitutional amendment that guarantees that every bill introduced in the Colorado General Assembly must be given a public committee hearing and a vote no matter what. Article V, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution was approved by the voters in 1988 and is known as the GAVEL Amendment (Give A Vote to Every Legislator). This means that no matter which party you come from or what your idea is, your bill has the right to a committee hearing and a vote. Colorado’s practice is seen as a national model and possibly one way to fix the gridlock in Congress.

However, there is one part of this process that has not been as inclusive as possible but I am proud to report that we are taking steps to change that. Let me explain…

When a bill is introduced by a legislator, it is assigned to the committee that has appropriate jurisdiction over the subject matter of the bill. For example, a health insurance bill will go to the health committee, a criminal law bill will go to the judiciary committee, a bill concerning livestock will go to the agriculture committee, and so on. At these committee hearings, we also have a rule that ensures that anyone who shows up to speak on a bill, either in support or in opposition, is guaranteed the right to testify before the committee.

That guarantee means that on the big, important, and controversial bills, committees will meet for as long as necessary to hear every single person’s testimony. And when I say as long as necessary, I mean it: I have been at the Capitol in a committee meeting as late at 2 a.m. and there were meetings of the health committee last session that lasted until after 4 a.m.

Hearing from Coloradans about their thoughts on proposed legislation is an absolute priority for your legislature and truly does impact the way we vote on the bills before us. However, the guarantee of having the right to testify only works if you have the time and resources to travel to Denver, pay for parking, and spend an afternoon (or evening/early morning) in the Capitol — not great for those of you who live here in my House District of Eagle and Routt Counties.

A few years ago, the legislature set up locations to allow for “remote testimony” to allow Coloradans to testify via live video conference from a few select locations closer to their home. Until recently, the closest remote testimony location for those of you in Eagle County was Grand Junction, which for some is an even farther drive than the drive to Denver.

Knowing that was not good enough, I have been working over the last year to bring more locations for remote testimony into the system. I am now pleased to report that starting in the upcoming legislative session remote testimony will be available at the Edwards and Steamboat Springs campuses of Colorado Mountain College.

This is important news for our communities and a huge thank you is owed to CMC for working with my colleagues and me and for their offering of technology, workforce, and space to make this happen. Not every bill has remote testimony available but the big and most-impactful ones will and now the residents of Eagle and Routt Counties will not have to travel far to make sure their voice is heard in their democracy.

To monitor remote testimony opportunities in Edwards and Steamboat, visit leg.colorado.gov/remote-testimony during the legislative session which runs from Jan. 8 through May 6, 2020.

Speaking of being engaged in our democracy, please always feel free to contact me anytime at Dylan.Roberts.House@state.co.us or on my cell at 970-846-3054.

⇻ November 26, 2019

November Newsletter is out! Click here to read about important topics like the public option, mental health, town hall meetings, and more.

⇻ November 15, 2019

STATEMENT: Rep. Roberts and Senator Donovan react to the final report from the Division of Insurance and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing regarding the implementation of a state public health insurance option, as directed by HB19-1004, a bipartisan bill we sponsored and past last session.

Read the full proposal: Proposal for Affordable Health Care Option.

⇻ November 6, 2019

Monthly Column: Doing Something About Mental Health

My monthly column in the Vail Daily and the Steamboat Pilot this month focused on our work on mental health:

Colorado is no stranger to finding itself at the top of the list in some impressive categories. For example, we are near the top of the list for the nation’s best recreation, place to retire, and proudly, we have the top economy of any state in the country.

Yet, one list we are unfortunate to top is the states with the highest rate of suicide. Last month, social media marked “World Mental Health Day” to help bring awareness to this devastating crisis and just a few days later, a “cluster” of suicides occurred in the Roaring Fork Valley — a stark reminder that this mental health crisis is not easily mitigated.

Here in rural Colorado, this crisis is even more exacerbated; the suicide rate in rural Colorado is nearly twice as high as the statewide average, which is already much higher than the nationwide average. Responding to that crisis, there are dozens of dedicated organizations, professionals, volunteers, students, and more in our community working tirelessly to increase access to mental health care and to help break the stigma around this issue. Their work is invaluable and I am happy to say that at the state legislature this past year, we did significant work to be a better partner to their efforts.

First up was a bill I introduced with a colleague of mine, Rep. Michaelson Jenet, but it was children and young adults, including an Eagle County high school student, who helped inspire it. The Youth Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Education Act reduces the age for which a student can qualify for immediate mental health counseling from 15 years old to 12.

Also, at the suggestion of Battle Mountain High School student Saphira Klearman, who saw that other states were doing this, we added a section to this bill that directs the State Board of Education to develop a resource bank of curriculum materials for K-12 teachers across the state to incorporate mental health awareness into their daily lesson-planning. Saphira and other students from Eagle County came to the Capitol to testify in favor of this bill — and it passed. Thank you!

The state legislature did not end our work on mental health there. We passed a significant bipartisan bill that is now law that requires insurance plans, both private and Medicaid, to cover behavioral health services just like they cover physical health. That means that mental health crisis services get covered just like a broken leg would and that a behavioral health screen is treated just the same as an annual physical.

Further, we established a program in which individuals can create an advanced directive to be used in times of crisis. We also passed legislation to make significant changes to better support children in need of behavioral health services like ensuring “wraparound” behavioral health services for children who have displayed behavioral health challenges earlier in life.

Finally, the state legislature came together and worked across the aisle to pass several bills that acknowledge the fine line between mental illness, addiction, and the criminal justice system. To that end, we passed legislation regarding the treatment of persons with behavioral health disorders who are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system and a new law was approved that recognizes that addiction is much more a disease than it is a crime and places an emphasis on community-based treatment instead of prison for first-time offenders.

This is just a summary of the legislation we considered in the 2019 session related to mental health, but hopefully, it is just a start as well. State policy like this is just one way to address the crisis we are facing in Colorado.

Like I said earlier, there are so many great people and noble efforts being undertaken here in our community and across the state and we could not thank them enough. The state legislature is just one part of that effort but I am proud to report that after this past legislative session, we are becoming a worthy partner with local action.

Have an idea in this subject area (or any other)? As always, you can contact me at Dylan.Roberts.House@state.co.us or at (970) 846-3054.

Finally, you are not alone. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or you just need someone to talk to, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255, En Español: 1-888-628-9454, or the Crisis Text Line by texting: 741741.

⇻ November 3, 2019

State Sen. Donovan, Reps. McCluskie And Roberts Talk Health Care At Basalt Town Hall

Via Aspen Public Radio:

Colorado state senator Kerry Donovan and representatives Julie McCluskie and Dylan Roberts held a town hall in Basalt on Saturday. The three Democrats, who represent the Roaring Fork Valley, started the meeting by discussing health care.

Saturday’s town hall was held one day after the first day for open enrollment in Colorado. Rep. McCluskie said that this past year saw a 30 percent decrease on the state’s individual insurance marketplace for Western slope residents. 

Rep. Roberts has been working on a state option for health insurance, which he says would provide competition for private insurance, especially in rural areas that only have one private insurer.

"Look out for that state option. We'll be accepting public comment on it all this year," he said.

Senator Donovan said next steps in lowering costs might be health care co-ops as well as hospital transparency bills. 

Senator Donovan said bills supporting mental health were gaining momentum at the capital, and mentioned the high suicide rate in Colorado’s high country. 

"Something we are always talking about is that tragic epidemic that strikes us all, even in places you wouldn't expect it," she said.

The three elected officials also discussed water bills and legislation on wildfire mitigation and fielded questions about affordable housing, particularly for seniors.

About twenty residents attended the town hall. The next state legislative session begins in January. 

Read the full story and listen to the radio segment here.

⇻ October 28, 2019

Pre-session town hall tour! I hope you can join us in Eagle or Basalt to discuss the upcoming legislative session.

⇻ October 8, 2019

Innovation in the mountains targets sky-high health costs

via Colorado Politics:

“On average, prices for plans in the individual market in Summit County are expected to be 38% to 49% less than what they were a year ago…two other mountain Democrats, Sen. Kerry Donovan of Vail, and Rep. Dylan Roberts of Avon, during the legislative session sponsored Senate Bill 4, which modernizes laws authorizing health care cooperatives. Pre-existing conditions would be covered and consumers could help control health care costs by negotiating rates on a collective basis directly with providers.”

Full article here.

⇻October 1, 2019

Monthly Op-ed in Vail Daily and Steamboat Pilot: “Our state needs a fully-funded Land and Water Conservation Fund”

I’ll begin this month’s column by stating something obvious: living in the mountains of Colorado is the best. The natural beauty of this place is something I know we all cherish and is something that makes me so proud to represent Eagle County.

As your state representative, protecting that natural beauty has been and will continue to be a priority. However, the conservation of our land, water and air is not just the responsibility of the state or local governments. The United States Congress has and must continue to play a crucial role. That is why this month, I would like to talk to you about a vital program that Eagle County residents need to be fully-funded by our federal leaders.

For over 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the most successful conservation program in U.S. history, has been instrumental in protecting irreplaceable lands and waters like ours here in Eagle County and enabling us to better access Colorado’s wonderful natural resources. Authorized for $900 million annually but fully funded only a few times since its inception, it has been responsible for funding the acquisition and enhancement of federal, state, and local public lands in almost every state and county in the nation, ensuring that all Americans have access to recreate and enjoy our lands and parks.

Yet Congress has been slow-moving to make the Land and Water Conservation Fund a permanent and fully-funded source for America’s well-being. After much wrangling, the fund was permanently reauthorized as part of the bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act on March 12. Unfortunately, no assurance for future funding was provided.

Members in both the House and Senate have proposed bipartisan legislation to provide full and permanent funding, but President Trump previously proposed nearly zeroing-out money for the fund. What makes any congressional indecisiveness, first to permanently reauthorize and now to fully fund this vital program, particularly incredible is that the many benefits provided by the Land and Water Conservation Fund come at no cost to taxpayers. The money is taken only from a very small portion of the royalties paid by oil and gas companies drilling offshore.

Over five decades, the fund has invested approximately $278.6 million in Colorado, protecting some of the state’s most special places and helping to ensure recreational access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. On the federal level, these places include Rocky Mountain National Park and the White River National Forest. Land and Water Conservation Fund state assistance grants have supported Colorado’s state and local parks including Eagle County’s Sylvan Lake State Park — all playing an important role in growing Colorado’s lucrative $28 billion annual outdoor recreation economy. Plus, protecting the historic Sweetwater Lake in Eagle County can likely only happen with adequate Land and Water Conservation Fund funding.

I thank Colorado’s Congressional representatives for their leadership in fighting for full funding this year, but the disheartening reality is that the U.S. Senate just approved a “half measures” amount for the program, proposing a $465 million level for the Land and Water Conservation Fund instead of the full $900 million intended by the original legislation.

It’s disappointing that Sen. Cory Gardner, who presumably has the power within his majority party to increase the amount our parks and public lands receive, would settle for this lesser amount. Especially disconcerting is that only a month ago, Gardner was leading the charge, urging Congressional leaders “to seize the opportunity for … full, permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund …” as they “work to enact legislation that will address Federal funding needs for fiscal year 2020 and beyond.”

Sen. Gardner, what happened to the passion and gusto for public lands you espoused when you sponsored the Land Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act that mandated $900 million each year for outdoor recreation resources to strengthen the health and vitality of the citizens of the United States? I hope that both of our senators and our bipartisan delegation of U.S. House members can ensure the support we need.

We cannot take these places we cherish for granted. At the state Legislature, we can and have enacted policies to protect our state’s water and air. However, it should be the federal government’s role to support our efforts with resources like a fully-funded Land and Water Conservation Fund. We can work in partnership, but it is time for our elected leaders in Congress to hold up their end of the bargain. 

⇻ September 25, 2019

September Newsletter is Out! Read about what happened over the summer and what’s going on as we move into fall: CLICK HERE.

⇻ September 23, 2019

New Effort Aims to Lower Eagle County’s health insurance costs

Vail Daily article: “The Vail Valley Partnership, a local nonprofit that acts as a regional chamber of commerce and advocates for the Vail Valley’s economic health, is working with Vail Health and other stakeholders to develop the Mountain Healthcare Coalition as a nonprofit health care purchasing collaborative for Eagle County.

It aims to help lower health care costs for individuals and both insured and self-insured companies…

…Eagle County’s representatives at the state Capitol, Sen. Kerry Donovan and Rep. Dylan Roberts, have been active in advancing health care solutions.

A bill co-sponsored by Donovan and Roberts helped create a framework for efforts such as the Peak Health Alliance. It cleaned up language in the state’s laws to make it easier for other communities to emulate the purchasing collaborative model.

“I think it could be very significant for folks,” Donovan said of the Eagle County effort. “It takes the impossibility of negotiating as a customer of one and brings together a larger group to have the power of larger numbers in order to work toward better deals.”

Donovan and Roberts also co-sponsored a bill that creates a framework to create a publicly funded health insurance option for residents in mountain and rural counties. State agencies are still working to create a draft proposal for the public option.

Donovan also sponsored legislation to create the reinsurance program, which will allow health insurance premiums for plans purchased on the individual market to drop by 18% statewide and over 29% in mountain areas.

“That’s what my goal has been with sponsoring these bills — people in Eagle County and people across Western Colorado need more options and lower prices,” Roberts said. “More competition means lower prices. I’m excited that all of these things are working together to hopefully result in lower prices and more access for people.”

Read the full article in the Vail Daily: CLICK HERE.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Rep. Dylan Roberts Op-Ed in the Denver Post: “Solution to drug pricing is in hands of U.S. Senate”

Check out my op-ed in the Denver Post where I call on the US Congress to follow Colorado’s lead and finally take action to lower prescription drug prices. There is a bipartisan bill in the US Senate right now to do just that and it should be passed and signed into law.

“Colorado is stepping up to combat the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs but we cannot do it alone. It is time for Congress to act.

In past years, concrete solutions to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable, increase competition and boost transparency have been watered down and scrapped but this year is different. The momentum to crack down on the egregious pricing practices and anti-competitive behavior of Big Pharma has never been greater — and Congress has a real opportunity to deliver bipartisan results to patients, seniors and families.

The rising price of prescription drugs has sparked a crisis of affordability. Over the past five years, brand name drugs have increased in price at ten times the rate of inflation. Just this year alone, brand name drug makers have raised list prices on nearly 3,500 drugs and last year there were 96 price increases for every price reduction.

These rising prices impact many of the most at-risk Coloradans, including seniors, families with small children and those living with disabilities. As the representative for Eagle and Routt counties, I constantly hear about the struggles patients and families — especially those living on a fixed income — face in order to afford the prescription drug medications they and their loved ones need. We’ve even seen stories about some resorting to desperate measures like traveling hundreds of miles to Canada or making the dangerous decision to ration their medications.

Take insulin, for example; despite insulin having been around for nearly 100 years, the price of insulin has increased 700 percent over the last 20 years thanks to the greed of Big Pharma. The creator of insulin originally sold the patent for this life-saving medication for only one dollar,- believing it should be made available to all who needed it to live. It’s unacceptable that today so many families and patients struggle to make ends meet in order to get this life-saving drug. That is why I led the state-level effort to cap insulin costs at $100 per month for insured Coloradans. But state-by-state action is never going to be enough — we need a national solution for all prescription drugs.

The time is long past due for policymakers in Washington to take action on this crisis. Fortunately, thanks to a bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Congress has an actual opportunity to address prescription drug prices. The Senate Finance package, which passed out of committee with support from both sides of the aisle, would be an important first step towards bringing relief to Colorado patients and holding Big Pharma accountable.

This bipartisan legislation, called The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019, contains several market-based solutions that will help rein in out-of-control drug prices. The legislation would keep growth of prescription drug prices in line with inflation, give more power to consumers by boosting list-price transparency and increase competition through greater utilization of biosimilars. There would also be immediate relief for seniors and the disabled who rely on Medicare Part D for their prescription drug coverage. The plan reforms Part D to cap out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries and shifts significant liability for catastrophic coverage to drug makers. By requiring drug companies to have more skin in the game, they will have less incentive to continue price-gouging patients and the federal government.

The impact of these measures would be significant. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the solutions outlined in this bill would save taxpayers $100 billion in Medicare and Medicaid spending and would save Medicare Part D beneficiaries more than $30 billion in lower out-of-pocket costs and premiums. The CBO also predicts the legislation would achieve positive results for patients and consumers whose coverage comes from private insurance.

With the American people demanding action and Big Pharma continuing to thumb its nose at this crisis, Congress has a unique opportunity to pass this legislation and deliver results for struggling patients and families.

So, Sens. Cory Gardener and Michael Bennet, please join the ranks of your colleagues who have publicly endorsed and support this Senate Finance drug pricing package.

The time to act for Colorado seniors and families is now.

Dylan Roberts is a Colorado state representative from District 26. He has introduced and passed several bills in the state legislature regarding the cost and barriers to access of life-saving prescription drugs. Roberts serves as the chair of the Rural Affairs & Agriculture Committee, chair of the Capital Development Committee and as a member of the Judiciary Committee.

September 10, 2019

Colorado high-country health alliance announces big drop in premium costs

BIG news! Excited to see this spread across the state soon.

“Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle County, a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 4 (with Sen. Kerry Donovan and Representative Julie McCluskie), called the Peak model a "game changer" for Colorado, ‘ensuring that more people have access to affordable, community-based health insurance ... and I expect this to start happening in every corner of Colorado soon.’”

Read the full article in Colorado Politics here.

August 23, 2019

Colorado legislators to consider expanding program that has increased Yampa River flow in dry years

“As somebody who represents Routt County and other Western Slope counties, we know what a dry year looks like,” Roberts said. “We just had one last year, and we’re fortunate to have a wet year this year, but we have to continuously plan for those dry years and look at any legislation that helps us to preserve and conserve as much water as possible, prevent forest fires and protect agriculture, because they’re the ones that really lose out when we have dry years.”

Read the full article in the Steamboat Pilot here.

August 14, 2019

Full-Day Kindergarten a win for Colorado families

This past year at the legislature, we finally got full-day kindergarten funded and it is in effect NOW as students begin school this month!

“Thanks to the bold leadership of Gov. Jared Polis and a bipartisan coalition of legislators in the state Legislature, kids...across the state now have guaranteed access to free full-day kindergarten. To put this point more succinctly, a child's financial or geographical circumstances will no longer limit their access to full-day kindergarten.” Read the full article here.

August 6, 2019

Monthly Column from Rep. Roberts: Not in session but the work continues.

So what happens now? The Colorado legislature adjourned on May 3, but that does not mean that the work of serving our districts ends for the year. In fact, the summer and fall are just as busy as ever. I am particularly lucky because I have the distinct pleasure of continuing my legislative work back home in beautiful House District 26 and with all of you in Eagle and Routt counties.

As you have read in this column before, the 2019 legislative session was a historic one for many reasons. We passed 460 bills, and Gov. Polis signed 455 of them. And 96% of those bills received bipartisan support.

We tackled the most pressing issues facing the state and found bipartisan consensus on solutions that will bring down the cost of health care and insurance, made historic investment in our education system, became national leaders for combating climate change and environmental protection and put over $300 million more into funding our roads.

Now what happens between the end of the session and when we return back to the Capitol in Denver for the 2020 legislative session?

Read the full column in the Vail Daily and Steamboat Pilot.

JULY 31, 2019

BIG NEWS: western Colorado health insurance premiums going down by 29%!

REALLY HUGE NEWS! We made a promise to lower health care costs and it is really happening!

The federal government has granted the waiver needed to implement the reinsurance proposal we at the legislature passed this year. That means on January 1, 2020, Coloradans who purchase insurance on the individual market will see an average premium reduction of 18% on the individual market with a 29% premium reduction in Western Colorado.

This bipartisan achievement would not have been possible without the leadership of my colleagues Senator Kerry Donovan, Representative Julie McCluskie, Sen. Bob Rankin, Rep. Janice Rich and of course our Governor Jared Polis and his team. We've got a lot more in the works (i.e. public option) and more work to do but this is a MAJOR step forward.

Read more via the Vail Daily: Colorado reinsurance proposal gets final federal approval

July 14, 2019

100% Pro-Conservation Voting Record for 2nd year in a row!

Rep. Roberts was graded a 100% in this year’s scorecard by Conservation Colorado. He was also the lead sponsor on two of the bills that were scored: HB1113: Protecting Colorado’s clean water and HB1264: Preserving open space in Colorado.

To view the full scorecard: CLICK HERE.

July 7, 2019

A busy and productive session! To view all of Rep. Roberts’ sponsored bills, CLICK HERE.

July 1, 2019

Via Colorado Politics: Thirty new laws hit the state statute books in Colorado today, dealing with everything from fines for violating park and wildlife laws to felony "sexting" with children, to stricter regulations on sale of nicotine to minors, to banning e-cigarettes indoors.

One of those new laws is HB19-1030, bill Rep. Roberts sponsored with Rep. Soper (R) and Sens. Rankin (R) and Zenzinger (D) to close a loophole in Colorado law so that is is now a felony offense to send sexually explicit text messages to a minor. A recent case in Craig shed unfortunate light on this loophole in Colorado law so Rep. Roberts and his colleagues worked across the aisle to close it. Read the full article via Colorado Politics here.

June 28, 2019

Lawmakers, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley volunteers join thousands for national work day

Via Vail Daily: Elyse Howard, development director for Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley, pointed out that Habitat is not a political organization, but she had high praise for four bills that state lawmakers passed last session, including HB-1322, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts of Avon, to expand the supply of affordable housing.

“This makes it real. Being out here and helping today makes it so much more real than words on bill paper,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ bill, along with other three, will funnel more than $156 million to affordable housing over the next three years, the most significant investment in Colorado in decades, Bibbo said. Full article via Vail Daily.

JUNE 27, 2019

Early Summer Update Newsletter: CLICK HERE

JUNE 3, 2019

Eagle County Family Leaders Graduation.

It was great to be back at the FLTI graduation this year to speak to and congratulate the graduates!

June 1, 2019

Steamboat High School Graduation

I was honored to deliver the commencement address. Congratulations to all the graduates of the Class of 2019!

May 22, 2019

Our bill made CNN!

Colorado is first state to cap skyrocketing insulin co-pays

The skyrocketing prices of insulin are a nationwide issue and Colorado has become the first state to pass legislation that tackles the problem.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law Wednesday that places a $100 per month cap on insulin co-pays, regardless of how much insulin a patient uses. Insurance companies will pay anything more than the $100 co-pay, according to the new law.

The law also enlists the Colorado attorney general to investigate the rising prices of insulin in the state and to make recommendations back to the legislature.

"Today we will finally declare that the days of insulin price gouging are over in Colorado," Gov. Polis said before signing the bill on Wednesday.

The bill was sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Dylan Roberts.

Full article via CNN

May 18, 2019

Gov. Polis signs Rep. Roberts’ and Sen. Kerry Donovan’s bills in Eagle County, including the first-in-the-nation bill to begin the process of creating a public health insurance option.

May 14, 2019

TOWN HALL TOUR: Stops in Eagle, Steamboat, Basalt, and Edwards.

May 10, 2019

May Legislative Newsletter: What We Did and Town Hall Calendar: CLICK HERE

May 3, 2019

The 2019 Legislative Session Concludes!

“Colorado Democrats deliver on major changes to health care, education and the environment in dramatic session” via Denver Post

April 30, 2019

2019 POST-SESSION TOWN HALL TOUR

April 29, 2019

House Approves Roberts’ Bill for Expansion of Rural Broadband Infrastructure

The House approved Rep. Dylan Roberts’ bill to expand the broadband infrastructure in Colorado, especially in rural areas. In parts of rural Colorado, broadband services are inadequate and in some instances nonexistent.

“Access to the internet is an indispensable part of our lives and it’s important we create equity between the rural and urban areas,” said Rep. Roberts, D-Avon. “Improving broadband infrastructure will help close the digital divide in communities from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope. We can save millions of dollars on new infrastructure if we allow electrical easement holders to deliver internet services to communities through already-existing transmission corridors. That’s what this bill allows.”

Full article: CLICK HERE.

April 26, 2019

Roberts’ affordable housing bill wins overwhelming, bipartisan support in Colorado House

An affordable housing bill RealVail.com first reported on for the Vail Daily earlier this week – sponsored by Avon Democrat Dylan Roberts – passed with overwhelming support in the Colorado House on Friday, winning approval by a 45-18 margin.

State Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon

HB 1322, or the Expand Affordable Housing Supply bill, won the support of five Republicans – a rarity in a rapidly waning legislative session that’s seen a larger number of top Democratic priorities passed with the party’s new but narrow majority in the Senate.

Full article via Real Vail.

April 24, 2019

Colorado on verge of expanded traction law targeting 2WD cars driving I-70 in the mountains

Drivers who venture onto Interstate 70 in the mountains in two-wheel-drive cars with standard tires during colder months — even on sunny days — are expected to be put on notice soon: That won’t fly anymore.

Such vehicles will need specialized tires or will have to carry traction devices, no matter the weather, between Sept. 1 and May 31 under a bipartisan bill that is heading to Gov. Jared Polis. The legislation - sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon), Sen. Kerry Donovan (D-Vail) and Sen. Bob Rankin (R-Carbondale) - once signed, will beef up the state’s traction law, which currently kicks in before and during winter storms — sometimes catching travelers off guard.

Full article via Denver Post.

April 16, 2019

Bill to reduce insulin prices passes House, 51-13! The bill: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1216

april 12, 2019

Balanced State Budget: PASSED!

After many months of negotiations and many hours of debate on the House floor, the House passed a balanced 2019-20 budget for the state of Colorado. You can read a detailed summary of the full budget here.

This balanced budget is something we can be proud of and one that has significant resources dedicated to Eagle and Routt Counties (and all of Colorado).

Read my summary of the state budget in my latest newsletter: CLICK HERE.

april 11, 2019

House Committee Unanimously Approves Roberts-McCluskie Bill to Help Lower the Cost of Health Care

This morning, the House Rural Affairs and Agriculture committee unanimously approved a bill address the high costs of healthcare in Colorado. The bill is sponsored by Western Slope Representatives Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, and. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon.

SB19-004 will strengthen Colorado’s laws to allow healthcare cooperatives to incorporate consumer protections like coverage for preexisting conditions. It will also allow the State Insurance Commissioner to work with groups seeking to create co-ops so that they can get their co-op up and running as soon as possible. The bipartisan bill will help lower healthcare costs by encouraging consumers to negotiate rates on a collective basis directly with providers and offer plans to individuals, business, and other groups that are more affordable than what currently exists on the market.

“A key part of lowering the cost of health care will be the formation of health insurance co-ops across the state where consumers collectively negotiate rates directly with providers,” said Rep. Roberts. “This bill will authorize the formation of these co-ops across the state which could result in plans that are significantly cheaper than those available today.”

“In the absence of federal solutions to the health care crisis we face, Colorado communities are finding creative, innovative approaches to making health care more accessible. Health care co-ops can be one more viable option to provide relief,” said Rep. McCluskie. “I’m proud of the bipartisan bills we’ve worked to pass this session to help provide solutions to health care challenges hardworking families face every day.”

Senator Kerry Donovan, D-Vail, is the Senate sponsor of the bill. The Senate approved the bill on a bipartisan vote of 34-to-1 earlier this month. SB19-004  now goes to the House floor.

april 11, 2019

House Committee Approves Roberts-Jackson Student Loan Servicer Accountability Bill

The House Education committee approved a bill sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, and Rep. Dominique Jackson, D-Aurora, that would help prevent fraud and misconduct, and improve transparency on student loan servicers. 

“In passing this bill we can ensure borrowers are not steered away from the best borrowing option for them and are not the victims of deception,” said Rep. Roberts. “This is one of the most pressing issues for my generation and people my age are growing frustrated with the inaction of their elected leaders on this issue. Student debt in Colorado has ballooned from $19 billion to over $27 billion in just three years – we can no longer wait to act. This is a crucial step that we can take for generations and generations to come and help borrowers repay their loans as quickly as possible.”

This bill would include student loan servicers in the Uniform Consumer Credit Code to establish licensing requirements for these service providers. It also empowers the Colorado Attorney General’s office to field, review, and attempt to resolve any complaints by borrowers against service providers. 

Full article.

April 6, 2019

Making progress on lowering health care and insurance costs!

The Denver Post recently summarized the 8 ways Colorado lawmakers want to make health care cheaper.

3 of the 8 efforts are Rep. Roberts’ bills: public option, reducing insulin prices, and health insurance co-op authorization.

Click here to read the full article.

April 3, 2019

Monthly Column in the Vail Daily and Steamboat Pilot: One Month to Go at the Capitol

April 1, 2019

April legislative newsletter from the Capitol and HD26: CLICK HERE.

march 23, 2019

Town Hall Meeting in Hayden.

March 22, 2019

Honoring Gypsum’s Eric Hill on the House Floor

Remembering longtime firefighter and dearly loved family man who lost his life in CDOT accident in Eagle County via Vail Daily.

MArch 20, 2019

House Health Committee Approve Roberts’ Bill to Reduce Insulin Prices

DENVER – The House Health and Insurance committee approved Rep. Dylan Roberts’ bill to reduce the price of life-saving insulin for people with diabetes in Colorado. Over 420,000 Coloradans have diabetes and an additional 20,000 Coloradans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. 

“You wouldn’t imagine that such a small vial of medicine could have such a large impact on someone’s life, but for people with Type 1 Diabetes, insulin is the same as oxygen. You need it everyday to survive,” said Rep. Roberts, D-Avon. “This is a life-saving and life-sustaining drug, and we need to make sure that everyone who needs it isn’t forced to choose between their life and their other expenses. The skyrocketing cost of insulin is outrageous and it is literally putting people’s lives at risk.”

HB19-1216 caps the total co-pay that patients will pay for insulin to $100 per one-month supply, regardless of how much insulin is being dispensed. This is down from an average out-of-pocket costs of $600-900 per month, which Coloradans currently face.

“This bill is a targeted and modest step at trying to solve the much larger problem of prescription drug pricing but it will make a huge difference for Coloradans with diabetes and their families,” continued Rep. Roberts. 

The bill also directs the Colorado Attorney General’s office investigate business practices, organization, pricing, and data of pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurance carriers, and any other entity that influences insulin costs and create a report that explores possible legislative solutions. The report will be submitted to the governor, the commissioner of insurance, and the judiciary committees of the House and Senate in 2020.

Full article.

March 16, 2019

Town Hall Meeting in Gypsum!

March 11, 2019

Colorado bill targets drivers with bald tires, no chains on I-70

Sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, the Winter Conditions and Traction Control Requirements bill (HB-1207) passed 46-18, with five house Republicans joining Democrats in voting for the legislation, which now heads over to the Colorado Senate for deliberation.

"As I-70 drivers, we all know why this is important," Roberts said. "When the road up to Vail Pass or the Eisenhower Tunnel is snowy enough, it turns into chaos up there and just totally shuts down the highway. A lot of times as you drive by, you see all these cars spun out who clearly don’t have the right tires and were not prepared to be traveling that stretch of road that day."

HB-1207 requires that all motor vehicles traveling on I-70 between mileposts 133 (Dotsero) and 259 (Morrison) from Sept. 1 to May 31 be equipped with tires that have at least three-sixteenths of an inch of tread (up from the current two-sixteenths) or tire chains or alternative traction devices such as AutoSocks.

"(Spun-out cars and SUVs) have a choking effect on our entire highway system and our local residents as well as any tourists who are not going to come up to our county anymore and spend their money because of how miserable the traffic is," Roberts added.

Full Article in the Vail Daily.

March 5, 2019

March newsletter, legislation updates, and upcoming town halls: CLICK HERE.

february 6, 2019

February newsletter, legislative update, and town hall calendar: CLICK HERE.

january 27, 2019

Dylan Roberts’ bill to create a public health insurance option gains steam via Steamboat Pilot

As a bipartisan bill aimed at establishing a public health insurance option for Coloradans makes its way onto the House floor, Rep. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon) is feeling confident about support from the Senate and the Governor's office.

The cost of health insurance is exceptionally high in Colorado, Roberts said, with the mountain counties he represents having some of the highest premiums in the entire country.

"I talk to people all of the time who are choosing to forgo health insurance because they need to pay their mortgage," Roberts said.

And as premiums have skyrocketed during the past decade, so have deductibles. According to the Colorado Health Institute, deductibles rose 65 percent between 2010 and 2017.

Co-authored by Rep. Marc Catlin, (R-Montrose), HB19-1004 sets out the process to create a public option, Roberts explained.

"This bipartisan bill is a uniquely Colorado solution to a big problem we have in our state," said Roberts in a news release. "Too many Coloradans, especially in rural Colorado, are paying too much for health insurance." Full article.

January 17, 2019

Legislative update newsletter and town hall calendar: CLICK HERE.

JANUARY 2, 2019

Legislative preview newsletter from Rep. Roberts: CLICK HERE.

december 5, 2018

Local lawmakers Kerry Donovan and Dylan Roberts tabbed to lead state legislature committees via Vail Daily.

DENVER — Eagle County's two state lawmakers landed on committees near their constituents' hearts.

Sen. Kerry Donovan and Rep. Dylan Roberts received their committee appointments this week, as they and the rest of the state's lawmakers gear up for the 2019 state legislative session.

• Donovan will chair the state Senate's Agriculture and Natural Resources committee.

• Roberts will chair two committees: the Rural Affairs Committee and the Capital Development Committee.

Full article.

November 7, 2018

ROBERTS ELECTED TO SECOND TERM IN COLORADO STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 26

October 14, 2018

Doing something about rising health care costs 

My bill, HB1384 would study how to increase competition in the health insurance industry, especially in mountain counties, by developing a plan to introduce new insurance options like: 

• A Medicaid Buy-In aka a "Public Option"

• A public-private partnership insurance plan

• A regional co-op based insurance option

You can learn more in this story in the Steamboat Pilot about this exciting bill: CLICK HERE. 

August 22, 2018

August Update from Rep. Dylan Roberts

CLICK HERE to read about what I and my team have been up to during the summer. 

June 20, 2018

June Newsletter from Rep. Roberts

Six Roberts bills signed into law, an appearance on VICE News, interim committee work, and more! It's all in Rep. Roberts' June newsletter: CLICK HERE. 

June 4, 2018

Quintin's Amendment Signed Into Law! 

GYPSUM — Monday, June 4, was 9-year-old Quintin Lovato's best day ever.

First, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Quintin's Amendment, which will make life easier for Quintin, his family and hundreds of other families around the state. Continue reading the Vail Daily article about Quintin, the bill, and what it means for Colorado: CLICK HERE. 

May 22, 2018

Post-session Town Hall Tour!

May 14, 2018

"He got off to a great start with a focus on protecting our water, advancing rural economic development, and preserving our unique landscapes." Read more: CLICK HERE. 

May 10, 2018

The 2018 Legislative Session has come to a close! 

CLICK HERE to read my May Newsletter where I recap some of the big bills that passed at the end of the session, including transportation spending and PERA reform. 

April 27, 2018

Doing something about rising health care costs 

My bill, HB1384 would study how to increase competition in the health insurance industry by developing a plan to introduce new insurance options like: 

• A Medicaid Buy-In aka a "Public Option"

• A public-private partnership insurance plan

• A regional co-op based insurance option

You can learn more in my Vail Daily Op-Ed about this exciting bill: CLICK HERE. 

April 12, 2018

Quintin's Amendment passes the House!

Another bipartisan bill passed! House Bill 18-1286 aka Quintin’s Amendment will allow children who rely on medical marijuana for conditions like epilepsy, Chron’s disease, and so many other conditions to have access to that medicine while they are at school. Letting these kids live as normal lives as possible and relieving the burden on their families is a cause I’m proud to champion.

On to the Senate with a huge bipartisan majority vote from the House.

Read more about Quintin from Eagle County and the bill here:https://www.vaildaily.com/…/vail-valley-third-grader-helpi…/

April 3, 2018

Rep. Dylan Roberts’ mining bill aims to protect water quality near mining operations

Vail Daily: Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, has introduced a bill he says will help make sure maintaining water quality is a priority, even after hard-rock mines shut down.

Colorado House Bill 18-1301 aims to protect water quality from the adverse impacts of mining by requiring reclamation plans to set an end date for water quality treatment to comply with water quality standards.

Read the full article in the Vail Daily: CLICK HERE

April 1, 2018

Dylan Roberts: Standing Up for Consumers

"Every day at the Capitol before I sponsor or vote on legislation, I always ask, "How will this make people's lives better?" I was proud to sponsor the Arbitration Service Provider Transparency Act that has now passed through the House because it does just that —  helps make everyday consumer's lives better."

Read the full op-ed about one of my bills, the Arbitration Provider Transparency Act that has successfully passed the house: CLICK HERE. 

March 23, 2018

Colorado House moving bills to address high healthcare costs

House Bill 1009, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, would require pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and nonprofits to make more information available on insulin pricing, including production costs, annual profits, and wholesale costs. 

Full article: CLICK HERE

March 20, 2018

State lawmakers look to prevent mining disasters and protect Colorado's clean water - The Denver Post

Colorado lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward preventing future mining disasters through the introduction of House Bill  18-1301, a bill that will ensure that water quality and cleanup is a top priority in the issuance of new hard-rock mining permits. 

"Water's our most valuable resource. Protecting our water is always an effort we should undertake in the legislature," said Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, a bill sponsor. "This year, our water supply could be very scarce and making sure that water is clean is of huge importance." 

Read the full Denver Post article: CLICK HERE.

March 8, 2018

Roberts' Rural CO Bills Advance

Two bills by Rep. Dylan Roberts to boost rural Colorado advanced in the House today. 

This evening, the House Health, Insurance & Environment Committee advanced HB18-1205, Rep. Roberts’ bill to reduce the disparity in health care costs between rural Coloradans and those on the Front Range. Rural Coloradans pay significantly higher health insurance premiums and the burden is heaviest on rural Coloradans whose incomes fall between 400 percent and 500 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Read the full release: CLICK HERE. 

March 7, 2018

Rep. Roberts March Newsletter

CLICK HERE to read about Rep. Roberts' bills and other work at the Capitol.

FeBRUARY TOWN HALL TOUR

Rep. Roberts hit the road in February and held coffees and town hall meetings across the district. Events were held in: Avon, Basalt, Eagle, Hayden, and Steamboat. 

February 21, 2018

"Rural DA bill sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts passes 1st committee" Read full article: click here.

February 20, 2018

"Advocating for You" - My February update column was published by our local newspapers: 

"I write today to provide an update on what has happened in the first month, what I am working on for you and what to expect in the month ahead.

A lot has happened in the month since the session began. We have already sent a law to the Governor's desk that will allow nurses to practice across state lines and fixed a tax code that will benefit our local special districts that provide public transportation, fire protection and other services."

Read the full letter in the Vail Daily and the Steamboat Pilot. 

February 6, 2018

Rep. Roberts February Newsletter

CLICK HERE to hear about the start of the 2018 legislative session and learn about Rep. Roberts' work at the Capitol. 

February 1, 2018

Honoring Eagle County and Routt County's Olympians on the House Floor. There are twenty-one athletes with connections to HD 26 heading to South Korea to represent us in the 2018 Winter Games! Go USA!

January 11, 2018

OPENING DAY: Transportation got everyone's attention on the opening day of the Colorado legislature via Colorado Politics

January 9, 2018

Rep. Roberts Legislative Preview Newsletter

CLICK HERE to see what Rep. Roberts will be working on and see how you can stay in touch throughout the session.

January 8, 2018

Insulin Costs Draw Statehouse Scrutiny; Rep. Dylan Roberts to Demand Price Transparency

Freshman Rep. Dylan Roberts hasn't even started his first Colorado House session and has already introduced a bill that could help Colorado families struggling with diabetes and the cost of treating it. Read the full article in the Vail Daily here. 

january 5, 2018

Cost of Insulin to be debated by Colorado Lawmakers

When Lawmakers reconvene in Denver for the General Assembly session in January, one of the many topics up for debate will be the cost of insulin.

As the Fox 31 problem Solvers have highlighted previously, the cost of insulin has more than doubled in the last five years.

For instance, a vial of Humalog cost $254 dollars in 2016. It cost $122 in 2011.

“Over the last 20 years the cost of insulin has increased almost 1200 percent,” State Rep. Dylan Roberts said.

Roberts is sponsoring a measure to address the issue of increased insulin prices. Roberts has a personal connection to the issue. His brother died of a diabetic seizure several years ago.

Roberts’ bill would require pharmaceutical companies to detail with the state why the price of a drug is increasing.

CLICK: Full article with video story. 

December 31, 2017

State Rep. Dylan Roberts plans to introduce bill to bring transparency to insulin prices in Colorado

Inspired by a Nevada law that takes effect Monday, state Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, plans to introduce legislation when the Colorado General Assembly convenes next week to require transparency about insulin pricing from drug manufacturers.

“If you have Type I diabetes, you cannot live without insulin, and it’s one of the prescription drugs whose price has increased exponentially over the past several years,” Roberts told Colorado Politics.

Full article: click here

November 13, 2017

Roberts Officially Joins CO Legislature

The House Democratic caucus gained a new member today with the swearing-in of Rep. Dylan Roberts to represent House District 26. He succeeds Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush, D-Steamboat Springs, whose resignation became effective Nov. 2.

More: http://www.cohousedems.com/archives/11787

November 1, 2017

Roberts: Thank you for the opportunity to serve as new House District 26 representative

Vail Daily

Read the letter from Rep-elect Roberts in the Vail Daily: https://www.vaildaily.com/opinion/roberts-thank-you-for-the-opportunity-to-serve-as-new-house-district-26-representative/