In the News
The offices of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse on Thursday issued the following press release on the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the authority of the U.S. Forest Service to lease administrative sites to “address local needs, including for building affordable housing.” Eagle County supports the legislation.
A new bill being introduced by Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Eagle and Summit Counties in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to remedy the lease-terms issue by allowing the Forest Service to issue 100-year leases with an option to renew on U.S. Forest Service administrative sites to be used for housing.
Earlier this month the act was reintroduced by Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse and Sen. Michael Bennet, both Democrats. It would provide housing stipends for some firefighters, allow for paid rest, and provide mental health services to permanent and seasonal workers, among other things, according to Neguse’s office. It would also make permanent pay raises that are currently set to end on October 1.
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse have re-filed the Colorado Judgeship Act, after a previous version of the bill failed to advance in the last Congress. The number of active judges authorized on the U.S. District Court for Colorado has held steady at seven since 1984, even though the state's population has nearly doubled in the last 39 years.
Today, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse reintroduced the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act. The 2023 CORE Act protects approximately 420,000 acres of public land in Colorado, establishes new wilderness areas, and safeguards existing outdoor recreation opportunities to boost the economy for future generations.
“Congress should be putting the needs of their constituents and the American people first, not their stock portfolios,” said Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.
“It has been clear from the public response to the aforementioned legislative proposals that the American people would like — and expect — the Congress to act. We must do more to restore public trust, and we believe this would be an important step in doing so,” the lawmakers, led by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) wrote in a letter to the committee.
The group, led by Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., sent a letter Thursday to committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and ranking member Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., urging action as scrutiny on trading increases.
According to Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse, that’s how one federal wildland firefighter described how he felt as they faced pay, housing and health issues doing an often dangerous job. Now Neguse is reintroducing Tim’s Act, a bill to increase federal firefighter pay and benefits, with fellow Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California. Tim Hart was a smokejumper who lost his life fighting a wildfire in New Mexico in 2021. Neguse credits Tim’s wife, Michelle, as one of the driving forces behind the legislation.
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse thinks it's past time federal wildland firefighters get the pay and benefits they deserve. That's why the Lafayette Democrat reintroduced legislation Tuesday to boost wages, secure access to health care and mental health support, and provide housing stipends for firefighters deployed more than 50 miles from their homes, among other measures.