Dear Editor:
Katie Stewart, our current state representative in Denver, is running for reelection and I know she has sponsored at least two pieces of legislation that should please our county commissioners. I have attended the board of county commissioner meetings enough to know that there are issues and problems that are discussed repeatedly and that any progress in solutions are regularly reported. One of these problems was with Prop 123, passed by Colorado voters in 2022 to provide a revenue stream for affordable housing projects. Some of the requirements for ownership of the affordable units were extremely difficult to satisfy in some rural communities, especially mountain resort communities like ours. There were many discussions and much concern regarding these difficulties in the BoCC meetings with regard to local affordable housing projects and Katie sponsored HB26-1313 to amend prop 123 to better serve our mountain community. She has also brought forward a bill to expand tax credits for nonprofit developers of affordable housing which applies to rental properties. I’m sure the commissioners must be grateful to Katie Stewart for sponsoring and ushering legislation that is so beneficial to our community.
Representative Stewart also sponsored HB26-1069, which provides that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will be reimbursed for calls when the patient is not transported to ER. That’s right, EMS has only been getting reimbursed when they transport the patient to ER. Now, when Medicaid patients are treated and stabilized at home, EMS, including social workers, will be reimbursed — this is an enormous benefit in our rural community where Pagosa Springs Medical Center provides the funding for Emergency Medical Services. It will also cut down on expensive ER visits while reducing crowding in the ER. Representative Stewart worked across the aisle with our state senator, Cleave Simpson, to pass this (and other) legislation — she has made a goal for next session of legislating similar reimbursements for patients with private insurance. This is the type of state representation for which our commissioners are no doubt very grateful as they directly address county issues that have been problematic.
Katie Stewart also sponsored HB26-1262, which protects our state’s drug compounding laws from federal restrictions, making sure that compounding pharmacies can continue to operate.
Katie hit the ground running when she took over from Barb McLachlan nearly 2 years ago. She is capable of working across the political aisle and she continues to grow her expertise in order to support rural Colorado communities. I encourage voters to check out Katie Stewart’s website for other areas where she has worked to make a difference in the lives of southwestern Coloradoans. Her family has lived in Durango for four generations — she has a deep understanding of our issues and she deserves your vote.
Lee Stopher
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