Michael F.Bennet

Over the past few years I’ve spoken with thousands of Coloradans at town halls in red parts of the state and blue parts of the state who just want Washington to find a way to work together and get things done. All too often, the 112th Congress failed to deliver. In fact, as I've said many times, it was often barely able to keep the lights on.

Despite all the Washington gridlock, our team has been able to deliver results for Colorado. The document below outlines the work we've been able to do on behalf of Coloradans through 2012.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Bennet

A Colorado Patent Office

We led a relentless and successful advocacy campaign to bring a regional patent office to Colorado. The new office will bring hundreds of new jobs to our state, brand Colorado as an innovation hub, and pump nearly $440 million into Colorado's economy in the first five years alone. LEARN MORE:

The Colorado Compact

Working with former Senator Hank Brown, a Republican, we crafted a set of principles to guide a civil conversation about reforming our broken immigration system. We launched the Colorado Compact flanked by dozens of Colorado citizens, small business owners, elected officials, farmers, ranchers and faith groups. Together we're proving that there is far more common ground among the various voices in the immigration debate than pundits would like us to believe. LEARN MORE:

Crowdfunding

What Kickstarter has done for artists and musicians, we think equity- based crowdfunding will do for small businesses. We passed a bipartisan amendment to enable entrepreneurs, start-ups, and companies to raise money and offer equity financing on the Internet. We've also held multiple workshops around the state to teach businesses how they can take advantage of crowdfunding. LEARN MORE:

A Modern Food and Drug Administration

Working with Colorado’s bioscience community, we helped write a bipartisan law to bring the FDA into the 21st century by making it easier for high-quality drugs and medical devices to make it to market faster while ensuring safety and effectiveness. The bipartisan law cuts bureaucratic red tape for the 600 bioscience companies operating in Colorado, paying an average wage of over $74,000. More recently, we got news that a provision I authored to allow breakthrough drugs to get to the market faster has its first candidate – a drug to treat Cystic Fibrosis. LEARN MORE:

Cutting Red Tape for Colorado's Aerospace Industry

Based on input from the Colorado Competes Innovation Roundtable and statewide aerospace businesses, we worked to include language in a broader bill that reformed outdated export controls that hurt the U.S. satellite industry. Colorado’s aerospace industry employs over 70,000 people across the state with an average salary of $109,000, exactly the kind of jobs we need to be promoting in our state. LEARN MORE:

Chimney Rock Designated a National Monument

We worked with 130 local businesses in Durango and Pagosa Springs to build support for a national monument designation, and based on this support, successfully persuaded President Obama to declare Chimney Rock a national monument under the authority of the Antiquities Act in September. The designation will bring an additional $1.2 million to the area each year. LEARN MORE:

The Farm Bill

After dozens of meetings across Colorado, I helped craft a bipartisan, five-year Farm Bill that trims the deficit, strengthens crop insurance, and promotes conservation. It passed by a wide margin in the Senate and we’re still trying to get the House to pass this legislation to make it law. LEARN MORE: