Chris Richardson
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people as State Representative for District 56?
For over a decade, I have served in many roles. As a member of the 18th Judicial District Judicial Nominating Commission, I had a say in selecting many of the judges who serve Arapahoe, Elbert, and Lincoln Counties. As a school board member active with the Colorado Association of School Boards I have experience working with the Joint Education Committee and State School Board. As the Co-chair of the Eastern Transportation Planning Region and member of the State Transportation Advisory Committee, I have struggled with the shortfalls of CDOT in our region. As the Chair of the Eastern Colorado Council of Local Governments, I have worked to address the issues of our senior citizens in Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, and Cheyenne Counties. As President of the Eastern Region of our statewide organization of County Commissioners, I have worked closely with legislative stakeholders to strengthen local control and avoid unfunded mandates. Additionally, I currently serve on the Region 4 Opioid Abatement Council, represent rural eastern Colorado on the state’s Broadband Deployment Board, and represent Colorado’s Eastern counties on the State’s Property Tax Commission.
As a citizen, husband, father, and local elected leader, I have a deep understanding of the impacts of state legislation on the people and businesses of the east-central plains. As a County Commissioner, I have had a front-row seat to the negative impacts that ill-considered legislation can have on individuals, families, businesses, and our communities. I will bring my experience and the voice of those I represent to Denver and focus on finding solutions to the problems that we face.
What are your top policy priorities as State Representative for District 56?
We need to get out of the way of individual success and reduce the burden of government on the lives of our citizens. The three general priorities that will be my focus in the legislature are: (1) Protecting the rights of individuals, (2) Reducing the intrusion of government into the lives and businesses of Colorado’s citizens, and (3) strengthening TABOR/reducing spending.
After nearly 150 years of statehood, it seems incredible that over 700 bills were considered in this year’s session. Of those over 500 were passed to the Governor and he only vetoed six. As a legislature, we are required to consider only two bills – the annual budget and the school funding act. We are clearly generating new laws to fix things that previous laws broke. We should be repealing what we can, amending what we can’t repeal, and only rarely considering any new law.
What is your approach and thoughts on how we will address immigration issues facing our country and Colorado?
My military service and personal travels have allowed me to see much of our world. Without a doubt, our nation is the most free and best place to raise a family and I absolutely understand why others want to live here. Respect for the rule of law is the basis of much of
what makes America great. No matter how much my heart goes out to those seeking a better life, ours is a nation of laws and those laws must be enforced. You get more of what you subsidize, and we must stop enabling those who have broken our nation’s laws. This is the message we must send to Washington via our state’s Congressional Delegation. The administration must secure our borders and enforce existing immigration laws.
Colorado, the state, and its local governments must stop welcoming those who have broken our immigration laws. We must stop spending citizen’s tax dollars on programs that subsidize and further entice illegal immigration. As a Commissioner, I have joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn current legislation that prevents local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and locally we have banned the use of any county resources to provide sanctuary for those here illegally. As a legislator, I hope to make this the law for all of Colorado.
Coloradans are feeling the pinch for the cost of living because of skyrocketing inflation. What do you think needs to be done to help families?
We need to attract and retain jobs that allow our citizens to maintain the standard of living and the quality of life they desire. This has become exceedingly difficult over the past few years. Our citizens and businesses are over-taxed and the foundational industries of our state – agriculture, mining, and Oil & Gas are under constant assault. This is not sustainable and will lead to existing businesses leaving our state and, make new businesses less likely to start up or relocate here.
While the state needs to continue to fund programs that provide a social safety net, we cannot be shy about ensuring that strict means testing is applied to stretch these dollars. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), the best brake on the expansion of government costs ever emplaced, should be respected, not looked at as an impediment to be worked around. The state legislature needs to do everything in its power to leave as much money in the pockets of our citizens and businesses as possible. They will certainly spend it more wisely than any government ever will.
What role do you believe the state government has in addressing gun violence? What are your ideas on implementing gun policies?
Regardless of the issue, the primary role of government at every level is to protect the rights of individuals. Both the U.S. and the Colorado Constitution safeguard the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms and every person has an inherent right to self-defense. Any policies considered must respect this.
The most appropriate focus for the legislature is policies that ensure the enforcement of existing laws, addressing mental health issues, and support responsible gun ownership. All too often, our justice system allows individuals to escalate their criminal behavior over time. Supporting avenues that increase mental health services to identify and treat individuals who may pose a risk of violence is critical. Strengthening communities and our economy, supporting employment, and providing pathways to individual success through our education system will all help decrease the desperation that often leads to violent behaviors. And finally, we must support and build respect for the lives of all persons.
Do you have any ideas on what can be done on the state level to increase affordable housing?
The cost of living in Colorado is severely impacting the quality of life of our citizens. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the housing sector. Home costs and interest rates have skyrocketed. Saving for a downpayment and qualifying for a mortgage is simply beyond the means of many, and that places additional pressure on rental costs. The demand is high, and the supply is stagnant.
While programs to support affordable housing have their place, using taxpayer dollars to subsidize rents or mortgages simply shifts burdens and doesn’t reduce the actual cost to build homes. Increased regulations, demands for “greener” buildings, increased risks of lawsuits against builders and landlords all roll into the costs of housing. We need to address these costs. Construction defect laws need to be overhauled. This alone would encourage more condo and townhouse (starter home) builds. The thoughts of rent control should be abandoned, as they drive developers away from investing in building rental properties. Everything that will increase the speed of production and reduce the cost of construction should be on the table.
