Gov. Jared Polis gives State of the State Address

DENVER (KRDO) -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis gave his annual State of the State Address Wednesday after a year that saw a deadly pandemic, raucous protests, and a historic election.

During the address, Polis praised state legislators for their efforts passing new bills amid the pandemic.

Gov. Polis said during his address that Colorado has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates and lowest coronavirus transmission rates in the country. He stressed the state's commitment to reliable and equitable distribution of the vaccine.

Some of the priorities Polis has for lawmakers are fixing much-needed road repairs, expanding broadband access to every corner of Colorado, and evolving transportation.

The governor's largest announcement was his tax relief proposal that would impact hundreds of thousands of Coloradans.

Polis wants to eliminate the business personal property tax, which would help small businesses devastated by the pandemic.

"This will save small businesses time and money and let them focus on what matters, their customers, their services, and their products," Polis said.

The governor also wants to double the Earned Income Tax Credit and provide up to $600 in tax credits per child for low-income Coloradans.

Polis also proposed eliminating seniors from paying taxes on social security benefits.

You can watch his full address below:

Wednesday afternoon, Polis held a news conference with local media to answer questions about the ongoing COVID-19 response in Colorado. Watch that video below: