Updates from Michael
Colorado Innovation, Colorado Jobs
Colorado is a hub for economic innovation. We have some of the most savvy entrepreneurs, a highly skilled workforce and an array of top-tier research institutions that help make Colorado a place where innovation thrives. And our unparalleled quality of life, anchored by our incredible natural beauty, continues to make our great state a place where people want to live, work and raise a family.
Taken together, these things make Colorado a perfect location for a new satellite patent office. The effort to make that a reality just took a big step forward, when a coalition of Coloradans, including my senior advisor for business affairs, hand delivered a comprehensive report to the U.S. Patent Office that makes the case for why Colorado should be home to a new satellite office.
Our innovation-based industries rely on the speedy approval of new patents for job creation and growth. And our state is home to a large number of technology professionals who would be excellent candidates for long-term patent examiner jobs.
Why else is this important to Colorado? Because, if we are selected, it would mean directly hundreds of new jobs for Coloradans and even more indirectly. It would bring an estimated overall economic impact of nearly $440 million over the first five years alone. In fact, the economic benefits are so significant that we’ve been able to get a broad coalition of business leaders and elected officials – from both parties – behind this important push.
This effort has been coming for some time. We provided a boost when I was able to secure a provision in the America Invents Act, cosponsored by Senator Mark Udall, calling for the creation of new satellite patent office. The delivery of this report, which includes a letter of support from the entire Colorado Congressional delegation, represents the latest step in this statewide effort. With your help and support, we can bring a new satellite patent office to Colorado that will further our position as a place where innovation and job creation can thrive.
Please sign my petition calling for the United States Patent and Trade Office to select Colorado as the home of its next satellite office.
Funding Your Future
Are you and your family trying to figure out how to pay for college?
College can be expensive, but cost shouldn’t become a barrier for any student who has worked hard to earn admission. That’s why I have teamed up with College In Colorado to host a series of college financial aid information sessions across the state to give students and their families a better sense of the financial aid options available at the federal and state levels, the eligibility criteria and key deadlines, and the application process.
Students often think they can’t afford to go to college, don’t believe they qualify for financial aid or accumulate astronomical debt to attend school. These information sessions will arm families with resources that can help make college more affordable.
The “Funding Your Future” session will provide students and families with information about the college financial aid process, community scholarship resources, federal loan information, and FAFSA completion information. College In Colorado staff will also be for private sessions.
Also, students attending the information session may enter to win a $500 scholarship from College in Colorado.
During my time as Senator, I have supported an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award and expanding Pell Grants to nearly 9,000 additional Colorado students. I also helped make it easier for students to repay their loans by increasing the flexibility of repayment plans.
Below are the upcoming information sessions. Please check my “Your Path to College Opportunity” webpage for more information about upcoming sessions. Please RSVP for the information sessions at rsvp1@bennet.senate.gov.
- January 10: Greeley
University of Northern Colorado,
University Center, 2045 10th Ave.
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- January 26: Montrose
Mesa State College
234 South Cascade Ave.
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 pm
- February 18: Colorado Springs
- February 25: Denver
- March 1: Denver
Retaining and Training High-Tech Talent
Colorado is a national leader in the innovation economy.
Even during the worst recession since the Great Depression, innovation-based industries in Colorado actually grew. Our state is 6th in clean energy employment, has the 3rd largest aerospace industry, and has the 6th largest medical device industry in the country.
But in Colorado, like the rest of the nation, our economy is in need of more workers in the high-skill fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as the STEM disciplines. Every year an increasing number of foreign students graduate with advanced degrees from our universities and colleges, and many of these students want to stay in this country, work and contribute to our economy, but our broken immigration system forces them to return home.
Last week, I introduced a 
bill that would help fix this problem. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Visa Act of 2011 would create a new green card category for international students graduating with advanced degrees in STEM specialties. As importantly, the bill would help create a pipeline of new talent by investing in and improving STEM education for American students so they can fill the jobs of tomorrow.
There will be hundreds of thousands of STEM-related job vacancies in Colorado alone over the next decade, and those jobs have the potential to generate millions even billions of dollars for our economy. If we are going to continue to compete with countries like China and India, we need to invest in the next generation of American scientists and engineers, while updating our outdated visa system now to keep international talent in the United States.
In short, the STEM Visa Act is good for business, good for Colorado and good for the country. In a time when our politics are so divided, the STEM Visa Act offers a rare opportunity for both parties to work together to unleash a new wave of innovation here in Colorado and all across the country.
Better Serving Those Who Have Served
This Veterans Day holds special significance. The war in Iraq is coming to a close this year, and we have already started drawing down combat troops in Afghanistan.
Many of that bravest 1 percent of Americans who shoulder 100 percent of the responsibility of keeping our country safe will be coming home. As this influx of service members returns to their families, and many transition back to civilian life, we need to be ready to make good on the promises we’ve made to all who serve and their families.
To make that happen, I asked leaders from our veterans community to make recommendations on how to make Colorado the best state for veterans, service members, and their families to live and work. After months of thoughtful conversation, they produced a comprehensive report – Better Serving Those Who Have Served – that offers thoughtful solutions on how to address the challenges facing America’s veterans.
The report outlines several actions we can take on the local, state and federal levels to address these challenges, including:
- Improving Collaboration between Public and Private Resources
- Putting Our Warriors to Work
- Providing Easy and Efficient Access to Earned Benefits
- Ending Veteran Homelessness and Addressing Veteran Foreclosure
- Improving Awareness and Addressing the Mental Scars from Combat
- Raising Awareness and Educating Communities and Families
A key part of this report is a new proposal to create a National Veterans Foundation modeled after work being done in Colorado Springs that enables public and private agencies to better coordinate the work they’re doing to support America’s veterans and military families. And right now, that work is more important than ever.
Last year, the unemployment rate hit 21.1 percent for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans between the ages of 18 and 24. Veterans are three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population, and veterans are estimated to represent 25 percent of all of the homeless in the United States. Veterans of previous wars continue to battle long benefits delays due to bureaucratic overload, inefficiency and inaccuracy.
To put it simply: we need to be ready for our service members coming home, and do a better job serving the veterans already here. This Veterans Day and beyond, let’s work together to fulfill our obligation to the brave men and women who have served our nation.
Keeping Education Reform on Track
Last month, the Senate Committee responsible for education debated and passed a bipartisan bill designed to fix the flawed federal education law, No Child Left behind (NCLB). This bill builds on many successful Colorado initiatives to provide parents and teachers with useful information about how students are doing, and support teachers and principals. In addition, it will help drive innovation and ensure more equitable distribution of resources.
In a Washington where getting anything done is rare, passing a bipartisan bill in committee is a tremendous accomplishment. This bill can continue to serve as a building block as we work to finally roll back No Child Left Behind.
But the next step is bringing the bill to the Senate floor. That is why I need your help.
During the committee process over 4,000 Coloradans signed my petition calling on Congress to fix NCLB. That support carried great weight and more is needed to continue our momentum. Please take a moment to you sign my petition. You can also share a link to this message on twitter of Facebook.
We have a vital national interest in the education of our kids. The future of this democracy and our ability to compete in the 21st century depends on it. Please join me in making that education the one they deserve, not the one they have.
