Michael Bennet

Funding Included in Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill

November 17, 2009 -- Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, U.S. Senators for Colorado, announced today that the Pueblo Chemical Depot is on track to receive $92.5 million in new federal funding for construction of a facility to destroy chemical weapons stored there.

The funding was included in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010, which was approved by the Senate by a vote of 100 to 0.

The bill now goes to a conference committee to be reconciled with the version passed in the House. The $92.5 million in funding represents a portion of the money requested for work at Pueblo Chemical Depot.    » read more »

As Overall Hunger Rates Go Down Over Three Years in Colorado, Study Shows that Problem Increased in 2009 as Economic Crisis Continues to Hurt Families

November 17, 2009 -- On the heels of a new study that found 1 in 8 Colorado households lack dependable access to adequate food, as well as recent reports showing more children in Colorado are living in poverty, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today pushed lawmakers to revisit the role the federal government can play in fighting child hunger and improving public health.    » read more »

Army’s Decision to Pursue More Litigation Sends Hostile Message to Farmers and Ranchers in Southern Colorado

November 10, 2009 -- Today, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Army Secretary John McHugh, Michael Bennet urged the Army to acknowledge the flawed nature of its 2007 environmental impact analysis on the proposed expansion at Pinon Canyon and asked that the Army immediately withdraw its plans to appeal the U.S. District Court's recent decision on the matter.

"The Army's decision to move forward with more litigation sends a hostile message to the farmers and ranchers in southern Colorado: the Army is more concerned about winning than about repairing this relationship over the long-term," wrote Bennet.    » read more »

Permanently Extend Conservation Easement Tax Credit for Colorado Farmers and Ranchers

November 10, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, announced today his support for bipartisan legislation that would protect Colorado's lands and rural heritage by permanently extending the enhanced tax incentive for farmers, ranchers and rural landowners to conserve their lands.

The legislation, the Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act of 2009, would make permanent the enhanced tax incentive for conservation easements, which allows all taxpayers to deduct up to 50 percent of their adjusted gross income (AGI) for donations of conservation easements and carry forward the deduction up to 15 years.    » read more »

Improvements to 100-year-old Facility Also Will Reduce Environmental Hazards

November 4, 2009 -- Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today announced the 100-year-old Boulder Canyon Hydroelectric Project will get up to $1.18 million to replace two old turbines for higher efficiency and output.

The funds, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, are part of $30.6 million in funding announced by the U.S. Department of Energy to modernize hydropower infrastructure by increasing efficiency at existing facilities and reducing their environmental impact.    » read more »

14,000 Jobless Coloradans Expected to Lose Unemployment Benefits by Year's End

November 4, 2009 -- Following a push to ensure that the Senate's extension of unemployment benefits includes Coloradans, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today announced Senate passage of the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. The legislation, which they cosponsored, would provide relief to jobless workers by extending unemployment insurance for the nearly 14,000 jobless Coloradans who will exhaust their benefits by year's end. It also extends the homebuyer tax credit and provides important tax relief for Colorado families and small businesses.

The legislation is fully offset.    » read more »

In Remarks, Bennet Tells Story of Colorado Man Denied Coverage Because His Wife Was Pregnant - Even Though She Had Her Own Insurance

November 5, 2009 -- Urging health care reform that provides stability for working families, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today spotlighted the story of a Coloradan who was denied health insurance coverage because his wife was pregnant, even though she had her own insurance. Bennet said the story was an example of the absurd waste of time caused by the health insurance system and the current lack of stability for Colorado's working families.    » read more »

Meets With Greeley Small Business Owner to Discuss Need for Reform that Reduces Costs, Increases Competition

November 3, 2009 -- With Colorado small businesses finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with skyrocketing costs for health care coverage, Senator Michael Bennet today kept up the fight for reform that relieves small employers from the burden of rising health care costs that affect their ability to grow, compete and create new jobs.

Bennet renewed his call for reform during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where he heard about the high toll health care costs take on small businesses and how those costs affect their ability to compete.

For audio from that hearing, please click here.    » read more »

Letter Urges Negotiators Merging Senate HELP and Finance Health Care Reform Bills to Include Provisions Ending Discrimination Across All Insurance Markets

October 26, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado and member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is pushing to bring an end to discriminatory health insurance industry practices that unfairly deny coverage to women.

In a letter to Senate leaders responsible for merging the HELP and Finance committee bills into one comprehensive Senate bill, Bennet and other HELP Committee members urged the leaders to include provisions eliminating gender rating and discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and to ensure that these provisions apply to all insurance markets in a timely manner.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, and Congresswoman Betsy Markey announced today that Colorado State University's Sustainable Biofuels Development Center is on track to receive $500,000 in funding to help grow its efforts in research and development of sustainable techniques to produce biofuels at competitive costs.

The funding is included in the final Energy and Water appropriations bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 80-17. The House passed the bill earlier this month, where Markey supported the measure, and it now awaits the President's signature.    » read more »

Bennet Discusses How Health Care Reform Can Help Colorado’s Small Businesses

October 15, 2009 -- In a show of his leadership efforts on health care reform, Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today led a group of his colleagues in back-to-back speeches to set the record straight on the myths surrounding health care reform.

Throughout the hour, Bennet discussed how no one is more burdened by the current health care system than small businesses and their employees. For example, small businesses in Colorado pay 18% more for health insurance though they do not receive 18% better health care.    » read more »

October 15, 2009 -- Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today announced that funding for several Colorado water projects is on its way as the Senate approved the Energy and Water Conference Report today. The Conference Report is the result of an agreement between the House and Senate and is the final version of the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act, which helps fund critical flood control, energy and public works projects.    » read more »

Join Bipartisan Group to Introduce New Legislation Prohibiting Interest from Accruing on Student Loans for Active- Duty Service Members; Bill Would Save Average Service Member Between $1,183 - $1,479

October 13, 2009 -- Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing legislation that provides immediate student loan debt relief to active-duty service soldiers and members of the National Guard. Bennet, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Pension and Labor Committee (HELP), vowed to push for the bill in the committee.    » read more »

Senate Passage of Defense Bill Will Help Ensure Government Can Destroy Weapons by Congressionally Mandated Date of 2017

October 7, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet announced that they have joined the Senate in approving a bill that includes $154.4 million for weapons destruction at Pueblo Chemical Depot. The funding, which was included in the bipartisan Department of Defense Appropriations bill, will help the federal government stay on track to destroy the chemical weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot by the congressionally mandated date of 2017. The bill passed Tuesday evening by a vote of 93-7.    » read more »

Bennet Joins Udall to Continue Push for Meaningful Health Care Reform; Highlights Colorado's Transitions of Care Model, Pushes to Improve Patient Care & Lower Health Care Costs

October 1, 2009 -- Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado and member of the Senate HELP Committee, today joined Senator Mark Udall in a continued effort to highlight the importance of passing meaningful health care reform for working families and small businesses.

In his remarks, Bennet laid out the need for reform that lowers costs and improves patient outcomes, reduces costly hospital readmissions by building upon a successful model for transitions of care pioneered in Colorado, and bends the health care cost curve in a way that will put Washington and the country on a sounder fiscal footing.    » read more »