David’s lifetime of service is defined by fighting for Equity of Opportunities. Whether he was helping Katrina evacuees resettle, creating educational exchanges and economic opportunities in his work at the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and Development, fighting for improved care and rehabilitation for service members and veterans suffering from spinal cord injuries, or advocating and lobbying for veterans and those with disabilities at the Colorado State Capitol; his servant leadership has been and is founded in fighting for that Equity of Opportunities for all.
As a veteran who survived a catastrophic helicopter crash during his service, advocating for our veterans has always been a top priority for David. He began advocating for veterans at the Colorado Capitol back in 2017, and, now as a legislator, he has the honor of writing and passing the legislation himself. For David and many veterans, the transition back to civilian life is full of many challenges, which is why our the veteran community and our veteran service organizations are so critical in providing support. David is constantly working with members of our veteran community to lift their voices as the Capitol.
In his first term, David has helped our veterans by
Creating a $1.6 million Suicide Prevention program, providing no-cost, stigma-free behavioral health treatments for our veterans.
Provided grant funding for veteran-owned organizations to create mobile veteran-support units for rural and homeless veterans.
Established Veteran Hiring Preferences for veterans transition out of military services and into the workforce.
Making Veterans and Service Members a protected class against discrimination in the housing market.
Requiring institutions of higher education to permit veterans to audit courses, aiding them in their future careers.
Expanding access to our Veterans Treatment Courts for veterans that committed a nonviolent crime that can be traced back to undiagnosed and/or untreated PTSD and mental health issues.