Joe was first elected in 2018 to represent Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first African-American elected to serve in Congress in Colorado history. He serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Public Lands and was elected by his peers to the No. 8 position in House Democratic Leadership as the Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
Public lands are at the heart of Colorado’s economy, our commitment to sustainability and our way of life. As the first Coloradan to serve as Chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, Joe is committed to preserving Colorado’s treasured public spaces, investing in our outdoor recreation economy, safeguarding wildlife and biodiversity and tackling western wildfires. Early in his tenure, he shepherded his public lands package — the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act (CORE Act) — through the U.S. House, major Colorado wilderness legislation that would preserve 400,000 acres of public lands and honor Colorado’s military legacy. Joe has also made wildfire resiliency and preparedness a top priority, serving as Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, and securing tens of millions of dollars for wildfire resiliency and mitigation, to restore our lands and communities.