Cost of Living & Affordability | Chris Richardson | Colorado House District 56 

"Colorado shouldn't be a place where families have to work harder every year just to stay in the same place. My goal is simple: make Colorado affordable again." 

Learn how Representative Chris Richardson is working to reduce the cost of living by lowering taxes, reducing regulations, supporting energy affordability, and advocating for an economy where Colorado families can thrive. 

Affordability is the Foundation of Opportunity

As I travel House District 56, from coffee shops in Bennett and Kiowa to farms near Burlington, Hugo, Rush and Cheyenne Wells, I hear one concern more than any other:

"Everything costs more."

Families are paying more for groceries, electricity, gasoline, insurance, housing, healthcare, childcare, and nearly every other necessity. Small businesses are struggling with rising labor costs, insurance premiums, regulatory compliance, and higher borrowing costs. Farmers and ranchers continue to face escalating expenses for fuel, fertilizer, equipment, and transportation while competing in increasingly volatile markets.

Colorado has always been a place where hard work could build a good life. Unfortunately, too many families now feel like they're working harder simply to maintain the lifestyle they enjoyed a few years ago.

Affordability isn't just an economic issue—it affects nearly every decision a family makes. It determines whether a young couple can buy their first home, whether a retiree can remain in the community they've called home for decades, and whether a small business owner hires another employee or postpones expansion.

Making Colorado more affordable has become my top legislative priority because affordable communities create stronger families, healthier businesses, and greater opportunity for everyone.

Why House District 56 Is Different

House District 56 covers more than 11,000 square miles of eastern Colorado. Many residents drive dozens of miles to work, school, medical appointments, or the grocery store. Unlike many urban communities, there isn't public transportation, multiple grocery stores, or nearby specialty healthcare.

That means inflation hits rural Colorado differently.

When fuel prices rise, every trip becomes more expensive. When electricity costs increase, farmers pay more to irrigate crops and businesses pay more to keep their doors open. When regulations increase transportation costs, every product delivered to rural communities costs more. When healthcare providers close, families must drive farther while spending more.

Policies developed in Denver often fail to recognize these realities. As your State Representative, one of my responsibilities is ensuring that rural Colorado has a seat at the table when those decisions are made.

The Challenge

Colorado's affordability challenges did not develop overnight, and they won't be solved with a single bill or in a single session.

Over the past decade, Coloradans have experienced significant increases in housing costs, insurance premiums, utility bills, and the everyday expenses of raising a family. While some of these increases reflect national economic trends, many are influenced by decisions made here in Colorado.

Well-intentioned legislation can still increase costs.  Poorly written legislation almost always does.

Every new mandate imposed on employers, every additional regulation placed on businesses, every lawsuit encouraged through expanded liability laws, and every increase in taxes or fees ultimately finds its way into the prices consumers pay.

Government cannot regulate prosperity into existence.

Instead, it should create an environment where businesses can invest, workers can succeed, and competition helps keep prices affordable.

My Principles

Economic growth—not government growth

• The most effective way to improve affordability is by creating an economy where businesses invest, wages grow, and families have greater opportunity.

• Colorado should once again become one of America's best places to start a business, build a career, raise a family, and retire.

Lower taxes whenever possible

• Tax dollars belong to the people who earn them.

• I strongly support Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), oppose unnecessary tax increases, and believe government should live within its means just as families must.

• Returning excess revenue to taxpayers helps families decide how best to spend their own money rather than expanding government programs.

Reduce unnecessary regulation

• Colorado consistently ranks among the more heavily regulated states in the nation.

• Many regulations are important to protect public health and safety.

• Others create unnecessary complexity, increase costs, discourage investment, and make it harder for small businesses to compete.

• Good regulations solve problems.

• Bad regulations create them.

• Government should constantly evaluate whether regulations remain necessary, effective, and worth their cost.

Affordable and reliable energy

• Affordable electricity and natural gas are essential for every household and every business.

• Reliable energy powers our hospitals, schools, farms, manufacturing facilities, and homes.

• Energy policy should balance environmental stewardship with reliability and affordability, ensuring families are not forced to shoulder unnecessary costs.

Housing that working families can afford

• Colorado needs more housing, and fewer regulations.

• State government should encourage responsible development while respecting local planning authority and protecting private property rights.

• Increasing supply, improving infrastructure, and reducing unnecessary regulatory delays will do more to improve affordability than additional mandates.

My Record

Since taking office, I've worked to advance practical legislation that strengthens Colorado's economy while protecting taxpayers.

My priorities have included:

• Closing unfair property tax loopholes that shifted costs onto homeowners.

• Supporting legislation that strengthens rural hospitals and healthcare providers.

• Protecting agriculture and small businesses from unnecessary regulatory burdens.

• Opposing legislation that increases taxes, expands costly mandates, or discourages job creation.

• Advocating for responsible budgeting and long-term fiscal stability.

• Working to improve transportation infrastructure that supports commerce and economic development.

As Ranking Member of the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee, I continue to focus on legislation affecting employment, insurance, banking, labor law, and Colorado's overall business climate.

Every proposal I evaluate begins with one simple question:

"Will this make life more affordable for Colorado families?"

Looking Ahead

Colorado has every advantage needed to succeed. We have hardworking people, world-class agriculture, innovative businesses, abundant natural resources, outstanding universities, and communities that care deeply about their neighbors. Our challenge isn't a lack of opportunity. It's creating public policy that allows that opportunity to flourish.

I believe Colorado can once again become a state where:

• young families can afford to buy their first home,

• retirees can remain in their communities,

• businesses choose to expand,

• farmers and ranchers remain competitive,

• workers find rewarding careers,

• and our children decide to build their futures here rather than somewhere else.

That future begins by making affordability the guiding principle behind every major policy decision.

My Priorities

• Lower taxes and protect TABOR

• Reduce unnecessary regulations

• Support affordable and reliable energy

• Encourage business investment

• Strengthen rural healthcare

• Improve transportation infrastructure

• Protect private property rights

• Promote responsible government spending

Related Issues

• Colorado Business & Jobs

• Taxpayer Protection & TABOR

• Transportation & Infrastructure

• Affordable Health Care

• Agriculture & Rural Colorado

Closing

"Colorado's greatest resource has never been government—it has always been its people."

My responsibility is not to make families more dependent on government. It is to ensure government creates the conditions where hard work is rewarded, opportunity is abundant, businesses can succeed, and every Coloradan has the freedom to build a better future.

That is the kind of Colorado I will continue working to achieve.