What is Happening in Colorado: Dr. Art Laffer and Gov. Jared Polis at the ALEC Annual Meeting

Denver, CO – At the 51st American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting in Denver, Dr. Arthur Laffer and Colorado Governor Jared Polis entertained the audience with a lively discussion focused on a number of policy issues including taxes, education, housing reform, and healthcare transparency.

Dr. Laffer introduced his former intern, who started working in his office at just 13 years old, with a touch of admiration.

“He’s the greatest, ever fun guy… I could talk about him for hours. I think he started something like 12 companies.”

Governor Polis, now the chair of the National Governors Association, emphasized the importance of measuring outcomes in education.

“For all of you, education is probably the biggest line item in your budget. It’s like whether it’s 25% of your state budget, 30%… The question we ask: What are we getting out of it?”

He focused on ensuring students are gaining relevant skills for the workforce, whether they pursue college or enter directly into a trade.

Equally important are property rights, which the Governor pointed to when discussing the interaction between state and local governments. Such dealings, he believes, contribute to the scarcity of housing that drives up costs.

“We have artificial constraints on supply… Government stands in the way of people building homes.”

Polis highlighted bipartisan efforts in Colorado to streamline the energy industry’s permitting process, explaining that his administration had renamed the state’s oil and gas commission to the “Energy and Carbon Management Commission.” The new body now oversees permits for not just oil and gas but also geothermal energy and carbon sequestration.

“We said, let’s take all that knowledge and just make that same process… If you want to do anything deep under the ground, geothermal, carbon sequestration, you name it.”

As the conversation wrapped up, both Dr. Laffer and Governor Polis underscored the importance of state-led innovation. The discussion was a clear demonstration that both leaders share a commitment to practical, results-oriented governance.

“We can’t wait for Washington to fix these problems. States have to lead the way.”