Jared Polis

From KeyWiki

Jared Polis is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 2nd district of Colorado.

Background

Before entering Congress Jared Polis was the President and Founder of the Jared Polis Foundation as well as Chair of the Colorado State Board of Education. As Chair, Polis focused on recruiting and retaining quality teachers as well as spearheading the School for a New America a "new non-profit educational endeavor that will provide literacy tutoring for hundreds of recent immigrants to Colorado."^[1]

He also served on the board of Progress Now Action.^[2]

Business

Polis founded and ran several high-tech start-ups including Bluemountain.com, American Information Systems, Inc., Proflowers.com and Dan’s Chocolates.^[3]

While still attending Princeton University, Polis co-founded his first company, American Information Systems, a success he followed with the launching of bluemountain.com and proflowers.com. He has been named an “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst and Young.^[4]

Congress

First elected to represent Colorado’s Second Congressional District in 2008, Polis serves on the powerful Committee on Rules. He also serves on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, as a Democratic Caucus Regional Whip, co-chairman of the New Democrat Coalition Education Task Force, chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and co-chairman of the LGBT Equality Caucus. Additionally, he co-chairs the U.S.-Mexico Congressional Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Nepal, and is a member of the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors.^[5]

Congressional Progressive Caucus

As of February 20 2009 Jared Polis was listed as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.^[6]

Campaign to Make Immigration Reform a Top Issue in 2010

On October 13 2010 , immigration activists from around the country gathered to join in a vigil and rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC., where Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez and other elected officials launched a new push for comprehensive immigration reform, building to the opening months of 2010. their banners read “Reform Immigration FOR Families” and “Family Unity Cannot Wait.”

More than 750 people traveled to Washington on buses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday morning meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to listen to testimonies from families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation.

Religious leaders from a diverse array of faith traditions around the country, some organized through Familias Unidas, added their voices.

At the event Congressman Gutierrez outlined a set of principles for progressive immigration reform that needs to include a rational and humane approach to legalize the undocumented population, to protect workers’ rights, to allocate sufficient visas, to establish a smarter and more humane border enforcement policy, to promote integration of immigrant communities, to include the DREAM Act and AgJOBS bills, to protect rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and to keep families together.

The lawmakers who joined Rep. Gutierrez on stage, and addressed the gathering included Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairs Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Member, Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Michael Quigley (D-IL), and Delegate Gregorio Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands).^[7]

JStreet Conference

On Oct. 26, 2009, Jared Polis spoke alongside fellow congressmen, Bob Filner and Jan Schakowsky at the JStreet 2009 Conference.^[8] JStreet is a Jewish organization that, according to its website, "was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East".^[9]

Staff

The following are past and present staff:^[10]