Publication Archive

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State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Close Physician Gaps in Rural and Underserved Areas By Leveraging Global Talent Already in Colorado

Colorado faces a projected shortage of more than 2,400 physicians by 2030, alongside the growing shortage nationwide, particularly in rural and certain underserved urban communities.

08.27.26 | 11 min read
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State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Create a Colorado Skills Map to Close the State’s Talent Gap

The Colorado Skills Map would define the technical and durable skills employers expect by sector and occupation, then attach a common skill identifier to ensure that credentials, courses, and work-based learning experiences are recognized as equivalent and portable across the state. 

08.27.26 | 10 min read
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State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Coloradans Should Require Data Center Measurements They Can Trust

Only through independent monitoring, reporting, and investigation on data centers’ environmental impacts, can we promote public trust, inform the allocation of natural resources, and enable responsible governance on future data center development.

08.26.26 | 12 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Establishing the Colorado Applied AI Workforce Initiative

Jobseekers, employees at smaller organizations, and local public workers need more than a weekend crash course in AI. They need practice choosing useful tasks, protecting data, testing outputs, and explaining where human judgment remains necessary.

08.26.26 | 8 min read
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State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
How to Plan for Future Generations of Colorado Business Owners

The Colorado Succession Through Apprenticeship Program would turn two problems into one solution: a state-coordinated pipeline that trains graduates to evaluate and operate existing businesses, then connects them to owners ready to show them the ropes and eventually hand over the keys.

08.25.26 | 8 min read
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State & Local Innovation
day one project
Policy Memo
Modernizing Permitting to Lower Housing and Construction Costs

Colorado ranks second-to-last in housing affordability. Blame Colorado’s notoriously slow permitting system. It’s time for an upgrade.

08.25.26 | 10 min read
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Climate & Energy
day one project
Policy Memo
Modernizing Colorado’s Canals to Save Water Lost in Transit

About 86% of Colorado’s water is used for agriculture, but only about 30-60% of that water actually reaches crops. Conveyance efficiency through canal modernization is a powerful drought resilience and water saving strategy with proven technical feasibility.

08.24.26 | 12 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Securing Cell-Free Biomanufacturing as a Strategic National Capability

DNA synthesis and export controls remain the primary regulatory safeguards against de novo production of harmful biological agents, yet governance frameworks lack the situational awareness and enforcement capacity to keep pace with rapidly falling technical barriers.

07.02.26 | 11 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Move Algorithmic-Driven Pay and Scheduling Systems From Surveillance Pay to Fair Wages

The evidence is clear: algorithmic pay-setting is established in app-based work, and payroll/timekeeping failures show how software can produce systemic wage harm at scale

06.11.26 | 15 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
How State Leaders Can Put People First in AI Decision-Making

While a few states have taken steps to implement decision-making mechanisms for certain AI systems, too many leaders are simply accepting narratives about AI’s purported public benefit at face value – jumping to the “how” of AI implementation before thoroughly vetting potential systems and deciding whether they are appropriate to use at all.

06.11.26 | 17 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Empowering Communities through Community Benefit Agreements in AI-Fueled Data Center Development

When properly structured — with specific numeric targets, secured financial obligations, independent monitoring, and meaningful enforcement — CBAs transform data center deals into durable community partnerships.

06.10.26 | 16 min read
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Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Settlement Wins Against Big Tech Should Underwrite Digital Resilience Funds

Protecting the public from the tech industry’s predatory business models and the next wave of AI harms is an enormous challenge, but we have the evidence that trying to build a healthier digital culture is absolutely worth the effort.

06.10.26 | 12 min read
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