Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement on this week's Colorado mine spill.

Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet signed on as a cosponsor to The Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act. The bill, introduced by Senator Patty Murray, helps families pay for the increasing cost of child care by expanding and increasing the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). The CDCTC, enacted in 1976, was intended to help offset the cost of child care for working class families, but unfortunately has not kept up with the rising cost of care.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet has introduced the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act with Senator John Boozman (R-AR). This bill makes child nutrition programs more efficient and flexible to help them reach more children in need, particularly children in rural communities, during the summer months when school meals are not available.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced a bill to provide targeted investments for wildfire mitigation. The bill would help save future costs related to wildfire response efforts and the damage to property and land without adding to the deficit.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Voting Rights Act becoming law, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet cosponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) of 2015 to restore and advance voting protections for all Americans.

Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner and U.S. Representative Scott Tipton are pressing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help resolve a request from the Grand Junction Regional Airport to amend its security plan. With little explanation, the TSA rejected on July 23 the airport's proposed security amendment to remove two perimeter security gates that block access to businesses and local attractions.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced the All Kids Matter Act to help protect children in and at risk of needing foster care. The bill would allow states to use existing federal child welfare funding for evidence-based prevention efforts to protect kids before they experience an abusive or neglectful situation that may require foster care. It would also increase accountability measures for states to reduce the use of congregated care and group home placements for children.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John McCain (R-AZ) today introduced the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC) Act of 2015, a bill that would increase civilian national service opportunities and put America's youth and returning veterans to work protecting, restoring, and enhancing America's great outdoors. The bill would enable certain federal departments and land management agencies to more effectively work with youth service organizations to carry out their important missions, and it would do this in a cost-efficient way without creating any new federal spending of taxpayer dollars.

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is cosponsoring a bill introduced by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and fund the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program for six years.

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Al Franken (D-MN) today introduced a bill that would shut the revolving door of lobbyist influence in Washington by banning Members of Congress from ever becoming lobbyists. Bennet first introduced the bill in 2010 as one of his earliest proposals to reform Washington. He has committed to pushing for it in every subsequent Congress until it becomes law.