Amid the tension between rural and urban leaders at the state Capitol, the governor and lawmakers have tackled housing, healthcare, food security and mental health access across Colorado’s rural communities, advocates from both sides of that divide said.

They pointed to measures they said directly target rural areas, as well as other policies that apply statewide but yield a bigger impact on non-urban regions because of their unique challenges.

Often, these measures come in the form of preserving funding for programs.

Senate Minority Whip Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, said it may seem like he mostly complains about Gov. Jared Polis and the Democratic-led state legislature for neglecting rural Colorado, but the state policymakers have collectively produced what he described as bright s

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