Julie McCluskie

Julie McCluskie is a Democratic state representative from Colorado who represents House District 13, which includes Chaffee, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Park, and Summit counties. She is the first woman elected as Speaker of the House from the Western Slope of Colorado.

McCluskie was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2018 and has been re-elected in 2020, 2022, and 2024. She currently serves as Speaker of the House for both the 74th and 75th General Assemblies, a leadership position she was nominated for by the House Democratic caucus.

Her residence is in Dillon, Colorado.

Political Experience

McCluskie has held several significant committee positions throughout her legislative career:

• Chair of the Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance
• Chair of the Joint Budget Committee
• Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee
• Member of the Rural Affairs and Agriculture, Education, Appropriations, Wildfire Matters, Early Childhood and School Readiness Commission, and Water Resources and Agricultural Review committees

Notable Achievements

McCluskie's major legislative accomplishments include:

• Passing the first significant rewrite of the Colorado School Finance Act in 30 years, making school funding more equitable and increasing funding for all students statewide
• Creating a statewide Reinsurance Program to reduce health insurance premiums on the individual marketplace
• Establishing concurrent enrollment access statewide
• Referring a nicotine tax to the 2020 ballot that funded the state's universal preschool program
• Leading efforts on student success and workforce revitalization, which invested over $90 million in regional talent collaboration and helped Coloradans access more than $40 million in zero-cost credentials
• Making record investments in public schools, higher education, and healthcare during her tenure as Chair of the Joint Budget Committee
• Creating a permitting program within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for dredge and fill activities following the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court ruling
• Expanding water conservation efforts in 2025 by improving snowpack measurement and water supply forecasting, generating millions in additional funding through sports betting revenue