Gov. Jared Polis considers clemency for Tina Peters as he begins final year in office in Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis says he has an ambitious agenda for his final year in office.

He's been full throttle since he was elected governor seven years ago, leading the state through COVID-19, two school shootings, and four of the most destructive wildfires in Colorado history.

"It's hard to sprint. You sprint for 8 years, and that's always the way we've approached it. Our team -- we say we're running through the tape. We're running through the tape here," he said.

As he nears the finish line, he is not only focused on the state budget and issues like affordable housing, but also which state prisoners should receive clemency. Among those who have asked the governor for a reduced sentence is former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of several felonies in connection with a 2020 election fraud scheme.

"She got a sentence that was harsh. It was a 9 year sentence. So we always look at people's sentences. And when you have people that are elderly, and we're looking at this across a number of many people -- people in their 70s or 80s in our system -- how much of a threat to society are they and how do we balance that in a way that makes sure they can spend their last year few years at home."

President Trump asked the governor to transfer Peters to federal authorities last year so he could pardon her, but Polis refused and Trump pardoned her anyway, but because she was charged in state court she remains imprisoned. Trump has since blocked funding to Colorado for needy families, disaster relief and clean water.

It comes as the state faces another massive budget shortfall. Polis proposed cuts to state agencies and a cap on Medicaid spending, but he says he will resist cuts to K-12 schools.

"One of the reasons I ran for governor is so kids would have access to pre-school and kindergarten and we got that done," Polis said. "If there's one area that I'm disappointed in what I (didn't get) done as governor, it's health care. And while we have a long litany of achievements in health care, we cannot fix it as a state."

He says his top priority for his final legislative session is to make Colorado more affordable. Among the bills he wants to see passed is a measure that would allow homeowners to subdivide their lots, despite a lawsuit by several cities that claim the state is usurping local control.

He also supports bills to lower home and auto insurance, remove regulatory barriers to renewable energy development, and prevent the release of dangerous offenders found incompetent to stand trial.

"We are putting all those pieces in place to make life in Colorado more affordable, sustainable, livable. And that manifests itself over the next few years and ultimately that's a big part of the legacy that I leave the state," Polis said.

While the governor didn't discuss his long-term plans, he says the week after he leaves office, the Sundance Film Festival comes to Boulder, and he is looking forward to watching movies without his phone going off every second.