DENVER, CO — State Senator Jordan Carter (D-Denver), Minority Leader of the National State Legislature, issued the following statement today:

"Public money is for the public. That's not a slogan, it's a test, and every project asking this Legislature for taxpayer financing is going to be measured against it under my leadership.

"If a project can't show that public money produces a public benefit — real jobs, real protections for the small businesses around it, real accountability after the ribbon is cut — then it doesn't matter whose name is on the bill or how good the press release sounds. It doesn't get Democratic support. Not because we're against growth, not because we're against investment, but because taxpayers aren't a line of credit for private interests to draw against on faith.

"I've said this about the Northern Virginia Stadium Act specifically, and I'll say it as a general rule going forward: if you're coming to the National State Legislature asking Democrats to authorize public financing, come with a bill that actually delivers for the public that's paying for it. Contracting guarantees. Local protections. Reporting that lets us verify the benefits actually showed up, not just promises that they will.

"Show me the public gets something real in return, and you'll find Democrats ready to work with you. Ask us to fund it on a hope, and the answer is no. That's the standard, and it's not going to move."

Carter represents Colorado's Capitol Hill district in the State Legislature.