CACI Interviews 26 Candidates, 26 More Scheduled
June 25--CACI interviewed 26 new state legislative candidates Tuesday and Wednesday. Another 26 are scheduled for interviews Monday and Tuesday. Based on discussions of the candidates with those CACI members who are participating in the interviews because they have contributed to CACI’s political action committee, the CACI lobbying team will develop a list of recommended candidates for the CACI Executive Committee and CACI Board of Directors for CACI’s endorsement and financial support from the Colorado Business Political Action Committee (CB-PAC). CACI members can participate in the interviews next week by contributing $500 to CB-PAC. Individuals, companies and PACs can contribute up to $500 during the two-year, 2009-2010 election cycle to a political action committee such as CB-PAC. CACI members who wish to contribute to CB-PAC should contact Denise Reeves, CACI Vice President of Events and Programs, at 303.866.9622 or via e-mail at dreeves@COchamber.com Click here for more information.
CACI Board Votes to Oppose Ballot Measures 60, 61 and 101
June 11--Yesterday, the CACI Board of Directors voted to oppose three controversial ballot measures--Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101-- because the measures, should they be approved by the voters in November, would cause severe damage to state and local governments in Colorado and, therefore, to the state’s business climate:
•Amendment 60 would reduce property taxes and, significantly, repeal voters’ previous “TABOR overrides” at the local government level;
•Amendment 61 would limit debt financing by state and local governments, including school districts; and
•Proposition 101 would reduce various taxes, including a repeal of the increase in vehicle taxes passed by the legislature last year to fund transportation needs.
CACI Councils Priority Bills Final Update
May 13--During the legislative session, CACI Councils developed an agenda of bills that the CACI lobbying team supported or opposed or on which the Councils took neutral positions. In addition, the CACI Governmental Affairs Council this session developed a mechanism whereby it selected important bills as a priority on which certain Council members worked cooperatively with the CACI lobbying team. Many of the bills on which CACI lobbied fell within well-established policy guidelines set by the CACI Board of Directors. In addition, during the session, the Board took positions on bills concerning new issues based on the recommendation of the relevant CACI policy councils. Click here for more information.
House Kills Bill Targeting Business Tax Provisions
May 4--The House today killed on Second Reading HB-1429, which would have required the House and Senate Finance Committees each year to jointly review specific business tax exemptions and credits and decide whether they should be continued, repealed, or modified. The CACI Governmental Affairs Council had made this bill a priority for defeat. In addition, CACI thanks its members who contacted their legislators to urge opposition to this proposal. The bill targeted the following business taxes: severance tax, gasoline and special fuel tax, alcohol beverage tax, sales-and-use tax and income tax. Click here for more information.
Bill Limiting Income-Tax Credit for Employee Compensation Dies at Sponsor’s Hand
April 30--This afternoon, in the House Finance Committee, Representative Jack Pommer (D-Boulder), killed his own bill, HB-1263, which was a priority bill for defeat by CACI. CACI strongly opposed HB-1263, which would have “de-coupled” state business income-tax deductions from Federal deductions. The bill would have increased taxes on businesses by $27.7 million for the two years beginning July 1, 2010. This proposal was not included in Governor Ritter’s efforts to balance the 2009-2010 budget nor in his proposed 2010-2011 budget released last November. Under Federal income-tax law, salary or other compensation for personal services generally are deductible in computing the taxable income of the payer of services. This avoids double taxation since the amounts paid to the provider of the services are generally included in their income. Additionally, Federal tax law imposes limits on an amount of compensation ($1 million) that may be deducted, but that only applies to publicly-traded corporations and corporations receiving Federal bailout funds. Click here for more information.
Committee Chair Punts Bill to Eliminate Enterprise-Zone Tax Credits
April 28--House Finance Committee Chair Joel Judd (D-Denver), lacking the votes to get his bill out of his own Committee, today postponed HB-1396 until May 30th. The session must end by midnight on next Wednesday, May 12th, according to the Colorado Constitution. In other words, the bill is dead. HB-1396 would have increased taxes on businesses located in enterprise zones by $37.4 million in fiscal year 2010-2011 and by $77 million in fiscal year 2011-2012 for a total of $114.4 million over the two fiscal years. CACI was part of a massive coalition of business organizations, individual companies, local chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, trade associations and towns and counties that successfully fought the bill. CACI thanks these organizations for their collective effort to successfully stop the bill. Click here for more information.
Bill Requiring Claims Adjusters to be Physicians Dies
April 20—Today, HB-1234 was lost on Second Reading of the House. The bill would have required claims adjusters to be physicians with an active clinical practice, in good standing, and with expertise in the same field of medicine involved in the claim or requested medical service. The bill was sponsored in the House by Representative Dianne Primavera (D-Broomfield). The CACI HealthCare Council opposed HB-1234 based on the likelihood of an increase of fraudulent claims that might have occurred if this measure became law. The Council determined that any measure that removed an insurer’s ability to investigate claims for fraud would ultimately increase the cost of purchasing insurance and should be opposed. CACI worked closely with leaders of the health-insurance and health-care industry who opposed this bill to ensure that this proposal did not pass.
Bill to Expand Civil Remedies in State Anti-Discrimination Claims Dies
April 15--Sponsored by Representative Claire Levy (D-Boulder), HB-1269 died today on a tie 32-32 vote in the House on the Second Reading vote. CACI opposed this bill, which also had been named a priority for defeat by the CACI Governmental Affairs Council. The bill would have established the “Workplace Fairness and Civil Rights and Remedies Act of 2010.” The bill would have allowed additional remedies of compensatory and punitive damages in employment discrimination cases brought under Colorado law. Under current law, plaintiffs who win employment discrimination and other types of employment claims can recover actual economic damages, such as lost wages. Click here for more information.
Bill Mandating Sick-Leave Requirements on Businesses Dies
April 7--Introduced on Monday, April 5th, HB-1397 died a quick death in committee today at the request of its sponsor. A similar bill died in last year’s session. Yesterday, the CACI Governmental Affairs Council agreed to make the bill a priority for defeat by the business community. CACI strongly opposed the bill, which would have been an unnecessary, costly mandate on Colorado companies. HB-1397, sponsored by Representative Cherilyn Peniston (D-Westminster), would have required companies to provide specific amounts of sick leave to workers based on the size of the business. All employers would have had to provide each worker at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. For companies with more than ten employees, the maximum would have been 72 hours per year. For companies with ten or less employees, the maximum is 40 hrs per year. The bill also would have required an employer to allow a roll-over of unused paid sick leave to subsequent years. Click here for more information.
CACI Survey Shows Tax Provisions Critical to Job Growth and Economic Recovery
January 25--Elimination or suspension of tax exemptions, exclusions and credits proposed by Governor Bill Ritter will harm businesses across the state and hamper job growth and economic recovery, according to a CACI survey of companies. In December, CACI conducted a survey of businesses on the potential elimination or suspension of 13 tax provisions that Governor Bill Ritter proposed to suspend or eliminate to raise $131.8 million to help balance the state’s budget. Click here for more information.
