Colorado Capitol Report

Colorado Chamber Releases Video Breaking Down Prop 118 Costs


Colorado Chamber Releases Video Breaking Down Prop 118 Costs

 

The Colorado Chamber released a detailed video explaining Proposition 118 and what it will cost Coloradans. Watch the video by clicking here, share it with friends, and subscribe to our Youtube channel for future updates.


Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd: Here are the Colorado Chamber’s Endorsements

The Colorado General Election is on November 3rd, 2020 – be sure to drop off your ballot in a secured ballot box location. You can find out where to drop off your ballot by clicking here. Remember, it’s too late to send your ballot in the mail – it must be dropped off in person.

The Colorado Chamber hosted an extensive candidate interview process this summer and made many endorsements in state House and Senate elections. We believe these candidates all in their own way represent a commitment to the business community in Colorado. View our full candidate endorsement list here.

The chamber also urges voters to OPPOSE Proposition 118 and SUPPORT Amendment 77. Read more about these ballot initiatives here.


Colorado Chamber Provides Formal Comments to CO Department of Labor on Proposed Equal Pay Rule

Recently we notified the Labor and Employment Council that the Colorado Division of Labor & Statistics will be holding a rulemaking hearing on November 2nd regarding implementation of several employment rules including:

  1. Colorado Overtime & Minimum Pay Standards (“COMPS”) ORDER #37, 7 CCR 1103-1;
  2. Wage Protection Rules, 7 CCR 1103-7;
  3. Direct Investigation Rules, 7 CCR 1103-8;
  4. Whistleblower, Anti-Retaliation, Non-Interference & Notice-Giving Rules, 7 CCR 1103-11;
  5. State Labor Relations Rules, 7 CCR 1103-12; and
  6. Equal Pay Transparency Rules, ​7 CCR 1103-13​.

Since our notification of this hearing, we have received comments and concerns from several Council members on the Division’s proposed equal pay rule. Based on feedback we received, the Colorado Chamber has submitted formal comments to the Division on behalf of this Council. See comments here.

We encourage members that continue to have concerns with this proposed Rule or the other rules to testify during the rulemaking hearing on November 2nd and to submit formal comments prior to the deadline of November 5th.

Details on Rulemaking Hearing:
Hearing date: November 2nd
Time: 9:00a.m.
Proposed Rules: Equal Pay; Paid Sick Leave; Whistleblower Act; Colorado WINS Act

Instructions for Hearing Participation​: ​

  1. To Participate by Internet, ​Including​ Testifying​: visit this “Meet” webpage: ​meet.google.com/zsy-dowb-suo
  2. To Participate by Phone, Whether Just to Listen or to Testify​: call (US) +1 601-861-4481, and then enter this pin: 779 255 774#

For those submitting written comments ​or ​oral testimony, please use this ​form​ to submit a written comment and/or to RSVP to testify. At the hearing, the first oral testimony will be by those who RSVP’d to testify. After all those who RSVP’d have testified, the Division staff will take oral testimony from others.

Please contact Loren Furman at [email protected] with any questions/concerns regarding this matter.


Millions in DC Dark Money Fuel Prop 118 Campaign

According to the Denver Business Journal, out-of-state organizations and donors have poured more than $6 million into the Proposition 118 campaign in an attempt to pass the measure in Colorado. The ballot initiative, if passed, would create a $1.3 billion state-run paid leave insurance program funded by a payroll tax on every working Coloradan.

These out-of-state donors are looking to advance their own national political agenda in Colorado, yet have no vested interest in the solvency or success of the program. If the program goes bankrupt, which reports have suggested could happen almost immediately, Colorado businesses and their employees will be left holding the bag. All of this at a time when Coloradans are already stretched thin due to the financial challenges of COVID-19.

“Nearly 90% of the funding going to Colorado Families First comes from just two Washington, D.C.-based organizations that do not disclose their donors — the North Fund and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which have given a combined total of $6 million. Contributions of at least $100,000 have come also from The Fairness Project of Washington, D.C., The Service Employees International Union of Washington, D.C. and Stacy Schusterman, a businesswoman from Tulsa, Oklahoma,” the Denver Business Journal writes.

Dave Davia, campaign co-chairman for No on Prop 118, told the Business Journal that “[t]hese decisions are best made by Coloradans for Coloradans and not having our elections bought by New York and D.C.-based dark-money groups.”


Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Employer Webinar Series Part 1

Changes are coming to your Unemployment Insurance employer premium rates in January 2021, and it’s important that you understand how this will impact your account. Please join the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for a special employer-focused webinar to understand upcoming premium-rate changes, your charging statements, and how the recent economic downturn has impacted the Unemployment Trust Fund (and therefore your UI premiums). Members of our Employer Services team will share an overview of changes and be available for questions during a Q&A session.

Please register by November 4, 2020. Space may be limited due to call capacity — if call capacity is reached, we will schedule additional webinars for a future date.

Register Here