In this Capitol Report:
Colorado Chamber Takes Positions on New Legislation
With legislative session in full swing, the Colorado Chamber this week took positions on several new health care and energy/environment bills:
HB 1232: Oppose – Scheduled in the House Health and Insurance Committee on March 31.
This is the “Colorado Option Health Benefit Plan,” the state public health insurance option bill. The plan creates a standardized health plan in the individual and small group markets. Starting in 2023, insurance carriers will be required to set a goal to offer a standardized plan premium that is at least 10% less than the premium rate for health benefit plans offered by that carrier in the 2021 calendar year in the individual and small group market. For 2024, each carrier shall set a goal of offering a standardized plan premium that is at least 20% less than the premium rate for health benefit plans offered by that carrier in the 2021 calendar year in the individual and small group market. For 2025 and each year thereafter, carriers are encouraged to limit annual premium rate increases for the standardized plan to no more than the consumer price index plus one percent, relative to the previous year.
The Colorado Chamber is concerned about the bills impact on employer sponsored insurance and costs on the business community. The chamber’s Health Care Council voted to oppose the bill this week. The Common Sense Institute recently released an economic analysis of the plan that details the unintended consequences and costs. Read the report here.
HB 1189: Oppose – Passed the House Energy and Environment Committee and referred to Finance.
This bill expands the requirements applicable to a “covered facility” relating to air pollutants, including adding new types of covered air toxics, creating new outreach requirements, conducting fence line monitoring, and increasing corrective action requirements.
SB 125: Support – Currently laid over in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Energy.
This bill relates to the submission of alternate proposals to rules being considered by the Air Quality Control Commission. It makes several changes to the process of how the agency considers alternate proposals for hearings.
SB 163: Support – Died in the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee on March 24.
SB 163 extends the time period for which a cost-benefit analysis for a draft rule by a state agency can be requested. It also places several new requirements on state agencies for when and how to incorporate cost-benefit analyses into decisions and public information.
HB 1213: Support – Died in the House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee on March 22.
HB 1213 would have converted Pinnacol Assurance from a political subdivision of the state into a stock insurance company owned by a mutual insurance holding company. The Colorado Chamber Board of Directors voted to support the bill.
See the status of all of the Chamber’s bill positions by clicking here.
Colorado Chamber Cohosts “Boost with Facebook”
This week the Colorado Chamber was pleased to cohost a virtual event with Boost with Facebook Colorado! The program gives Colorado businesses an overview of the Facebook Business Suite and how to manage the tools needed to succeed across Facebook and Instagram.
Award-Winning Diversity Equity & Inclusion Program Offered to Colorado Business
Are you ready to talk about inclusion in your organization? Let Colorado REACH help you guide the conversation.…
The Colorado Chamber is proud to partner with Colorado REACH to offer members of the Colorado Chamber an opportunity to experience BREAKING ICE—the award-winning diversity equit
y and inclusion program for business.
Through a series of dynamic scenes, audiences explore how systemic inequities, implicit biases and common misperceptions show up in relationships and in the workplace. The performance is followed by facilitated break outs.
Chamber Members are invited to register themselves and their teams. Contact Lauren Schwartz at the Chamber to learn how your company can get involved: (303) 866-9643
Thursday, April 22
3-4:30 p.m. REGISTER HERE