In this Capitol Report:
What We’re Watching: Senate Bill 213
Governor Jared Polis this week unveiled his comprehensive, 110-page housing package that was introduced in the state senate as SB 213. The ambitious legislation looks to expand housing affordability and supply statewide.
The Colorado Chamber has worked closely with the governor’s office and key legislators this session to address workforce housing issues to better prepare our communities for growth. The Chamber’s official position on the legislation is pending as it reviews the full package and gets feedback from its broad member base of industry groups and local chambers statewide.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, would make broad changes to how the state approaches housing development. It prioritizes high-growth areas located near public transit and removes local regulatory barriers to increasing housing supply. It also restricts municipalities from prohibiting certain types of developments and expands the ability of landowners to build accessory dwelling units and multiplexes. Finally, the bill takes a strategic approach to housing supply by ordering regular statewide housing assessments and growth objectives to address housing needs.
Read more about the details of SB 213 in The Sum & Substance, the Colorado Chamber’s news publication.
Cutting bureaucratic red tape in housing development is a major priority in the Colorado Chamber’s 2023 legislative agenda as a critical strategy to expand our workforce and attract talent. In the Colorado Chamber’s 2022 survey of CEOs, housing supply and affordability were identified as pressing concerns. More than half (59%) of employers identified employee recruitment and retention as a top issue for business in the state.
Colorado’s housing market is one of the most expensive in the nation, with the median sales price of a single-family home at $520,000 statewide. The state’s housing market has been ranked the 46th least affordable in the U.S.
The Colorado Chamber will continue to review the details of SB 213 to assess its alignment with our workforce and housing priorities – the Chamber’s Board of Directors will take a formal position before the bill’s first hearing.
Leadership Colorado Participants Inspired by Award-winning Hospitality Panel and Kitchen Experience, hosted by Footers Catering
View more photos from the event here.
Leadership Colorado participants met this month at Social Capitol in Arvada where they learned from a powerhouse hospitality panel consisting of Anthony Lambatos (Footers Catering/Social Capitol CEO), Troy Guard (Chef and CEO, TAG Restaurant Group), Jennifer Jasinski (Chef & CEO, Crafted Concepts Restaurant Group), and Jeremy Edmonds (VP of People and Culture, Snooze an A.M. Eatery Restaurants). They spoke about the recipe for creating authentic engagement, the role gratitude and recognition play in building culture, what it takes to attract and retain good talent, giving constructive feedback, House Bill 1118 (Fair Workweek) and how that would have impacted their businesses, and more in an in-depth conversation that no one wanted to end!
The cohort toured the Social Capitol event space and Footers Catering offices, seeing how thoughtful workplace setup can contribute to positive employee interactions, and spent time in the professional catering kitchen with Footers chefs guiding the group through four cooking stations to get hands-on experience concentrating on the small details to create the delicious meal they enjoyed for lunch. Participants gained knowledge of priorities to consider to build a collaborative team – whether remote or in-person – and appreciation for the skills of an industry that makes up almost 10% of the Colorado workforce.
Next month, Leadership Colorado participants look forward to visiting the metro area’s largest healthcare system HealthONE at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Hospital and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.
New Small Business Guide to FAMLI
The Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has released a new guide specifically targeting Colorado’s small businesses as a way to increase public understanding of how the smallest startups and family businesses can access paid family leave.
The Small Business Guide to FAMLI was created to help small businesses figure out:
- How business structure affects FAMLI requirements
- How to tell if someone is an independent contractor, a co-owner, or an employee
- How to report premiums to the IRS
- Where self-employed Coloradans can go to find out how to qualify for paid family leave
For more details, check out the Small Business Corner on famli.colorado.gov to find more information to support employers navigate the program.
Invest in Colorado's Future - Sponsor Colorado's State Civics Bee Competition
