The Colorado Chamber’s policy councils and alliances had a busy week as they took positions on ten new bills introduced in the 2025 legislative session. The Energy & Environment Council, Legal Reform Alliance and Technology Alliance discussed legislation impacting the business community and heard from chamber staff on future proposals.
The Colorado Chamber took positions on the following bills:
Energy & Environment Council Positions:
HB 1165: Amend
The bill creates an enterprise in the Department of Natural Resources to manage geologic storage sites and requires geologic storage operators to pay annual stewardship fee for each ton of CO2 injected into the ground. The bill also makes several updates to laws concerning underground geothermal resources. The Colorado Chamber would like aspects of the bill regarding liability amended.
HB 1177: Support
The bill updates the Public Utilities Commission’s regulations on economic development rates by extending the rate duration to 25 years, increasing the load limit for qualifying projects to 40 megawatts and streamlining the application process with a 120-day approval deadline.
HB 1241: Oppose
The bill requires that an owner or operator of any business that emits an air pollutant to maintain records of emissions and make them publicly available on the business’s website. The Chamber is opposed to the bill as it would place an unnecessary burden on businesses with minimal benefits.
Legal Reform Alliance Positions:
HB 1272: Support
The bill addresses the construction of middle market housing by introducing several requirements for construction defect claims, including the requirement for an affidavit from a third-party licensed professional when filing a claim against an architect or engineer. It also outlines the claimant’s duty to mitigate defects, updates the statute of limitations and raises the approval threshold for initiating construction defect claims.
Housing affordability remains a top concern for businesses in Colorado with 50% of business leaders citing housing attainability as one of their biggest challenges in attracting and retaining talent in a recent Chamber survey. The Colorado Chamber supports policies that address the state’s housing crisis and promote economic growth.
SB 131: Support
The bill updates restrictions on construction defect negligence claims, allowing them only if the defect causes actual damage to property due to a violation of building codes, manufacturer’s instructions or industry standards; loss of property use; bodily injury or wrongful death; or an imminent risk to the safety or health of occupants.
SB 157: Oppose
The bill establishes that certain evidence of unfair or deceptive trade constitutes a significant impact to the public and clarifies that claims cannot be based solely on contract breaches, negligence or professional services unless they involve material misrepresentation, failure to disclose material information or actions beyond advice or judgment. The Legal Reform Alliance took an oppose position as they believe the bill would have unintended consequences and would encourage costly litigation.
Technology Alliance Positions:
HB 1090: Oppose
The bill requires seller of goods, services or properties to clearly disclose the total price that a person may pay, including all fees and charges. Additionally, restaurants, bars and other food services establishments must describe any mandatory service charges added to a person’s bill. Finally, the bill restricts the kinds of fees that landlords can charge tenants and limits how much fees can increase. The bill makes violating these provisions a deceptive trade practice and subject to a civil action along with other penalties in law.
The Colorado Chamber is opposed to the bill due to the broad scope of industries impacted and the potential for increased legal liability for employers.
HB 1212: Oppose
The bill creates whistleblower protections for employees of AI model developers who report issues such as public safety violations, risks or false statements. It requires developers to notify workers of their rights, establish an anonymous disclosure process and provides penalties for violations. The Technology Alliance has concerns about the language used in the bill’s definitions and believes the legislation is too broad.
SB 70: Amend
The bill requires online marketplaces to report if they know that a third-party seller is selling stolen goods and mandates the marketplace to have systems in place to monitor listings and prevent organized retail crime.
SB 145: Amend
The bill requires sellers of goods and services to implement easy mechanisms for canceling an
automatic renewal contract or a trial period offer. The Chamber is concerned that the bill is too restrictive in how it allows for an easy cancellation process and would like to see amendments that permit other ways for a company to allow a consumer to cancel their contract.