For media inquiries, please contact Cynthia Eveleth-Havens at [email protected].
DENVER – The Colorado Chamber of Commerce today called on lawmakers to oppose a series of bills that would worsen the state’s cost of living crisis. Through its new “Wallet Watchdog” campaign, the Chamber is identifying proposals in the 2025 Legislative Session that will create new costs and increase consumer prices for hardworking Colorado families.
“Coloradans are facing increasing strains on their household budgets, with inflation driving up the cost of everyday goods and businesses struggling to keep up,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing a concerning influx of bills at the state legislature this year that will only make things worse. Lawmakers need to understand the unintended consequences of the growing financial pressure on businesses through costly legislation. When companies incur new costs, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum – it directly impacts our local communities, workers and consumers.”
According to CNBC’s state business rankings, Colorado is ranked 46th in cost of living, making it one of the most expensive places to live in the country. In the Colorado Chamber’s annual business surveys, cost of living is consistently the greatest concern for attracting and retaining talent across the state – in 2025, 73% of companies said it was a top workforce issue.
Legislation on the Chamber’s “Wallet Watchdog” list includes:
- SB 5: This bill makes it easier for labor unions to deduct mandatory dues from worker paychecks, whether they vote to support the union or not. With typical union dues ranging from between 1.5% to 3% of take-home pay, this would create significant new costs for many Coloradans.
- SB 33: By limiting choice in where individuals can purchase alcohol, this would impact buyer convenience and create less competition, hurting consumers overall.
- SB 45: This bill would set the foundation for the creation of a costly new government-run health care payment system. Similar legislation passed in Oregon, which has been estimated to cost $20 billion in new taxes, including a $12 billion payroll tax.
- SB 48: When coverage mandates are placed on health insurance plans, it raises premiums for everyone – and obesity treatment medication is extremely expensive. Last session under a similar proposal, insurers estimated that policyholders could expect to see an annual premium increase ranging from $216 to $288 per person across health plans.
- HB 1010: This bill would hurt the very consumers it is trying to help by creating an overly broad definition of “price gouging” with harsh civil penalties on local businesses. It fails to recognize market price fluctuations and other factors that go into how businesses price their products, creating new compliance and legal costs that will only drive prices higher.
- HB 1119: This unnecessary proposal would have created new emissions disclosure requirements that carry a $100,000-per-day fine on businesses who can’t meet the impossible requirements in the bill. Due to its broad multi-industry impact, the direct and indirect costs on Coloradans would have been extensive. The bill died in a committee hearing late yesterday evening.
- HB 1286: This bill places extreme requirements on employers surrounding the temperature of worksites, creating new compliance and litigation costs that will inherently be passed on to consumers and workers.
The “Wallet Watchdog” campaign will involve advocacy against legislation by the Chamber’s lobby team, grassroots action alerts, and social media engagement. In the 2024 session, the Chamber unveiled a similar “Job Killers” campaign which led to the defeat of all eight bills on its list.
The Colorado Chamber will continue to monitor legislation introduced in the 2025 legislative session and will update the “Wallet Watchdog” list as bills move through the legislative process. Visit www.cochamber.com/walletwatchdog for updates.
###
The Colorado Chamber of Commerce champions free enterprise, a healthy business environment and economic prosperity for all Coloradans. It is the only business association that works to improve the business climate for all sizes of business from a statewide, multi-industry perspective. What the Colorado Chamber accomplishes is good for all businesses, and that’s good for the state’s economy. It was created in 1965 based on the merger with the Colorado Manufacturers’ Association.