This week, the Colorado Chamber’s Labor & Employment Council, Legal Reform Alliance and Technology Alliance met to take positions on key legislation and receive updates on bills moving through the final weeks of the legislative session.
The Technology Alliance was joined by Sen. Robert Rodriguez and Jeff Riester, director of legislative affairs and senior assistant attorney general. The speakers discussed various legislation including a future bill on artificial intelligence that emerged from the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Impact Task Force. Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman was appointed to the task force last year to provide guidance on how artificial intelligence can be regulated to ensure its development in Colorado is both responsible and fair.
The Colorado Chamber took positions on the following bills:
Legal Reform Alliance Positions:
HB 1329: Support
The bill limits foreign litigation funding, prevents foreign funder control or manipulation of litigation, and ensures that plaintiffs are aware of any outside influences on their cases. The bill requires disclosure to the Colorado Attorney General when foreign entities fund civil cases and prohibits the sharing of proprietary information or sensitive national security information.
The legislation aims to protect businesses and consumers while increasing transparency regarding foreign funding in litigation. The Colorado Chamber has been a lead on the legislation in partnership with the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association.
Technology Alliance Positions:
SB 276: Amend
The bill modifies state immigration laws to apply certain requirements to political subdivisions and make changes regarding engagement with federal immigration authorities, court petitions, affidavits and consumer protections. The Technology Alliance has concerns about certain data privacy language in the bill that they would like clarified.
SB 280: Monitor
This bill creates a program in the Colorado Office of Economic Development to support data center development and modernize the electrical grid. It offers tax breaks and utility incentives to data centers that meet certain investment, job creation, energy efficiency and environmental standards.