The Colorado Chamber Governmental Affairs Council convened on Tuesday to review legislation affecting the business community and hear from guest speakers.
The Council was joined by Arriana Belkin, chief of staff for the Senate Democrats, and Jason Helland, chief of staff for the Senate Republicans. The speakers answered questions on how the legislature expects to mitigate the impacts of the budget deficit, the importance of bipartisan collaboration, how each party plans to tackle Colorado’s cost of living issue, and what they expect to see emerge as the session’s most contentious business issues. The group then took positions on introduced legislation and heard updates on bills moving through the process.
SB 40: Support
This legislation would allow for more flexibility to set income thresholds for households applying for grants through the affordable home ownership program. The Chamber supports to bill because it creates a more effective process to improve housing supply for Colorado and allows existing housing to be fully utilized.
HB 1078: Support
The bill allows a wider range of higher education institutions to offer concurrent enrollment programs, allowing Colorado high school students to take post-secondary level classes and receive credit. The Colorado Chamber Governmental Affairs Council voted to support the bill to expand workforce development opportunities for industries across the state.