The Colorado Chamber continues to advocate for balanced policies that protect consumers’ wallets and support a competitive business environment. Last week, two bills that would have significantly increased costs for Colorado businesses and consumers were successfully amended to address concerns raised by Chamber members.
As introduced, House Bill 1272 would have set extensive requirements for employers operating in hot and cold temperatures. The bill would have required the Department of Labor and Employment to collect data on temperature-related injuries and illnesses, develop a model temperature-related injury and illness prevention plan (TRIIP), establish employer training standards and draft rules to enforce new temperature protections for employees.
The Chamber’s Labor and Employment and Energy and Environment Councils voted to oppose the bill as introduced because it created duplicative and costly requirements for employers that already manage temperature-related workplace risks.
Following opposition from the Colorado Chamber and the business community, the bill was amended last Monday in the House Appropriations Committee to remove the costly mandates on employers. Additionally, it was amended on the Senate floor the following Tuesday to remove the requirement for the development of the model TRIIP. As amended, the bill retains the requirement for the department to collect data but does not require additional action by employers.
The Chamber saw another victory on its Wallet Watchdog list with the amendment of House Bill 1223, which would have modified the definition of tangible property in the state’s tax code to include software products and services. As introduced, the bill would have significantly increased costs for businesses of all sizes that rely on licensed or purchased software, creating a strong likelihood of higher prices for consumers. The Chamber’s Tax Council opposed the bill because of its potential to create new tax burdens on essential business tools and its modification of longstanding sales tax definitions.
The bill was successfully amended in the Senate Finance Committee to clarify the definition of “negotiated license agreement,” preserving an important pathway for businesses to implement specialized software services without creating additional cost increases for consumers.
View the Colorado Chamber’s full opposition agenda here.