2024 Legislative Agenda
The agenda is guided by the Chamber’s recent launch of Vision 2033, a 10-year strategic action plan for Colorado’s business climate. The Chamber’s broad focus remains on improving Colorado’s regulatory climate and fighting proposals that create unnecessary burdens on business. The issue continues to top the charts in business leader polls, posing a major threat to the Colorado’s competitiveness and driving employers out of state.
The Chamber’s priorities for the 2024 session are outlined below:
Regulatory Climate
The Colorado business community drives our state’s economy, employing millions of Coloradans, providing the goods and services we all rely on, and investing in our local communities. The Chamber’s priority is to foster economic growth and elevate Colorado’s standing as a top state to do business. But based on our recent surveys of business leaders, Colorado’s regulatory climate is making us less competitive, driving businesses out of state. From employment regulations to environmental policies and more, regulations continue to top the list of concerns by Colorado businesses. It’s critical that state leaders understand the burden and costs faced by the business community with each new, complex rule or requirement at the state level.
- Do no harm: no new mandates and regulatory burdens on employers
- Oppose attempts to interfere in employer-employee workweek schedules
- Protect the solvency of Colorado’s Unemployment Insurance Fund to prevent premium hikes
- Educate lawmakers on regulatory impact
- Oppose needless new private rights of action against business
- Oppose the removal of noneconomic damage caps in Colorado
- Protect Colorado’s current workers’ compensation system and oppose changes that skyrocket costs to employers
- Ensure new and existing environmental regulations are cost effective and science-based
- Support employee autonomy in commuting to work
- Allow business to innovate and lead on environmental sustainability
- Support innovative solutions using new technologies to meet climate goals
- Support choice in energy consumption and appliances
- Oppose efforts that limit the operations of the energy sector
- Align state and federal environmental regulations
- Avoid complex, costly new permitting schemes on manufacturing and industrial operations
Building the Workforce of the Future
The Colorado Chamber is committed to improving our talent development pipeline and engaging with state leaders on creative reforms so Colorado remains an attractive place to live and do business for years to come. We want our workforce to be among the top in the nation, equipped with the skills needed to take on the jobs of the future. To accomplish this, we must ensure that students across the state are educated to their greatest potential and Colorado employers have access to the talented and innovated homegrown workforce they need to thrive.
- Support legislation to improve regional talent development goals and action plans
- Improve workforce data collection and transparency
- Realign the pathways offered in schools with the needs of employers
- Streamline and incentivize employer participation in career connected learning opportunities
- Ensure education providers are focused on the skills employers need
Cost of Living & Competitiveness
The Colorado Chamber is working to promote a future-focused vision of fostering a prosperous and inclusive economic climate. We want to be a top state where business leaders choose to invest, innovate, and create jobs and opportunities. But our high cost of living is holding us back – from housing to childcare and more. Cost of living is a critical business issue, and we must take steps to make living and working in Colorado more affordable in order to remain competitive.
- Support policies to increase housing in Colorado
- Support innovative housing funding policies
- Identify long-term solutions to property tax structure
- Oppose efforts limiting housing supply or increasing costs
- Oppose tax hikes that increase the cost of doing business in Colorado
- Improve access and affordability of childcare
- Support the reduction and eventual phase-out of the Business Personal Property Tax
- Promote flexibility, oppose new mandates on health care industries
Tech Innovation and Economic Growth
Colorado’s economy is diverse, with strong asset clusters across multiple industries. The Colorado Chamber is the only organization representing all sectors statewide for businesses of all sizes. Our policy agenda focuses on unifying business issues that will improve our economic standing as a whole. Our technology sector in particular is poised to drive economic growth as the state’s economy and workforce modernizes. We must advance the right policies to foster our tech community to ensure Colorado is an attractive place to do business now and in the years to come.
- Support policies that ensure Colorado’s technology sector continues to grow
- Develop regulatory roadmap for responsible deployment of artificial intelligence
- Promote safe online environment for children
- Monitor new policies that address Colorado’s DNC and TNC platforms
- Assess and propose ways to streamline the security clearance process