By Jeanne Davant In June, 36 young people will be coming to Colorado Springs to intern at six local companies and get to know the city that could become their permanent home. Through the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC’s Find Your COS (pronounced “cause”) program, the interns will participate in 13 professional and social development […]
In the News
Common Sense Institute: The Outstanding Debts of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and PERA
The topic of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund has come up many different times in CSI’s work, including a previous episode of this show. Yet despite the tremendous amount of attention on the issue from external parties and business leaders, Colorado remains 1 of only 9 states with an outstanding federal loan balance to […]
Cost of Colorado’s fentanyl crisis rises to $11.1 billion
By Mallory Anderson for KRDO COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The monetary cost of Colorado’s fentanyl crisis has increased by 750 percent in just five years, according to an analysis by Common Sense Institute (CSI). On Monday, Colorado business leaders and law enforcement discussed how the deadly drug is leaving behind a paper trail in […]
Colorado legislators look to limit noncompete agreements
Colorado legislators are moving forward with a bill to rein in noncompete agreements — not to ban the common legal document like Washington, D.C., recently did but to better protect the mobility of low-income workers, create more rights for employees around signing the agreements and give the state more teeth in prosecuting misuse of the […]
Denver Post: Controversial workplace harassment reform collapses — again — at the Colorado legislature
By Alex Burness for The Denver Post A bill to combat workplace harassment in Colorado is dead for the second time since June. Sponsors of the Protecting Opportunities And Workers’ Rights Act, known as POWR, told The Denver Post they are abandoning their planned bill because they have no apparent path to pass it. They said they […]
Controversial workplace harassment reform collapses — again — at the Colorado legislature
One of the most powerful people in the business lobby, Colorado Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Loren Furman, told The Post that she basically agrees with lawmakers on workplace protections — in concept, that is. “Nobody supports harassment happening at the job site, right? We support trying to find a balanced solution for employers […]
Colorado bill would give partial break to employers on new paid family leave fee
Colorado Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Loren Furman said Tuesday that while the 10% discount for six months may not seem earth-shaking, employers will be happy to accept it at a time when they are being hit by several government and private-sector cost increases. Read the complete article by Ed Sealover in the Denver Business Journal.
HB 1026 — the right way to reduce emissions
It’s easy to get lost in politics but, in the end, its good policy that makes the difference for families, businesses and the future of Colorado. Despite the partisan bickering, mudslinging and spin that typically reign supreme in an election year, there is some good news and good policy in the state legislature. It comes […]
PERSPECTIVE: Will unemployment insurance crush Colorado’s job creators?
The tremendous economic upheaval of the last two years has taken its toll on our economy. Since 2020, Colorado businesses have fought hard to survive, recover, and thrive. We’re not there yet. The pandemic has continued to strain Colorado’s economy, impacting businesses of all sizes, and altering the fabric of our local communities. For nearly […]
Colorado businesses press state lawmakers for $600 million in unemployment relief
Colorado businesses are pushing state lawmakers to alleviate pressure on their bottom lines by putting at least $600 million toward a trust fund benefiting unemployed workers. ….. “Without any financial relief, that all falls on the shoulders of employers to have to pay back, through no fault of their own,” said Loren Furman, president and […]