The Colorado Statesman, Peter Marcus- The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry points out that the session was dominated by hot button, polarizing debates, including gun control, civil unions, election reform and marijuana.
In the News
Governor Signs Renewable-Energy Mandate Increasing Rural Electricity Costs
On Wednesday, Governor John Hickenlooper signed SB-252, the highly controversial bill that doubles the renewable-energy mandate for rural-electric cooperatives. At the same time, the Governor issued an Executive Order for an analysis of the bill’s deadline and cost. Link to pdf of executive order CACI had asked the Governor to veto the bill, and the […]
Governor Signs Bills that The Colorado Chamber Lobbied
Over the last few weeks, Governor John Hickenlooper has signed into law legislation, detailed below, on which The Colorado Chamber lobbied and that involved the work of The Colorado Chamber members who serve The Colorado Chamber’s policy councils. The Colorado Chamber members with questions regarding these bills should contact Loren Furman, The Colorado Chamber Senior […]
Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Lobato Argument
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated ruling in the historically, politically important case of Lobato vs. State of Colorado Board of Education, deciding that the state’s K-12 education funding mechanism is indeed constitutional, thus reversing a lower trial court’s decision that it was not. The Colorado Chamber joined 13 other business […]
CACI: Political Balance Needed
Following the end of the 2013 legislative session on May 8th, Loren Furman, CACI Senior Vice President, State and Federal Relations, has been speaking to groups across the state to share her general thoughts about the session and its impact on employers. Last Friday, Loren spoke to the Arvada Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast […]
Acrimonious 2013 Session Comes to an End
Reflections on the 2013 Legislative Session . . . May 10, 2013 As they say in Hollywood, “It’s a wrap!” The first session of the 39th Colorado General Assembly ended Monday shortly before 4 p.m., with many of the lawmakers and lobbyists retiring to Stoney’s Bar and Grill at 11th and Broadway to celebrate. The […]
Business counts up wins, losses as Colorado legislative session ends
The legislative session clearly wasn’t good for business, but it could have been a lot worse. Troublingly, not all businesses truly understand how these regulations may affect their business operations. If you are unsure and considering speaking to a legal professional, you can see more about how to do this online. Five bills that would […]
Hickenlooper signs Job Protection and Civil Rights Enforcement Act
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday signed House Bill 1136, also known as the Job Protection and Civil Rights Enforcement Act of 2013. The new law “expands available remedies for workers to recover compensatory and punitive damages from employers who have intentionally engaged in discriminatory practices,” Hickenlooper said. He states that law firms that cover these […]
Hickenlooper pressured to veto some business measures
Business groups — unable to persuade Democrats to kill or significantly amend bills they consider bad for private companies — are asking Gov. John Hickenlooper to veto as many as five Democrat-sponsored bills that could land on his desk. Begging a Democratic governor to go against his own party isn’t new. Business leaders did that nearly every […]
Colorado lawmakers pull plug on union lockout bill
Grocery workers will not be able to receive unemployment benefits during defensive lockouts this year, after the sponsor of a bill to make that major change to state labor law killed her proposal Friday rather than pass it and have it get vetoed by Gov.John Hickenlooper. Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, said that while it was tough to give […]