Colorado business leaders blast Democrats for "politics, not policy"

Brough's other lightning-bolt remarks:

• On a bill to eliminate some tax breaks, including capping deductions on 529 college savings plans, lawmakers "sent a clear message that it is more important for this money to be spent by our legislature than by nonprofits and parents."
• "They also made doing business here more complicated and more expensive."
• "The winners-and-losers game being played on every floor of the Capitol is a costly one."

What's more: J.J. Ament, the CEO of Metro Denver Economic Development, added later that corporate executives are expressing concern about locating in Colorado given the state's policy direction.

• Mowa Haile, president of Sky Blue Builders, added that he'd "think twice about starting" his business in the current regulatory climate.

The other side: Speaking just before the business leaders at the event, Polis touted the session as "nothing short of transformative."

Afterward, House Speaker Alec Garnett (D-Denver) told Axios that the criticism was "a bit out of touch."

• He said lawmakers focused on helping businesses most impacted by the pandemic and delivered a $5 billion transportation and environmental bill after years of deadlock among business leaders.
• "The legislature stepped up and delivered on what the business community couldn't do," Garnett added.