Local Brief
Biz lobby claims major victories in legislative session
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Colorado State Capitol. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Colorado's business community approached this year's legislative session with one ask for lawmakers: Do no harm.
Why it matters: The approach worked.
State of play: Businesses notched major wins with the rewrite of the state's artificial intelligence rules and a bipartisan measure to force state government agencies to cut red tape.
- Elsewhere, business leaders managed to defeat or weaken legislation they considered harmful to the state's economic climate, such as tougher labor rules and the elimination of tax breaks for companies.
To make a point, Gov. Jared Polis signed those two bills into law the day after the legislative session ended.
- "I'm so excited to lower the cost of doing business in Colorado, streamlining regulation," Polis said at the bill signing.
By the numbers: The Colorado Chamber of Commerce said it defeated 13 of the 15 bills it opposed.
What they're saying: "... You saw … moderate Democrats coming together with the Republicans to kill some really bad bills in committee, which was different than I had seen the year before," House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell told Axios Denver.
- "I think that was a result of the business community really kind of building that coalition and pushing back and saying enough is enough."
The big picture: It took a monumental moment to get the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pump the brakes on adding new business regulations.
- A month before the session ended, a troubling report about the state's economic posture and an unprecedented letter warning about the deterioration of the state's business community shook the Capitol.
- The state's $1.5 billion budget shortfall also helped eliminate costly Democratic-led bills.
What we're watching: Still, lawmakers approved tougher rules on ride-sharing companies, rejiggered how credit card swipe fees are calculated and made it easier to join a union.
- Polis vetoed similar union legislation and other regulations on tech companies last year, and the business community is relying on him to do the same again in the coming days.
The bottom line: "In light of concerning trends on Colorado's competitiveness and business climate, it's more important than ever for state lawmakers to 'do no harm' and show restraint when it comes to creating new burdens on the business community," per an end-of-session statement from the state chamber's Meghan Dollar.