Construction defects, big regulatory reform still unaddressed.
Amid Victories, Two Major Issues the Colorado Legislature Failed to Fix
Ban the box may have been defeated
and the hospital provider fee shift killed, but several other issues important
to small business remained unsolved during Colorado’s 2016 legislative session.
The
Legislature failed to pass a construction defects bill to close the door on excessive lawsuits against contractors and
to spur new building and affordable housing options in the state. Lawmakers
didn’t even manage to pass a bill that would have studied the issue.
The
fact that the Legislature once again let politics get in the way of good public
policy is disheartening, says NFIB Colorado State Director Tony Gagliardi. “Our
building rates are at an all time low … because of Colorado’s insane
construction defects laws.”
The
lack of major regulatory reform measures was also a huge disappointment to
small business owners, says Gagliardi. The Legislature did pass House Bill 1114
to get rid of duplicate paperwork, but beyond that,
regulatory reform is pushed off yet another year. NFIB members have been hoping
for reform for more than five years now.
For
instance, small business owners have sought a law that would require state
agencies to give written warnings, rather than fines, to small businesses that
commit minor violations of new rules for the first time.
