The Colorado General Assembly has passed its halfway point. The first half saw several repeal bills killed on party line votes—the House sending Republican-sponsored legislation to the trash compactor, and the Senate doing likewise to the Democrat bills. Bills repealing measures such as the Sue Your Boss Bill and a bill to remove punitive damages under the Sue Your Boss Bill were dismissed on party-line votes. These bills were Key Votes for NFIB; legislators will be scored on their votes, and those scores will be published in the 2015-16 NFIB Voting Record.
The second half of the session appears to be focused on workforce development issues. Questions are already being asked about how many workforce development programs Colorado needs. Relying on my experience as chairman of a local workforce investment board for over five years and sitting on the state workforce board under Governors Owen and Ritter, I’m hoping the legislature realizes that valuable programs already exist and does not take up time on issues that would reinvent the wheel. There are many issues that could actually help small and independent business owners continue their climb out of the economic doldrums—issues such as continuing efforts to reform Colorado’s regulatory environment and labor issues concerning the use of independent contractors.
The Colorado Regulatory Reform Act of 2015 passed the Senate Business Affairs and Labor Committee with Sen. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheatridge) joining Republicans to send the bill to the full Senate. This act would require state auditors to issue a warning to a business under 100 employees rather than a fine when a minor violation is discovered such as failing to file a report on time or a filing requirement for compliance with a new rule issued within the last year. Any violation that is deemed to jeopardize the safety of the employees or the public would not be covered under the act.
Tony Gagliardi
NFIB/Colorado state director
