NFIB asks gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis for clarification of his remarks
It may be the oddest small-business plank of any candidate’s platform in the nation. Is threatening employers with jail time the best way to encourage them to stay in, or come to, Colorado and provide livelihoods for their workers.
“I realize you have to test the elasticity of extremism when running in your party’s primary, but Jared Polis may be exploring new territory, which is why we need a clarification from him,” said Tony Gagliardi, NFIB Colorado state director. “
Gagliardi was responding to a story in the November 2 edition of the Colorado Compass, headlined “Jared Polis Suggests The Jailing Of Businesspeople – No, Really.”
According to the Compass, “The change Polis is proposing would move violations of employment law from civil to criminal penalties, allowing convictions to be punishable by jail time at a time when Colorado’s correction budget is under strain. In addition, the threat of imprisonment could have a dramatic chilling effect on Colorado’s business climate. This fear could be compounded for small and medium-sized businesses who don’t have dedicated HR and compliance divisions.”
