Special Session Ends on Voters-Be-Damned Note

November 20, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Special Session Ends on Voters-Be-Damned Note

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tony Gagliardi, Colorado State Director, tony.gagliardi@nfib.org, or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org DENVER, Nov. 20, 2023—Statement from Tong Gagliardi, Colorado state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) after today’s adjournment of the special session of the Colorado Legislature. “A new standard of electoral politics has been established by the Colorado Legislature: It’s OK to have your say as long as it says what I want it to say. “Two weeks ago, the voters could not have spoken more clearly and more forcefully. By rejecting Proposition HH by a big margin, they sent an unmistakable message: Hands off TABOR! Finding other ways to come up with property tax relief without touching TABOR refunds should have been the starting point of this special session, but the powers-that-be, who have never liked TABOR, don’t take kindly to having their will challenged by the people. Hence, the Senate bills lawmakers’ passed dice up Prop. HH into what they hope will be easier bite-sized pieces for Coloradans to digest. “While the Colorado members of NFIB joined others in calling for a special session to address pending property tax increases, we were hoping for a bipartisan effort developing a plan based upon the intention of the voters when rejecting Proposition HH at the polls. Instead, Colorado citizens received majority party rule. We are now requesting Governor Polis call the Legislature back into Special Session, demanding legislation based upon the will of the voters. As Colorado’s leading small business association, we have long experience watching candidates run for office as friends of small business but behave quite the opposite once elected. Today’s milestone marks the first time they essentially rejected what the people won for themselves through the ballot box. Not a good day for either democracy or transparency.” Keep up with the latest Colorado small-business news at www.nfib.com/co or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_CO or on Facebook @NFIB.CO. ### For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com. NFIB Colorado 1700 Lincoln Street, 17th Floor Denver, CO 80203 303-860-1778 www.nfib.com/colorado Twitter: @NFIB_CO Facebook: NFIB.CO