The Sum & Substance

05/09/2025

How does one evaluate this chaotic, consequential legislative session? I got a little help from Colorado Chamber of Commerce and COGA leaders:

Employers found much success on defense and some victories on offense, but it's likely several legislative battles will be fought again soon.

05/08/2025

The sponsor of a major shakeup to Colorado's workers' compensation system made a big move on the bill with just hours to go in the 2025 session:

Also, legislators gave final approval to bills that seek reform pharmacy benefit managers and cut emissions from commercial buildings.

05/08/2025

Groups like Colorado Chamber of Commerce tried for months to get major changes to this wage-theft bill that they warned could be financially burdensome even to good actors:

Colorado's governor has indicated he is likely to sign HB 1001 after vetoing a wage-theft bill last year focused on construction contractors.

05/06/2025

UPDATE: The Colorado House passed this bill on a 43-21, Democrat-led party-line vote just now:

The bill to eliminate the Labor Peace Act's mandated second unionization election is likely to get its final official approval on Tuesday.

05/05/2025

This move will create even more uncertainty for the AI sector in Colorado:

The bill's sponsor could not reach consensus between business leaders and consumers groups. Now questions hang over AI regulations.

05/05/2025

Despite the budget deficit, there are still a couple of financial boons for certain businesses moving through the Colorado Legislature:https://tsscolorado.com/two-tax-break-expansions-overcoming-obstacles-advancing-through-legislature/

05/02/2025

Colorado has one of the fastest-growing senior populations in the U.S. But if you are looking for an assisted-living facility, particularly if you are on Medicaid, they are getting harder to find:

While one bill moving through the Legislature offers help, another raises concerns that assisted-living expenses are growing too rapidly.

05/01/2025

From labor requests to compel healthcare proposals to AI regulations, there is a lot left on legislators' plates:

The story examines 20 bills whose fates will be sealed by legislative votes in the final week of the Colorado General Assembly's 2025 session.

04/30/2025

"Never has Polis gone out on such a limb as this against bipartisan coalitions to defend a technology sector that launched his business and public careers — and been able to win battles for that sector against seemingly long odds":

The governor has vetoed one bill to boost regulation on social-media companies and stopped two others with veto threats.

04/29/2025

Colorado Hospital Association leaders have vowed to contribute $40M over the next two years to this new fund for safety-net providers:

Senate Bill 290 could raise $200 million for safety-net clinics without limiting hospitals' revenues. It passed the Senate 33-1 on Monday.

04/25/2025

A weekend read: How a coalition led by BOMA Denver changed a regulatory bill to its industry's benefit:

Under the rewritten bill, commercial buildings face lower fines for not meeting decarbonization goals and have more say in future rules.

04/24/2025

This effort, opposed by groups like the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, is done for this legislative session, its sponsor said yesterday:

Sponsors said Wednesday that they were killing the bill requiring labels on gas pumps for this year, leaving the door open to future efforts.