The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, along with 260 local, regional and state chambers of commerce have signed a letter urging Congress to resolve the impending insolvency of the federal Highway Trust Fund and pass a long-term federal transportation authorization bill. You can find a copy of the letter here.
The Chamber also announced positions on seven bills working their way through the Colorado General Assembly.
HB15-1227 Tax Credit for Employers that Pay Student Loans/Rep. KC Becker (D-Boulder) and Sen. Rollie Heath (D-Boulder)
Summary: The bill creates an income tax credit for employers who hire and retain new employees for a 12-month period and make payments directly to a lender for the new employee’s student loan incurred while earning an approved degree. The bill requires the degree to be an associate or bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, or a vocational certificate related to industry, manufacturing or information technology from a Colorado institution of higher education.
The Chamber supports HB15-1227 because it reinforces our ongoing desire to attract and retain a highly qualified and skilled workforce and ensures we are continuing to encourage creating a local workforce pipeline through education and workforce development programs.
HB15-1230 Innovative Industry Workforce Development Program/Rep. Pete Lee (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Rollie Heath (D-Boulder)
Summary: The bill creates the innovative industries workforce development program in the department of labor and employment to be jointly administered by the state workforce development council and the division of employment and training. The purpose of the program is to reimburse a business for one-half of its expenses related to a qualifying internship. A business may be reimbursed for up to five interns per location and up to 10 interns total. The maximum amount that a business may be reimbursed for each internship is $5,000. At least one-half of the reimbursement must be paid to the intern.
The Chamber supports HB15-1230 because it supports workforce development by increasing opportunity for interns in innovative industries and building the applicant pool for jobs in these key industries, which include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, construction, electronics, energy and natural resources, engineering, information technology industries and any other innovative industry as determined by the department. The bill incents companies to provide internships by offsetting some of the costs associated with hosting an intern.
HB15-1231 Enhanced Unemployment Compensation Benefits/Rep. Daneya Esgar (D-Pueblo) and Rep. Tracy Kraft Tharp (D-Arvada)
Summary: The bill reenacts the enhanced unemployment insurance compensation benefits for eligible unemployment insurance claimants that expired in 2014. Enhanced unemployment insurance compensation benefits are available to claimants who are enrolled and making satisfactory progress in an approved program that will train them for a high-demand occupation, a more stable occupation or a long-term occupation. An approved training program includes vocational training, a registered apprenticeship or an entrepreneurial training program. The availability of the enhanced unemployment insurance compensation benefits will expire on July 1, 2018.
The Chamber supports HB15-1231. While unemployment is declining overall in Colorado, this will help communities in Colorado with higher unemployment percentages that are more challenged to move workers into available jobs. The Chamber also supports that the bill is funded via General Fund dollars, rather than the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
HB15-1246 Crowdfund Intrastate Securities Online/Rep. Pete Lee (D-Colorado Springs) and Rep. Dan Pabon (D-Denver)
Summary: The bill enacts the “Colorado Crowdfunding Act” to facilitate crowdfunding for small businesses by authorizing online intermediaries to match a Colorado investor with a Colorado business that wishes to sell securities pursuant to a simplified regulatory regime. Crowdfunding cannot begin until the securities commissioner adopts rules to implement the act.
The Chamber supports HB15-1246 because it provides an additional means for small businesses to raise capital, which is beneficial to the economic development and growth of Colorado.
SB15-183 Quantify Water Rights Historical Consumptive Use/Sen. Mary Hodge (D-Brighton)
Summary: When a water judge decrees a change of water right, the bill requires that a quantification of the actual historical consumptive use of the water right be based on a representative study period that includes wet years, dry years and average years; does not include years of undecreed use of the water right; and need not include every year of the entire history of use of the water or periods of nonuse of the water right. The bill prohibits reconsideration or re-quantification of the historical consumptive use if the historical consumptive use has already been quantified in a previous change decree.
The Chamber supports SB15-183 as it preserves the value of water rights obtained through a change of ownership case, which may change over time as the owner’s needs change. This is beneficial to water suppliers in obtaining water rights to hold for future use and helps business by assuring water availability purchased by the water providers, preserving supplies in planning for future business and residential needs.
HB15-1171 State Freedom of Conscience Protection Act/Rep. Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock) and Rep. Stephen Humphrey (R-Severance) and Sen. Tim Neville (R-Littleton)
Summary: The bill specifies that no state action may burden a person’s exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless it is demonstrated that applying the burden to a person’s exercise of religion is essential to further a compelling governmental interest and the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest; provides a claim or defense to a person whose exercise of religion is burdened by state action; and specifies that nothing in the bill creates any rights by an employee against an employer unless the employer is a government employer.
The Chamber opposes HB15-1171. The Chamber’s focus is attracting and retaining the top talent. We are committed to opposing legislation that hampers our ability to do so. If passed, these bills would send a message that conflicts with the inclusive and collaborative culture here in Colorado that would put our ability to attract top companies and workers at risk. Colorado is open for business to everyone, and we want to keep it that way.
HB15-1161 Public Accommodation First Amendment Rights/Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt (R-Colorado Springs)
Summary: The bill specifies that neither the civil rights division, the civil rights commission nor a court with jurisdiction to hear civil actions brought under the public accommodations laws may compel involuntary speech, acts of involuntary artistic expression or involuntary religious expression by a person when such speech or acts of artistic or religious expression would lead to that person directly or indirectly participating in, directly or indirectly supporting or endorsing or impliedly endorsing an ideology, ceremony, creed, behavior or practice with which the person does not agree.
The Chamber opposes HB15-1161. The Chamber’s focus is attracting and retaining the top talent. We are committed to opposing legislation that hampers our ability to do so. If passed, these bills would send a message that conflicts with the inclusive and collaborative culture here in Colorado that would put our ability to attract top companies and workers at risk. Colorado is open for business to everyone, and we want to keep it that way.
Click here to view all the Chamber’s positions this session.
Jennifer Jones is the director of public affairs for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by: Ken Lund]