Member Portal

Back to News

A Look Back at the Session at State of the State

Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly Brough expressed disappointment with the process for engaging in policy debate during the just-concluded legislative session – for the business community and many others who worked to have their voice heard on issues ranging from oil and gas regulations to family leave time. “When a process […]

Download PDF

Denver Metro Chamber

Blog Author

Table of Content

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet Consectetur?

View All

Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kelly Brough expressed disappointment with the process for engaging in policy debate during the just-concluded legislative session – for the business community and many others who worked to have their voice heard on issues ranging from oil and gas regulations to family leave time.

“When a process is used to reduce a group’s ability to engage … I think that’s destructive; I think it diminishes trust instead of building trust,” Brough said at State of the State on Friday, a week following the close of the session.

During the session, the Chamber and its members fought to address policy like Senate Bill 188, FAMLI leave, which would have created a state-run family leave program funded by a $1-2 billion payroll tax on employees and employers. There was no guarantee that the program would be actuarially sound, raising alarms for the business community. While the Chamber supports family leave, its concern was that the program was not actuarially studied to ensure funding would be there when people need it most. After concerns were raised by many in the business community, the legislation was amended to a study on such a program.

DaVita CEO Kent Thiry moderates a conversation with Kelly Brough and Gov. Jared Polis.

“I’m very proud to represent a business community that said it’s not just about us, it’s about our workers and the other sectors as much as it is about employers,” Brough said during a conversation with Gov. Jared Polis moderated by Kent Thiry – outgoing CEO of DaVita, which was the presenting sponsor of the event.

Polis agreed that more information on the impacts of such a program are needed: “I was very happy that the outcome allows the time and space to get something of that magnitude right,” he said.

Brough noted that the off-season would be spent working with legislators to build stronger partnerships with legislators.

Despite the challenges, there were wins for the business community in education. The Chamber supported several bills to expand educational attainment opportunities, from a pilot program to allow schools to create innovative learning plans that include more hands-on experiences, to making concurrent enrollment classes transferable at Colorado colleges and universities and offering credit for competencies gained from work-based learning.

But, the challenges remain in a state where 74 percent of the workforce needs a post-secondary credential – the highest education needs in the country. “We’re nowhere near where we should be,” Brough said. “We have to figure out how we close the gap because the pipeline is leaking right now.”

Governor shares reflections of first session

Gov. Jared Polis

Polis shared his perspective on his first 120-day session with the audience of more than 700 metro area business leaders, noting, “We wasted no time in getting to work.”

He touted the passage of full-day kindergarten, which will start this fall; support for technology like blockchain in surprising industries such as agriculture; and the ballot referral of a question to voters to keep revenue in excess of the constitutional limitations of TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights). He also praised recent announcements of new jobs coming to the state from Checkr and Amazon.

“Come invest in Colorado!” Polis said.

Chamber turns attention towards ballot

Brough shared the Chamber’s support  the TABOR De-Brucing ballot measure and expressed support for finding new streams of revenue to help fund the state’s water plan.

She also shared concerns about a measure in Lakewood that would cap growth in the city.

“Whether you are concerned about water, transportation, air quality or affordable housing, not allowing our state and our region to develop more densely is about the worst possible strategy we could employ,” Brough said.

Bill Lindsay Named Robert Blankenship Heart Award Honoree

Bill Lindsay

Lindsay was recognized with the award, named in memory of Blankenship, the former chief operating officer of the Chamber and a steward of the business community.

Lindsay, principal of Lindsay3, has offered his time as a chair of the Chamber’s board of directors and has provided expertise and advocacy for small business and in navigating health care issues. Although Lindsay was unable to attend the event and accept the award in person, Children’s Hospital Colorado CEO Jena Hausmann read remarks on his behalf.

“I am especially honored and humbled to receive the Robert Blankenship Hear Award,” Hausmann read. “He was both my friend and my mentor, and thus to be the recipient of an award with his name on it is one of the most meaningful honors.”

Related Resources

View More Chamber in the News

View All Resources

Manage Workers’ Compensation Claims More Effectively in Four Steps

An employee gets injured on the job. What do you do? After asking those critical questions—“Are you okay? What hurts? What can I do to help?”—and getting them what they need, then what? That’s when the claims process starts. Knowing what steps to take beyond filing the initial claim can help mitigate your risks. Your […]

Our Strong Workforce

For many of us, Labor Day is the signal that summer is ending and school is beginning. But Labor Day was established at a time in our country (way back in 1894) when industrialization required that more managers begin to see workers less as an input into the business and more as the critical element […]

Chamber Weighs in on Ballot Measures

Voters can breathe a sigh of relief that they will not see ballot initiatives targeting the oil and gas industry on the ballot in November, avoiding a divisive and costly election battle. These initiatives would have damaged Colorado’s economy and created endless litigation, but Coloradoans again proved they can work together to find solutions instead […]

2 Things to Know about Colorado’s Civic Health (and How to Stay Civically Fit)

Colorado is consistently ranked as one of the most physically active states in the country, but are we leaders in civic health? Earlier this month, six major Colorado civic institutions, including the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, released the Colorado Civic Health Index, a report measure how actively citizens engage in their communities through activities […]
downloadmagnifiercrossmenuarrow-leftarrow-right