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Proposition JJ: Retain Additional Sports Betting Tax Revenue |
This measure would allow the state to retain sports betting tax revenue collected above the $29 million previously approved by voters and use the money for water projects rather than refunding it to casinos and sports betting operators.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce supports Proposition JJ. In 2019, Colorado voters approved legalizing sports betting and taxing it at 10% of net proceeds to fund projects identified in the state water plan. Since the ballot’s initial passage, tax revenue has exceeded the amount estimated and previously approved and Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires that retention and spending of additional funding must be approved by the voters. If passed, approximately $2.5 million more will go to water projects, or else funds will be refunded to the casinos and sports betting operators who collected it. Our recommendation is to support the measure, given that voters have already given their approval to the source of funding for critical state water projects.
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Referred Question 2U: Collective Bargaining |
Establishes collective bargaining as a method of setting compensation and certain terms and conditions of employment for certain city employees, while granting certain employees a right to strike in the event of an impasse in bargaining negotiations only if such strike will not substantially threaten the public health, welfare, or safety.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce opposes Referred Question 2U. While we appreciate the pragmatic approach to this measure, we believe that a free-market approach best supports Colorado’s economic success at all levels, including within our government.
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Initiated Ordinance 308: Prohibition of Fur Products |
The measure prohibits the manufacture, distribution, display, sale, or trade of certain animal fur products in the City.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce opposes Initiated Ordinance 308. The measure would end the sale and manufacture of fur in the City of Denver. On top of impacting individual retailers, the ban would prohibit many vendors from selling items at the National Western Stock Show. Each winter, nearly 700,000 people visit the Stock Show, generating over $170 million in net economic activity across Colorado, and the inability to sell cowboy hats and numerous other products featured at the Stock Show jeopardizes the Stock Show’s ability or even desire to remain in Denver. The measure threatens to cost Colorado the Stock Show and leave 50,000 metro Denver hotel rooms empty each January.
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Ballot Issue 2Q: Denver Health Funding |
Establishes a 0.34% sales and use tax to fund services provided by Denver Health, equivalent to 3.4 cents on every $10 purchase. Funds would be used for emergency and trauma care, primary care, mental health care, addiction treatment and recovery services, and pediatric care.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce supports Ballot Issue 2Q. Denver Health provides vital services to the Denver community and is a critical institution for supporting the health of the city. While the cost of care is quickly outpacing revenue – a jump from $42 million to treat uninsured patients in 2019 to $102 million in 2023 - the city’s contribution to Denver Health has stayed steady in recent years. Despite Denver Health’s implementation of cost-cutting measures, such as changes to employee benefits and a hiring freeze, without an infusion of funding, clinic closures and staff layoffs will be required to balance the budget.
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Initiated Ordinance 309: Slaughterhouse Ban |
The measure would prohibit slaughterhouses within the city, putting 160 employees at a single employee-owned business out of work.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce opposes Initiated Ordinance 309. A recent Colorado State University study found that the proposed ban could cost Colorado up to $861 million. While passage of the ban would likely result in 600 jobs lost in the City of Denver, more than 2,700 jobs statewide, including ranchers, truckers, distributors, retailers, butchers, restaurant owners, and food service workers, are at risk. If this measure were to pass, it would have a significant economic impact on Colorado, leading to a projected loss of $382 million. Like the Fur Ban, the measure also has the potential to cost Colorado the Stock Show, a threat to the overall economic health of the state.
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Ballot Issue 7A: RTD TABOR |
The “debrucing” measure would make RTD's current voter-approved exemptions to its TABOR revenue limit permanent, enabling the District to retain the revenue necessary to provide sufficient level of service. If passed in November, the proposed ballot question would extend the current voter authorization for RTD to retain and spend all revenue without further voter approval.
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce supports Ballot Issue 7A. A successful RTD system is critical to our region’s economic success, which is why the DMCC has been a long-time supporter of RTD. The agency currently has temporary voter-approved exemptions, and without new voter approval, TABOR limits will kick in and apply to about half of its annual revenue– nearly $670 million. How much would be refunded to voters depends on a number of economic factors, but it is estimated that if TABOR limits were in effect in 2022, RTD would have had to refund around $50 million. Voters have already approved the funding, and the DMCC believes it should be retained in support of the intended, voter-approved purpose, which benefits residents, businesses and visitors throughout the Denver Metro area.
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