2024 Legislative Agenda

For questions or concerns on any of these policies, or if you have a story to share, please email angelique@goodbusinessco.org.

🍃 CLIMATE 🍃

TOP PRIORITY 👉🏼✅SB24-166 Air Quality Enforcement: SB24-166 aims to strengthen air quality enforcement by increasing maximum fines for violations and enhancing transparency measures, addressing concerns about repeated violations by some of Colorado's biggest polluters. This bill seeks to protect vulnerable communities and promote a healthier environment by providing more accountability and oversight for violators of local air quality regulations.

✅SB24-095 Air Quality Ozone Levels: summary forthcoming

✅SB24-037 Study Green Infrastructure for Water Quality Management: summary forthcoming

✅SB24-032 Methods to Increase the Use of Transit: summary forthcoming

FAILED -BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME! ✅SB24-159 Mod to Energy & Carbon Management Processes: This bill would phase out new oil and gas drilling permits, allowing existing operations to continue until they run dry, as long as 40 years or more. It would also hold polluters responsible for clean up. The measures in SB24-159 are essential for phasing out the detrimental impacts of oil and gas extraction on the outdoor recreation industry, businesses that rely on tourism, and businesses in every industry now paying a premium due to increased environmental risks and damaging events.

🩺 HEALTHCARE 🩺

🚨ACTION: Sign on for affordable healthcare! HB24-1075 Analysis of Universal Health-Care Payment System | FACT SHEET

TOP PRIORITY 👉🏼✅HB24-1075 Analysis of Universal Health-Care Payment System: HB24-1075 would follow up on and leverage the significant data already compiled in a 2019 report by conducting a detailed feasibility analysis of a statewide publicly financed healthcare system in Colorado, including how to finance it, and the impact to the economic sector. The study would explore the option of a publicly financed health care system that could make it easier to grow, providing good jobs for Coloradans in their industries.

FAILED -BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME! ✅HB24-1005 Health Insurers Contract with Qualified Providers: summary forthcoming

❌SB24-060 Prescription Drug Affordability Board Exempt Orphan Drugs: This bill sets a hazardous precedent that could gut the efficacy of the Affordability Board and its ability to ensure people have access to affordable prescription drugs- especially individuals diagnosed with rare diseases or conditions. The complexities of our current healthcare system require comprehensive solutions. However, SB24-060 is a step in the wrong direction and can impede Colorado residents from having access to the medications they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

🏠 HOUSING 🏠

🚨ACTION: Sign on for affordable housing! HB24-1152 Accessory Dwelling Units | FACT SHEET

🚨ACTION: 📨EMAIL or 📞CALL your Senator and urge them to vote YES on HB24-1313 and HB24-115

TOP PRIORITY 👉🏼✅HB24-1152 Accessory Dwelling Units: This bill is aimed at addressing the housing shortages in Colorado. It would remove the red tape that keeps homeowners from building accessory dwelling units (ADUs aka granny flats) on their property. It would also provide funding to local governments helping working people afford housing.

⚠️SB24-174 Sustainable Affordable Housing Assistance: Addresses the important step of analyzing local and regional housing needs and planning to meet those needs. However, the bill needs stronger affordability, anti-displacement, anti-sprawl, and accountability provisions and needs to specifically align and interact appropriately with other housing bills (HB24-1152, HB24-1007, HB24-1313) and Prop 123.

PASSED! GOV SIGNED, IT’S A LAW! ✅HB24-1007 Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits: This bill would require local governments to base occupancy limits on health an safety and not on familial relationship. It allows for greater inclusivity for various family and household structures and represents a crucial step forward in addressing pressing issues related to housing.

✅HB24-1313 Transit Oriented Communities: Promotes denser and more affordable housing near transit, jobs, and other resources. This type of housing product is sorely needed in Colorado to accommodate the needs of the workforce, make transit more efficient, and reduce overall carbon footprint.

💲 TAXES, FEES & REGUALTIONS 💲

🚨ACTION: Sign on to our first GBC-led bill! SB24-152 Regenerative Agriculture Tax Credit | FACT SHEET

TOP PRIORITY 👉🏼✅SB24-152 Regenerative Agriculture Tax Credit: This bill would incentivize Colorado food and beverage businesses to shift purchasing power towards local, regenerative food. The bill would provide a tax credit to on-premise food and beverage businesses equal to 25% of the amount paid for verified local, regeneratively produced agricultural products.

✅HB24-1004 Ex-Offenders Practice in Regulated Occupations: House Bill 24-1004 would open access to occupational licensing, helping to grow our economy, encourage entrepreneurship, and make communities safer through lower recidivism. By joining the 39 other states that have eliminated or eased licensing barriers for people with criminal records, our legislature can address the labor shortage and ensure Colorado remains a top place to do business for years to come.

✅HB24-1014 Deceptive Trade Practice Significant Impact Standard: Unfair or deceptive trade practices have a considerable effect on the public. Currently, the Colorado Consumer Protection Act requires a significant amount of harm before consumers have an avenue for recompense. This simplification of the system will better protect consumers, promote honest competition among businesses, and discourage unfair competition.

✅HB24-1015 Workplace Suicide Prevention Education: summary forthcoming

FAILED -BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME! ✅HB24-1061 Marijuana Industry & Social Equity: This bill aims to reform the social equity program in the marijuana entrepreneur fund by expanding the licensing opportunities available, creating reporting requirements for social equity licenses, creating a tax credit for an accelerator-endorsed licensee that offers technical and capital support to a social equity licensee and providing grants to allow for social equity programming.

✅HB24-1095 Increasing Protections for Minor Workers: In an effort to better protect children from unsafe working conditions, this bill outlines accountability measures for businesses that violate child labor laws by increasing penalties for violations, ramping up reporting requirements and shielding workers and violation reporters from employer retaliation.

✅HB24-1133 Criminal Record Sealing & Expungement Changes: summary forthcoming

PASSED! GOV SIGNED, IT’S A LAW! ✅SB24-025 Update Local Government Sales & Use Tax Collection: Senate Bill SB24-025 tackles the challenges posed by the fragmented nature of Colorado's current tax administration statutes. By modernizing and clarifying these laws, SB24-025 aims to streamline tax collection, enhance transparency, accessibility, and fairness, ultimately reducing administrative burdens, improving compliance rates, and supporting small business growth in Colorado.

✅SB24-020 Alcohol Beverage Delivery & Takeout: The permit allowing businesses to deliver or allows customers to take alcohol beverages from their premises is set to expire on July 1, 2025. SB24-020 removes this expiration, ensuring ongoing authorization for alcohol beverage delivery and takeout by specified licensees, providing vital support for businesses and consumers while also holding potential for enhancing public safety by reducing the risks associated with impaired driving.