The First Regular Session of the 74th General Assembly was marked by historic Democratic majorities in both chambers - a supermajority in the House and a near-supermajority in the Senate. In addition to the balance of power, there were many new faces at the Capitol – over 30% of the 100 legislators were newly elected. The combination of these factors led to incredibly ambitious policy agendas on climate, education, employment, healthcare, housing, public safety, tax policy, and other issues.

Major policy issues this session included the budget, education, energy & environment, general business, gun violence, healthcare, housing & land use, property & casualty insurance, property taxes, reproductive rights, and water.

The December 2022 forecast showed Colorado’s economic growth following the COVID-19 recovery was continuing but starting to show signs of slowing down. The Legislature entered the session knowing that the budget picture was much tighter than it had been in previous years, in part due to the rolling-off of historic federal funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The March forecast was largely unchanged from December on the economics side and available General Fund spending modestly improved. Given the uncertainty over forthcoming economic headwinds, the Joint Budget Committee maintained a healthy reserve and had roughly $500 million in excess funds to spend above the FY23-24 operating budgets for the executive and judicial branches. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) was able to make significant investments in K-12 education, Universal Preschool implementation, property tax relief, workforce, and more.

Two bills the Partnership took a position on and are excited to see become law include:

SB23-001 Authority of Public-Private Collaboration Unit for Housing

This bill allows the Authority of Public-Private Collaboration in the Department of Administration to engage in housing projects on unused state properties.

SB23-065 Career Development Success Program

The Colorado Career Development Incentive Program pays $1,000 to school districts for each student who earns an industry-recognized credential that would allow that student to walk into a job after graduation. The bill extends CDIP for 10 years, increases funding for the program to $10 million, and makes other programmatic changes.

We also joined business groups around the state to oppose a variety of legislation, including:

HB23-1118, which would have created one of, if not the, most restrictive scheduling and labor laws in the United States. The bill would have required predictive scheduling requirements for a litany of employers, largely in the food and beverage industry. The bill was arguably the most contentious bill of the first half of the session, and the business community raised substantial concerns that ultimately defeated the bill in the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee on a vote of 8-2.

HB23-1215 prohibits certain healthcare providers from charging facilities fees for services provided via telehealth or for preventative and primary care services in outpatient settings. As introduced, the bill faced fierce opposition from hospitals over concerns that such limitations will threaten the financial viability of some hospitals, especially those in rural settings. Sponsors responded to those concerns by exempting rural hospitals from the bill’s requirements and took some aspects of the bill from requirements under law into issues that will be studied by the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on May 10, 2023.

Legislators will be busy this interim as they tackle a host of new and existing interim committees and task forces. Without a General Election this November, legislators will also develop their priorities for legislation in the 2024 Session. We look forward to continuing to be a voice for business at the state capital.

Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com