| Monday began with an added boost of energy and excitement. We entered the last full week of the legislative session. Of course, there is always a dose of reality to temper any good feelings. We began the week with 363 bills remaining in the pipeline and legislators continue to introduce new legislation. The House has introduced 470 bills to date, and the Senate has introduced 231 bills. There are several big issues items outstanding including a 2020 underpayment of TABOR refunds to Colorado citizens as well as property tax relief, oil and gas bills, artificial intelligence, and the list goes on.
As we reported to the membership yesterday, HB24-1351 Concerning the Sunset for the Division of Banking passed Senate Business Labor and Technology committee on Tuesday with Section 9 removed the bill. Section 9 authorized a credit union to purchase the assets and liabilities of a bank. This morning, the bill, as amended, passed Senate Appropriations committee. The bill will be debated on the Senate floor today. We anticipate a fierce debate. Both sides are passionate about this issue.
On May 1, 2024, Governor Polis signed SB24-066 Concerning Merchant Category Codes. CBA was successful in amending this legislation to apply to the highest gross revenues attributed to firearms sales and accessories for a merchant located in Colorado.
Today, the Senate Business Labor and Technology committee will hear HB24-1260 Concerning Prohibition Against Employee Discipline. This is an anti-union busting bill, but the legislation goes beyond that and would prohibit an employer from discussing any information that an employee may deem political or religious. The committee chair announced yesterday that all bills on the calendar will have one panel witness proponents and one panel of witness opponents. And testimony is limited to one minute per witness. All other testimony must be submitted in writing. This is how far behind they are!
A final thought: Thank you for your support throughout this legislative session. You have responded to each Call to Action (and there will be one more), you have engaged and advocated, and many of you have testified or just shown up. Thank you. ◼
Alison Morgan, Director of State Government Relations |
