Last week, a Texas federal District Court placed a temporary nationwide injunction blocking implementation of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime rule scheduled to go into effect on December 1. Responding to lawsuits filed by 21 states and a coalition of business groups, the court found that Congress intended for exempt status to be based on an employee’s…
Confused about whether Amendment 71 is about minimum wage or tobacco taxes? Want to learn more about the local candidates and their views on business? Then look no further than the Chamber’s Voter Guide which is now available online. Mail in ballots will be arriving around mid-October and we urge all members to vote and…
As this newsletter goes to print, the Colorado Secretary of State continues to review petitions and certify measures for the November ballot. Shown below are business related ballot measures that have already been certified for the ballot that the Chamber has taken positions on: Amendment 71 Increasing Requirements for Constitutional Amendments (Raise the Bar) – Chamber Supports…
The Chamber’s next Quarterly Membership Luncheon, sponsored by ANB Bank is Monday, September 19th at the Grand Vista Hotel. Candidates for the two Mesa County Commissioner seats will be on hand to share their perspectives on business issues in the community. Confirmed to attend are: District 1 Candidates John Justman (incumbent) R Mel Mulder D…
As expected, the second half of the year is ramping up rather quickly and the Chamber staff and board are hard at work. This year seems to be busier than normal with it being an election year and all the ballot measures, the Grand Valley Drainage District (GVDD) lawsuit and our first ever Total Resource…
The Chamber Board of Directors took action this month to oppose the $12 per hour minimum wage ballot initiative which turned in over 200,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office last week. The measure proposed to raise the minimum wage 90 cents on January 1, 2017 and ratchet up to $12 by January 1,…
As many as 15 to 17 ballot issues will be voted on in Colorado this fall and many of them will have adverse impacts on businesses and the business climate. Conversely there are some ballot measures aimed at stemming this ballot overload which has resulted in our state constitution being more than double the length…
The lawsuit filed by the Grand Junction Area Chamber and Mesa County challenging the legality of a new annual fee assessment by the Grand Valley Drainage District is now in the hands of District Court. Briefs have been filed by all parties to the original complaint, as well, as the request for an injunction. We…
Late last month the Department of Labor unveiled the new overtime regulations. The Chamber joined other business organizations under the leadership of the U.S. Chamber to weigh in on the rules during their comment period late last year. Here are the bullet points of the new rules: The salary threshold will be increased to $47,476…
On May 3rd, you may be eligible to vote in an election that you may not even be aware of. If you are a landowner, resident and registered voter in Grand Valley District 1, which is an area from 20 Road west to Kiefer Extension (approximately 12 Road), and from the Colorado River north to…