2017 Grand Junction Area Chamber Legislative Trip Participants
During the last week of February close to 50 members of the Grand Junction Chamber Board of Directors, Governmental Affairs Committee and Mesa County Leadership Class spent two days at the State Capitol learning about issues facing the state from members of the General Assembly and the Governor’s Cabinet. But long before that the Chamber was active taking positions on bills as they were introduced through our Governmental Affairs Committee structure. This committee meets about every two weeks with lawmakers to learn what is going on under the dome and take positions on bills that affect our job creators. Shown below are a few of the bills that the Chamber has officially weighed in on so far, this session.
Bills Supported:
- HB17-1037: Concerning the use of deadly physical force against a person who has made an illegal entry into a place of business. This bill allows local small business owners and managers the same protections from prosecution as currently afforded to homeowners.
- SB17-035: Concerning tampering with oil and gas equipment would make it a felony to tamper with and cause damage to this expensive equipment.
- HB17-1090: (Kraft-Tharp (D) &Wilson (R)|Gardner(R) & Kefalas (D)) – Concerning the Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit. This bill extends for five (5) years the advanced industry tax credit which we supported when it passed in 2014. The credit of up to $50,000 is available to investors who invest in qualifying small businesses in advanced industries.
- HB17-1070: (Wilson) Concerning the use of unmanned aircraft systems to perform government functions relating to public safety and in connection therewith requiring the Center for Excellence Within the Department of Public Safety to perform a study and operate a pilot program.
- HB17-1113: (Willett (R) & Ardnt (D)) Allow Electronic Committee Participation During Interim. This bill simply allows the executive committee of the legislative council to allow members of the general assembly to participate in interim committees electronically. In our efforts to ensure rural Colorado is heard in the legislative process we see this bill as a logical tool to allow our rural legislative partners easier and more economical access to the legislative interim committee process.
- HB17-1124: (Buck (R)|Neville (R)) Local Government Liable Fracking Ban Oil and Gas Moratorium. This bill holds the local government that enacts a moratorium on or bans hydraulic fracturing of oil & gas wells liable for the costs, damages, and losses of fair market value and must compensate operators, mineral lessees, and royalty owners accordingly.
- HB 17-1152: (Willett and Mitch-Bush) Concerning the authority of a federal mineral lease district to manage and invest a portion of the direct disbursement of money from the local government mineral impact fund to counties for the benefit of impacted areas.
- SB-17-001: (Neville and Neville) Concerning methods to alleviate the fiscal impact of state regulations on small businesses.
Bills Opposed:
- HB17-1001: Concerning the ability of an employee of an employer, who employs at least fifty employees, to take up to 18 hours of leave from work for purposes of attending his or her child’s academic activities. While a laudable goal, this bill hinders the ability of businesses to manage their employees.
- HB17-1068: Concerning a requirement that the Department of Transportation consider only proposals for public-private initiatives that will pay prevailing wages for construction labor.
- SB17-088: (Holbert (R) & Williams(D)|Van Winkle (R) & Hooten (D)) – Concerning Provider Network Selection Criteria. This bill requires health plans to make available the criteria used to select and remove providers from its networks. Requires health plans that use quality metrics to narrow networks to use nationally recognized quality standards and make them at least 50% of the total standard for narrowing a network.
Click here to download full version of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce March 2017 Newsletter.