The Sum & Substance

One sponsor called the pared-down #coleg bill a "carcass." But representatives from groups like the @ColoradoChamber said there's still a good deal that employers should worry about in it: tsscolorado.com/bill-to-help-w…

Earlier this #coleg session, Colorado agricultural leaders killed a bill to make it harder to use a common pesticide and tamped down a bill to make it harder to use rat poisons. On Thursday, they scored another victory on the issue of overtime thresholds: tsscolorado.com/struggling-far…

A policy working group assembled by @GovofCO that's been working since October to rewrite the most troubling provisions of Colorado's yet-to-be-enacted AI regulations has reached consensus on a new framework, Polis announced Tuesday. Here's the details: tsscolorado.com/working-group-…

Once again, #coleg members will debate this week whether the state needs to do more to protect workers laboring in extreme temperatures. The bill is quite different than last year's version, but business opposition remains. Here's why: tsscolorado.com/legislators-re…

On this week's episode of @ColoradoChamber Office Hours, a primary sponsor of two bills to raise taxes and fees on alcohol sales and the executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild discuss the potential ramifications of the proposals: tsscolorado.com/march-16-color…

A weekend read: Two bills would hike fees/taxes on Colorado alcohol producers by a combined 150% to fund alcohol-disorder treatment and a mental-health hospital. Proponents say the sectors are undertaxed. Industry leaders say the cost would be crushing: tsscolorado.com/bills-seek-to-…

There is a universal desire in #coleg for government to help coal-industry workers who are losing jobs in the transition to cleaner energy. But there was a split over whether private employers should have to be a part of the solution too: tsscolorado.com/polis-signs-la…

When the #coleg House Speaker, Senate president and minority leaders from both chambers are the primary sponsors on a bill, you know it's got significant bipartisan support: tsscolorado.com/legislative-le…

“When you increase your corporate income tax by 50%, that sends a message that you don’t want investment in Colorado," one business lobbyist testified: tsscolorado.com/unholy-trinity…

UPDATE: #coleg haș delayed the hearing on the extreme-temperatures bill one week, until March 18. But, hey, you can still get ahead of the debate by listening to this week's episode of @ColoradoChamber Office Hours and hearing what's at stake: tsscolorado.com/march-9-colora…

Two years ago, #coleg members fought with rideshare companies about regulations. Last year, it was about a rider-safety proposal. This week, the fight will shift to whether companies like @Uber and @lyft should be able to keep more than 20% of ride fares: tsscolorado.com/legislators-ba…

Should Colorado take more oversight for workers laboring outside when it's very hot or very cold? Rep. Meg Froelich, #coleg sponsor of a bill to do that, and Michael Gifford, advocacy director of AGC Colorado, debate the question on the latest episode: tsscolorado.com/march-9-colora…

A weekend read: One big #healthcare battle is over at #coleg. But fights about #HealthInsurance and debt collection, among others, are on the horizon: tsscolorado.com/hospitals-win-…

This is an extremely significant bill from @McCluskieforCO and Rep. Rick Taggart for remaking a state workforce-development system that is siloed and, despite state leaders' best intentions, too often does not put students onto career pathways: tsscolorado.com/new-bill-resha…

Two #coleg bills have sought to ban pesticides common to the #Agriculture industry. While farmers and ranchers are pushing back with some success, groups like Colorado Farm Bureau say it's adding up to "death by a thousand cuts": tsscolorado.com/pesticide-regu…

Sponsors sought to require pricing of goods in high-traffic venues to resemble the costs of meals and drinks in the surrounding area. Bipartisan critics questioned whether the consumers they sought to protect were really captive to excessive pricing: tsscolorado.com/legislators-re…

Late last week, a bipartisan group of #coleg members decided this bill was not a good idea. Here's why: tsscolorado.com/committee-kill…

Should federal regulatory rollbacks be met with equal regulatory increases from the state government, at least in the area of workplace safety? That's the theory behind this #coleg bill that eked out of its first committee last night: tsscolorado.com/legislators-mo…

Colorado wants to boost geothermal exploration and carbon capture, among other energy sectors. The question is: Would #coleg bringing all of these areas under state permitting rather than federal permitting help those efforts or hurt them? tsscolorado.com/colorado-seeks…

Could this speed up permitting for geothermal and other kinds of wells in Colorado, or will is just create more rules for a highly regulated industry? A #coleg debate: tsscolorado.com/colorado-seeks…