The First Regular Session of the 74th General Assembly adjourned on May 8th. A full detailed report by Hicks & Associates on the activities of the legislature in 2023 can be viewed here. This article is a brief summary specifically pointing to legislation important to CNGA members.
The 2023 session convened on January 9th and there were many new faces at the Capitol, which is typical coming off an election year.
This year, fewer bills were introduced than during the previous two years – a total of 610 bills, 311 by the House and 299 by the Senate. There were 102 bills postponed indefinitely and a few more that died on the calendar.
Hicks & Associates reviewed every bill that was introduced to determine the possible effects it could have on GreenCO and business as a whole. GreenCO tracked over 40 bills and with the help of the Legislative Committee we were able to dive deeply into the bills and take positions on multiple pieces of legislation.
GreenCO collaborated closely with the General Assembly, as well as the agriculture industry, construction industry, and general business groups, on multiple pieces of legislation.
High priority bills for CNGA
SB23-192 Sunset Pesticide Applicators’ Act was up for renewal this year and was the top priority for GreenCO. Use of pesticides has been a hot topic at the Capitol for the past few sessions. GreenCO continues to work with Coloradans for Responsible Pesticide Application (CRPA) and other industry partners on all things pesticide related. To be proactive, GreenCO helped host a Pesticide Applicator Advocacy Day at the Capitol to speak with members of the legislature about the Sunset bill and pesticide regulation, as well as educate them. This proved beneficial.
GreenCO and CPRA had worked on this sunset over the last year. In working with the coalition, we kept our messaging pointed and fact/science-based. Together, we attended multiple stakeholder meetings, both prior to the session and during the session, and were able to get this bill passed without local preemption.
SB23-143 Retail Delivery Fees is a fix to SB21-260 Sustainability of the Transportation System, which looked to address long-term funding for the states crumbling infrastructure. One of the fees in the earlier bill, a retail delivery fee, had unintended consequences because the bill was interpreted differently than intended by the Department of Revenue. SB23-143 looked to fix this issue which affected multiple members of GreenCO’s associations. The bill will exempt retailers that have $500,000 or less of retail sales from the fee. The bill also allows the retailer to pay the fee on behalf of their customers and members won’t have to be responsible for itemizing the fee on every purchase. This may not be the ideal fix everyone was looking for but it adds clarity to the fee and the administration of it. Though the 2023 session is over, GreenCO associations need to stay engaged over the interim, which is expected to be busy.
