The Second Regular Session of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly will convene on Jan. 10, 2024, for its annual 120-day session. A recurrent theme throughout the last several years doesn’t seem to be changing this upcoming session. Colorado businesses will continue to be on the defensive on many issues! Yes, it is an election year, so we could see less earthshattering legislation than last year but that’s not guaranteed.
As we wrap up 2023, it was a busy interim for CNGA/GreenCO. We attended multiple interim committee meetings, which include the Sales and Use Tax Simplification Task Force, Transportation Legislation Review Committee, the Committee on Ozone Air Quality, as well as the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee that just became a year-round committee. As usual, there were multiple bills approved in the interim committees which include issues addressing Sales and Use Tax, nonfunctional turf in new developments and many more that we continue to stay engaged on.
Usually, when mid-November rolls around, everyone is gearing up for the upcoming session, but this year we saw the Governor call a Special Session. The General Assembly Special Session convened Nov. 17, 2023 to address property taxes in the state, since Proposition HH failed to get the voters’ approval this past November. The session lasted four days and there were multiple bills passed to address not only property tax but also TABOR Refunds and assistance for renters. It is anticipated that property tax will continue to be an issue during the 2024 session.
Each year CNGA/GreenCO authors our legislative priorities. These priorities include several topics to help us continue to educate the General Assembly, State Agencies, and the general public on our priorities and expertise. Below are the areas we focus on for our priorities.
Pesticide Regulation – The Pesticide issues have not gone away, and the 2024 session will have a few attempts at some unresolved issues that were not dealt with in 2023. We continue to educate the General Assembly on this topic and work with a larger coalition in addressing all pesticide legislations.
Water – The General Assembly made water a top priority last year as we saw multiple bills to address it. We expect to see more legislation this year including a bill on nonfunctional turf in new developments which we have been engaged on.
Infrastructure – Over the past few years we have seen the General Assembly address infrastructure in the state by funding it. We will continue to support legislation that will work to fix and support infrastructure throughout the state.
Industry Regulation and Business Practices – The Colorado business community continues to be on the defensive and we will continue to stay engaged on additional regulations as well as legislation that supports our industry and businesses.
Sales & Use Tax – CNGA/GreenCO has participated in the simplification of sales and use tax for years now, and we will continue to support legislation that simplifies the complex and burdensome tax system in Colorado.
Education & Workforce – The General Assembly has prioritized workforce development the last couple of years but there is still a huge workforce shortage. We will continue to work with a large business coalition to try and address this growing problem.
Once the GreenCO Legislative Committee finalizes the 2024 Legislative Priorities we will share it with all members.
As we gear up for the 2024 Legislative Session, we ask that all CNGA/GreenCO members stay engaged. More engagement from members means better outcomes at the General Assembly. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to reach out to us at lobby@lobbyco.com.
