Advocacy Update

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Colorado Legislature

 

SB 23 – 213 Land Use

Position: Oppose

The Broomfield Chamber of Commerce is opposed to this bill. The Chamber does recognize affordable housing as one of the top issues facing our communities, and recognizes that the City and County of Broomfield has historically taken steps (and still does) that are appropriately tailored to our community to address the issue. In fact, Broomfield is recognized as one of the most forward-thinking communities in Colorado when it comes to affordable housing efforts.

In our opinion, this measure oversimplifies the affordable housing crisis as simply a shortage of housing supply and attempts to institute a top-down, state-wide strategy that does not take into consideration efforts that are already being undertaken in communities like Broomfield and could, in fact, supplant those efforts.
The Broomfield Area Chamber feels that this measure goes too far in inserting the state into local policy, and urges lawmakers to work toward solutions to the affordable housing crisis that include input from municipalities and residents alike.

Updated 4/19/2023

HB23 – 1215 Limits on Hospital Facility Fees

Position: Oppose as written

The Broomfield Chamber of Commerce is opposed to this measure, which would bar hospitals from collecting facility fees for telehealth, primary-care and preventive-health services. The Chamber does understand that the high costs of medical care are a concern, but feels that this measure is targeting the wrong area. Facility fees pay for staffing at facilities outside of the hospital setting, including nurses, technicians, administrative staff and even janitorial workers. Eliminating these fees would lead to closure of many outpatient clinics, driving patients back to longer waits and higher costs, and full hospital facilities.

The Broomfield Area Chamber feels that this measure, if approved, would threaten jobs, add expense, and limit patients’ access to care.

Updated 4/19/2023

 

HB 23 – 1243 Hospital Community Benefit

Position: Monitor

This bill would create a new definition of “community benefits” that is far more narrow than the current IRS reporting. The original language of the bill would have excluded charity care, research, training, and physician recruitment from being counted as community benefit.

There have been major changes to the bill since it was originally introduced. As such, The Broomfield Area Chamber has taken a position of “monitor” on this legislation.

Updated 4/19/2023

 

House Bill 1118, Fair Workweek Scheduling Bill

Position: Oppose

Broomfield Area Chamber Board of Directors has voted to oppose HB 1118, the “Fair Workweek” bill, as it is currently written.

HB 1118 imposes broad new regulations and restrictions on how employers manage employee workweek schedules and pay. While we, as a Chamber, can appreciate what the measure is attempting to do in protecting workers in certain industries, we agree with others in opposition that this measure, as written, will not only lead to costly new restrictions on employers in the hospitality industry, but also health care providers, public entities like schools, social service providers, and more.

We feel the bill fails to recognize the core business and operational needs of unpredictable industries. For many companies that are frequently faced with irregular workloads and demand, flexibility is a critical aspect of day-to-day business. If passed, HB 1118 would make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to adapt to these regular changes by adjusting employee schedules according to need. It’s simply not feasible to require that businesses set in stone employee schedules 2 weeks in advance, when anything from weather conditions, unexpected absences, or other unforeseen emergencies could drastically alter staffing needs.

We do believe that the needs of employees need to be considered by employers, and we applaud efforts to make that happen. And while HB 1118 is well-intended, in reality, we believe it will lead to less flexibility, fewer jobs, and lower pay for workers – all while exacerbating the labor challenges already faced by businesses in the Broomfield Area and throughout Colorado, and increasing the cost of doing business across our state.

Updated 2/21/2023