An NCLA Debrief on Key Issues Affecting NoCo Business
In an ever-evolving political landscape, the 2022 Legislative Session finally ended on May 11. After three years of policy turmoil for Colorado’s business sector, the session offered a mixed bag of policy outcomes on the key issues affecting businesses in Northern Colorado.
In important areas, namely environment and labor policy matters, the policy decisions emerging from the 2022 legislative session will contribute to a further erosion of Colorado’s competitiveness. As reported last fall, Colorado dropped from the 11th most business-friendly state to No. 29 in just one cycle of CNBC’s Top States for Business Rating. The Metro Denver EDC estimated that this decline is in large part due to our policy environment.
There were some bright spots in an otherwise dim session. NCLA’s highest priority to backfill the fully depleted Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and repay the federal UI loan was accomplished with a $600M commitment from the available ARPA dollars addresses over a quarter of the $2B hole and will forestall the imposition of a UI Premium Surcharge upon businesses across the state.