CRBC Legislative Update - the first seven weeks (only- gasp!)

In a ram-and-jam style that would make Nancy Pelosi proud, Governor Ritter and his Democrat-controlled Legislature seem intent on driving business away from Colorado and crippling the ones that stay.

Not yet half-way through the session and there have been a barrage of bills to increase taxes, neatly circumventing TABOR by a single statement in a Court decision that opined that repealing tax exemptions were not really tax increases and therefore not subject to a TABOR vote of the citizens. (Ritter's "Dirty Dozen" HB1189-1198)

Other highlights:
Attempts that may be likened to mob extortion by the State to wrest more control or pay-offs from Pinnacol Assurance, the private sector funded workers comp insurance program. (HB1009; HB1012)


We got more than half a loaf in reforming PERA, but the structural problem still exists: why should public sector employees and spouse enjoy a generous Defined Benefit after retirement at age 60 until they die, when the best a private sector worker can hope for is a Defined Contribution to his or her retirement plan and a pathetic return on their confiscated Social Security payment? (SB001)


In a cynical move to offset the job-killing effect of Ritter’s Dirty Dozen and other State regulations to stifle business, an income tax credit of $4,000 to re-hire employees you couldn’t afford to keep in 2009. (SB133)


“Economic Justice” A limit on tax deductibility for salary and compensation in excess of $250,000. The Federal cap is $1M. It’s basically a message to business: don’t bring your national HQ to CO, and we don’t want successful small businesses either. (HB1263)


More “economic justice” – Rather than layoff employees, cut back their hours and then have each one file for unemployment insurance commensurate to their lost wages. That way, the State can redistribute the pain of the recession to the businesses that still have customers and are keeping their heads above water. (SB28)


DOA: Republican bills that are bonafide solutions to healthcare costs and accessibility – a moratorium on adding to Colorado’s 51 mandates and selling insurance across state lines. (HB1154; HB1163)


Also DOA: Republican bills to stop the madness of continual personal property tax by a pilot program to reimburse counties that stop receiving monies from personal property tax on items that are fully depreciated (SB085) and by creating a system that stops taxing fully depreciated items over a 13-year timeframe. (SB086)


Efforts to get some justice for the 39 Colorado auto dealerships that were arbitrarily shutdown when Government Motors took control of the company and the Chrysler bondholders saw decades of securities law turned on its head. (HB1049)


Nanny Statism at its finest: a proposed ban and severe penalties for those who manufacture or sell cosmetics, shampoos, sun screen, deodorant or any other product you put on or near your body that may have any of 700 trace elements that might cause cancer. (HB1248)



Read blog comments for more info on specific bills. The hits just keep coming! Stay tuned.