The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Wednesday rolled out their first round of endorsements, or not, of legislation introduced in the first full week of the General Assembly.

And it’s as notable for what they endorsed, or didn’t endorse, or didn’t address at all.

Topping the list, Senate Bill 1, the transportation package backed by Republicans, which isn’t on their list at all.

Last week, 21 business groups, including several chambers of commerce from around the state, sent a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper, advocating for $300 million per year in the state budget to begin to tackle a portion of the state’s $20 billion wish list for transportation. The signatories including many of those who advocated for last year’s transportation solution, which eventually failed in the state Senate Finance Committee.

Missing among the signatories, according to the Denver Business Journal: the Colorado Contractors Association, the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Tuesday, Denver Metro Chamber CEO Kelly Brough sent her own letter to lawmakers. While she cheered the $148 million Hickenlooper has pledged to transportation in the 2018-19 budget, and the nearly $2 billion devoted to transportation from last year’s omnibus rural Colorado bill, it’s far from enough.

Brough suggested another $148 million, to come out of existing revenues, to cover maintenance and operations for the Colorado Department of Transportation. She did not address the possibility of a ballot measure this November, although the Chamber is believed to be working with the contractors’ group on such a measure.

The Chamber’s list of endorsed bills also includes another area that has moved up higher in priority: water, and in particular, recycled water.

Recycled water is water that has been used once, treated and is ready for reuse, largely for irrigation. It’s an area within the Colorado water plan that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but has the potential for a lot of bang for the buck.

The Chamber’s interest comes at a time when the water plan’s future is unknown, given that its chief proponent is leaving office in one year. Where the plan fits within the agenda of those who seek to replace him is not yet known.

Brough told Colorado Politics recently that the Chamber’s interest comes from the effort to move the water plan forward. The time “seems right for the opportunity to recognize that Colorado is not as advanced in policy and procedures as other states in reuse of water,” Brough said.

A number of states around the country have established standards on water cleanliness for reuse in industrial and agricultural areas, and a few states – California, Virginia and New Mexico – have set up standards for making the recycled water clean enough to drink.

Colorado has not yet established recycled water standards statewide, Brough said. These standards are “reasonable and thoughtful and protect the public and we should move in that direction.”

“We’ll work with legislators” to clarify a standard in Colorado to move this issue forward, she added.

Two House bills backed by the Chamber would allow the use of reclaimed water for non-drinkable purposes. House Bill 1053 would allow the use of treated domestic wastewater for marijuana cultivation. Under the bill, wastewater has to meet cleanliness standards set up by the Water Quality Control Commission, meaning it has been through both a disinfection and filtration system. The bill is sponsored by the interim Water Resources Review Committee.

The second bill allows for the use of reclaimed water in toilet flushing. The measure is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jeni Arndt of Fort Collins and Republican Rep. Dan Thurlow of Grand Junction.

According to a 2011 study from Columbia University, Americans use 24 gallons per day to flush toilets, far more than what is used for cooking and drinking.

HB 1069 also sets up standards for filtration and disinfection for use of reclaimed water. The uses are endless: beyond toilet flushing, it includes industrial purposes, construction and road maintenance, landscape irrigation, zoo operations, irrigation of non-food crops, commercial laundries, car washes, and nonresidential fire protection.

A third bill also supported by the Chamber, Senate Bill 38, allows the use of reclaimed water on industrial hemp and is also sponsored by the interim water committee.

On non-water issues, the Chamber supports HB 1005, which seeks more notice to high school students about concurrent enrollment in college courses. The measure is sponsored by Rep. Jon Becker of Fort Morgan.

Among the bills getting a thumbs-down from the Chamber include the top priority bill by House Democrats, HB 1001, which seeks to set up a family medical leave insurance program. The Chamber also rejects the Republican bill to allow employees who work in labor-union controlled shops to opt out of those unions, a “Right to Rest Act” for the homeless that is getting another go-round from Rep. Joe Salazar of Thornton, and SB 64, which would require the state hit a 100 percent renewable energy target by 2035.

The full list:

The Chamber supports:

The Chamber opposes:

This is just the first of Chamber endorsements; more are expected throughout the session.