Democrats on a Senate committee Tuesday afternoon shut down a bill that would have helped small businesses stay open in the next pandemic.

Sen. Rob Woodward, a Republican small business owner from Larimer County, introduced the legislation that would have allowed smaller businesses to remain open during a public health crisis if larger ones that sell the same products, such as Home Depot and Walmart, are allowed to remain open.

Senate Bill 5  died on a party-line vote before the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, despite support from a number of business organizations who said recovery has been uneven because of the disparity, while big box stores have extended their profit-filled advantages.

“Many of the store fronts in every community were shuttered during that time, and sadly many are now vacant, because of small businesses’ inability to make sales,” said Sandra Hagen Solin, who represents Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, the public policy arm of the region’s chambers of commerce and economic development interests.

Rachel Beck, the vice president for government affairs for the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, also made the plea for a level playing field. She said small businesses owners are concerned about paying their employees, covering their overhead and staying solvent during shutdowns.

“They’re upset by what they see as unfair competition,” she said. “They saw that big stores were able to sell the same things they sell. I think we can agree that that’s one of those things that was among the unforeseen consequences. This is my first pandemic. I assume it’s everyone else’s, as well.”

Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, a Republican from Sterling, pointed out that many small communities in Colorado don’t have big box stores, meaning people had to drive long distances for basic supplies.

Democrats said they saw the value of the bill but thought that the GOP-led bill was badly timed, while the pandemic is still in play.

Republicans have been vocal in opposition to Gov. Jared Polis’ stay-at-home requirements.

Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Democrat form Denver, said she was uncomfortable “saying let’s go change the way we do public health orders, while we’re still in the midst of an active pandemic.”