Worried that the state’s competitive advantage is “slipping,” the Colorado Chamber of Commerce on Monday released its legislative priorities for the 2024 legislative session, saying it would focus on workforce development, cost of living and tech innovation.

The group said it would also pursue strategies to improve the state’s regulatory environment and drive economic growth. 

The Colorado General Assembly will convene on Jan. 10, 2024.

“Colorado is one of the most desirable places to live in the country, but our competitive advantage is slipping,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman. “We can’t afford to get complacent. The Colorado Chamber’s goal is to make our state a national example for good business. We want to promote job creation and growth for decades to come, and this legislative agenda is one of the first steps in getting us back on track.”

Under its goals for the regulatory environment, the chamber said it will fight against new mandates and regulatory burdens on employers. The group noted that recent legislative sessions that brought major structural and regulatory changes, some which have had to be tweaked.

During the 2023 session, the chamber led the opposition to House Bill 23-1118, which would have imposed major changes in employer workweek practices, known as “restrictive scheduling,” and vowed to oppose new efforts in 2024.

The chamber said it will support efforts to protect the solvency of the state’s unemployment insurance fund as a way to ward off premium hikes and to ensure that new and existing environmental regulations are cost-effective and science-based.

Among its goals for workforce development, the chamber will back legislation to improve regional talent development goals and incentivize employer participation in career-connected learning opportunities.

The agenda, guided by the group’s 10-year strategic action plan, also looks at housing and property taxes. The group said it will support legislation to increase the supply of workforce housing and find easier pathways to housing development.

In a poll of 337 business leaders tied to the Vision 2023 plan, 85% said they support efforts to improve both affordability and availability of housing.

But that support does not extend to rent control, another measure in the 2023 session that could resurface in 2024. 

The chamber’s cost-of-living agenda includes support for employer incentives on subsidized child care and identifying long-term solutions to Colorado’s property tax crisis. Furman, the chamber leader, has been appointed to the property tax commission tasked with finding such long-term solutions.

Under its agenda on tech innovation and economic growth, the chamber supports new policies to protect children in the online environment and the development of a regulatory roadmap for “responsible deployment of artificial intelligence.”

The chamber also included a scorecard for Colorado’s ranking on eight criteria, such as affordable housing, cost of living, best states for business and cost of doing business. Colorado ranked 13th on best states for business, 38th on the cost of doing business, 41st on the cost of living and 46th on affordable housing.