A proposed to repeal a key requirement in a nearly century-old law has cleared its first committee hearing, but it faces a long road ahead.

And its fate remains uncertain, particularly since Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a similar proposal last year and he indicated this year he intends to do so again, unless business and labor can secure an agreement.

Still, House Speaker Julie McCluskie said she has perceived a willingness from the parties to try again.

At issue is this year’s House Bill 1005, which would repeal the Labor Peace Act’s second election requirement for unionized workplaces to form a union security agreement, which requires all employees to pay for “union representation,” whether they are members or not.

The bill passed through the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee on an 8-5 party-line vote on Thursday. It is now headed to the Finance Committee for debate.

Last year’s iteration of the bill, Senate Bill 005, also successfully passed through both the House and the Senate. Polis vetoed the bill — he had promised to reject the measure unless labor and business groups found a compromise.

The two sides did not. Polis’ office also sought to broker a deal, which also did not produce an agreement.

When HB 1005 was introduced last month, a spokesperson for Polis said the governor was “frustrated and surprised” that sponsors are bringing the bill back despite “last year’s outcome and that nothing has changed.”

The spokesperson said Polis will continue to urge business and labor groups to “come together to work on a solution together that is right for Colorado.”

The bill’s sponsors and Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, disagreed with the governor’s statement that “nothing has changed.”

“In my conversations with business leaders and with our labor partners, I am hearing a willingness to try again,” McCluskie said, adding that both groups have several months to resume discussions.

“This bill was introduced on opening day, so we are still early in the session,” she said. “I have confidence that with that commitment and with the experience of last year. I think there were some challenging moments in listening and understanding each other, but I was really impressed with the integrity and honesty of that process, and I hope we can pick up with the same players sitting down at a table and trying.”

The bill is even more relevant now than last year, according to Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, one of the sponsors.

He tied the legislation to wages and cost of living.

“The most important thing here is that the affordability crisis didn’t go away,” he said. “We are providing a clear opportunity to the governor to pass a bill that will lead wages to increase in his state.”

Mabrey said he and labor advocates are “totally willing” to continue having conversations with business groups and the Governor’s Office — whether that be Polis or his successor.

“I want to work on this until we get it done,” he said. “I want to give the governor, whether it’s Polis or the next governor, the chance to do the right thing and pass this law, and I think it’s important for us to force the issue every single year.”

Last year, supporters of the legislation sought to frame it as an issue over unionization. Business groups countered that the bill had nothing to do with unionization, which is governed by federal law.

‘The Colorado compromise’

Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said she had to tell her members not to testify on this year’s bill due to the “significant backlash” they received last year for opposing it.

Restaurant owners and workers who spoke out against the legislation last year were “threatened and harassed” both online and in person, Riggs said, and someone even threw a rock through the window of one establishment during dinner service.

“Workers and owners in our industry are now afraid to speak out,” she said.

“This bill does not protect Colorado restaurant workers. Instead, it directly harms them by eliminating their right to a second union vote.”

Leslie Oliver of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce called the Labor Peace Act — the roughly 80-year-old statute — the “Colorado compromise,” adding that it has been essential to the state’s “economic competitiveness and labor stability.”

“At a time when Colorado’s cost of living continues to rise, and workers are living paycheck-to-paycheck, the Denver Metro Chamber believes policies enabling mandatory deductions from an employee’s pay against their expressed wishes are wrong,” she said. “We believe in the principle should remain simple: your pay, your choice.”

The bill’s other sponsors are Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver, and Sens. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, and Iman Jodeh, D-Aurora.