Legislature Continues to Force SB19-181 on Coloradans
SB19-181 continues to move its way through the legislature. After 12 and a half hours of testimony, the bill passed out of the House Energy and Environment committee at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning after no amendments were presented.
SB19-181 is a threat to property owners and property rights across the state. CFB has always been a strong supporter of these rights and the rights of farmers and ranchers to use and manage their property to their best and most profitable uses for those owners.
The next hearing for SB19-181 will be the House Finance Committee on Monday afternoon.
Thank you to all those that completed the calls-to-action and signed up to testify both remotely and in person. Please keep up the fight and continue to respond and this bill keeps making its way through the process. Your work is very appreciated and it DOES make a difference!
New “Delay the HIT” Legislation Introduced Again
Once again, the delay of Health Insurance Tax (HIT) legislation has been introduced. The HIT tax is a costly measure that is costly to small businesses. In the past, Senator Gardner has introduced this type of legislation to help families afford their healthcare bills. There have been many different legislative efforts since the passage of the Affordable Care Act to delay or stop the HIT, but always short lived. This latest legislative effort would provide another two-year delay of what is roughly $500 in additional costs per individual in annual healthcare coverage costs.
Looking to the Future, A CDA-Led Effort in Water Regulations
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is looking towards the future with SB19-186 and the potential for Regulation 85, water quality, to impact agriculture producers. SB19-186 is intended to provide the CDA with the data they need to keep farmers and ranchers from facing additional water quality regulations regarding agricultural chemical use.
CFB staff are working with the department to ensure that proper protections are in place such as establishing a baseline for producers so that the water tests coming off the farms show the true impact of the farming impacts.
Contact Emily (Emily@coloradofb.org) with any questions.
Have you Sent in Your Comments on the New Clean Water Rule? There is Still Time!
With the recent publication of the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed new Clean Water Rule, Colorado Farm Bureau is urging farmers and ranchers to tell the administration how much they value clean water and clear rules.
The 60-day comment period on the proposed new Clean Water Rule closes on April 15 so comment, TODAY!
Click here to submit your comments and tell EPA how important the New Clean Water Rule is to you.
