business

Two economic forecasts project slower growth for Colorado; one projects recession; Looking Forward report pushed back to reflect 3rd quarter economic forecasts; Ritter announces pro-business legislative package

???The state of Colorado wants to make sure that equal pay applies to everyone. If there are inequities, we will find out where they exist and make recommendations to correct them as quickly and fairly as we can.???

The Bell Policy Center hails Gov. Ritter and the state legislature for their positive work to pass House Bill 1355, which will even out health insurance premium costs among small businesses and their employees.

Issue Brief examining Colorado's recent economic conditions and projections for the future of the state's economy.

The legislature should create and fund a state micro-enterprise development authority to award grants to qualifying organizations, leverage additional funding sources, and be an information network and state advocate for micro-enterprise organizations and micro-business owners.

Colorado should continue to carefully target economic development incentives to create jobs that pay self-sufficient wages, provide health insurance and retirement benefits and contribute to the overall economic well being of the state. Let???s also make sure economic development incentives continue to be transparent, so we know which businesses receive incentives, how much they get, and how many and what kind of jobs they create.

The legislature should create Colorado Voluntary Pension Accounts to provide access to retirement plans for all Coloradans. These plans would reduce the cost and complexity of offering pension plans for small employers and would be portable, allowing workers to contribute to same account for each job they hold in Colorado.

The legislature should create and fund a state micro-enterprise development authority to award grants to qualifying organizations, leverage additional funding sources, and be an information network and state advocate for micro-enterprise organizations and micro-business owners.

Rising health care costs are having a profound and lasting impact on Colorado families, businesses and the state budget.

Colorado???s political, business and community leaders should encourage employers to use automatic enrollment for 401(k) pension plans. We should also educate workers about the value of participating in these plans and of increasing contributions over time to meet retirement needs. Automatic enrollment is allowed under federal law, and pension reform legislation currently pending before Congress provides additional incentives to do so.