Legislative Session Kickoff
The 74th General Assembly got their start on January 9, 2023. 180 bills and resolutions have already been introduced. We were honored to be special guests of the Governor at his State of the State speech on January 17. Gov. Polis made reference to housing over 30 times in his hour-long speech. We look forward to working with the Governor on his bold plan to generate more accessible housing solutions to alleviate our statewide housing crisis.
The Boulder Chamber expects to take a leadership role in support of the Governor’s housing agenda. As Boulder Chamber President and CEO John Tayer stated: "We applaud the Governor’s focus on housing and transportation in his State of the State. In Boulder, home ownership is beyond the means of more than 60% of our residents. The remainder of Colorado isn’t far behind with housing prices skyrocketing. If our businesses want to continue to attract a diverse, competitive workforce, we need innovative solutions that create the kind of housing they can afford. Gov. Polis’ integrative approach of connecting transportation and housing needs is overdue. With over 60,000 in-commuters to the city of Boulder every workday, we know that our infrastructure is overtaxed and our air less breathable. There are nearly 110 days left for lawmakers to craft a solution this year, it’s time to get all hands on deck.”
Of course, there will be many other state legislative issues the Boulder Chamber will be addressing on behalf of our business members and the regional economy throughout the 2023 session (and please feel free to reach out to our Senior Director of Policy Programs Jonathan Singer if you have any issues you want us to address at jonathan.singer@boulderchamber.com). In the meantime, we were thrilled to see Boulder’s own Senator Stephen Fenberg preside of over the State of the State proceedings as Senate President and join CU Chancellor Todd Saliman, as well as Boulder’s newest Representative Junie Joseph, in the hallowed halls just prior to the Governor’s address.