Our "pro-business" "Libertarian" governor greases the skids for unions with your money, small changes that could lead to problems. Lastly, remember someone on Memorial Day.
Our "pro business", "Libertarian" governor delivers your tax money to grease the skids for trade unions.
Let me quote you from the letter sent to Polis urging a veto on the bill linked first below (the letter is linked second below):
"The stated purpose of Senate Bill 23-292 is centered on the claim that a safe and cost-effective via reliable and adequate supply of properly trained workforce is a vital interest of the public. This stated purpose is exactly what the existing construction industry of Colorado delivers each day in our great State!"
"The disguised, and singular goal of Senate Bill 23-292 is to leverage taxpayer money to assist unionization of Colorado's trade industries ..."
Said another way, the bill linked below takes money from all of us and helps trade unions, whether you support trade unions or no.
The manner in which it does this is subtle, the short answer is that it ties grid-scale electrical projects back to the standards on projects put forth in a 2019 bill. This 2019 bill conveniently puts unions at an advantage by making them readily meet the standards set.
If that wasn't clear enough, or if you want more detail, read the CompleteColorado article linked third below. If you want it straight from the horse's mouth, check out the 2019 bill linked fourth below.
Colorado will soon be spending lots of money to build lots of grid infrastructure, so expect this to be a big payday for electrical unions. I am not sure (not privy to the Capitol gossip), but my guess is that there was significant lobbying by unions for this bill**.
You know who else will likely benefit here? Large, mostly out of state contractors. Why do I say this? I say it for the same reason I've said it about multiple policies enacted by Democrats in this state. Extra regulation favors larger organizations because they have the staff and resources to easily deal with regulatory burdens.
Sadly the letter penned by the electrical contractors didn't land favorably on Polis' brain. By checking SB23-292's bill page, I see he signed this one on the 23rd.
So much for our "pro-business", "Libertarian" governor.
**Another one that unions have really worked hard for? The Energy Conservation Code Board bill, the one I've repeatedly posted on. If you want to know groups that are salivating for a transition to renewables, think construction unions. I don't think they have a particular philosophical agreement with transition to renewables, but they clearly see an economic benefit for themselves.
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb23-292
http://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/wp-content/uploads/Senate-Bill-23-292_veto-request.pdf
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2023/05/22/contractors-gov-polis-veto-employer-burdens-energy-projects/
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb19-196
A minor change that may add up to bigger changes later.
The op ed by Brauchler linked below is about what you would expect from him (if you've read many of the things he writes).
I don't know that I like his tone all the time, I don't know that I agree with all of his conclusions, I don't know that I am as emphatic in my conclusions as he seems to be.
But, there is something that stuck out to me in this op ed. It's a tiny detail that I think would be easy to miss if you weren't involved in criminal justice in this state.
Given that, and this is something Mr. Brauchler and I agree on, this change has the potential to have a big effect later, I think it is worth sharing.
Let me start with a quote from the op ed:
"As retaliation for their handful of losses, and in an effort to make future attacks on our criminal justice system more successful, the Democrats killed the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ). Ironically, HB 1249 was one of a growing number of radical bills that skips CCJJ, because time to scrutinize is the Killing Fields of extremist policy. In 2007, Gov. Bill Ritter created the CCJJ, a non-partisan board of thirty members hailing from across the justice spectrum, whose every-five-year, renewable mission 'is to enhance public safety, to ensure justice, and to ensure protection of the rights of victims through the cost-effective use of public resources…[by focusing] on evidence-based recidivism reduction initiatives and the cost-effective expenditure of limited criminal justice funds. Wacky, huh? The CCJJ was a clearinghouse for policy changes with significant impact on our system. Its broad coalition tended to be a check against extremist efforts to blow up portions of our criminal laws and policy. It had been easily renewed by bi-partisan votes twice before. Until now."
As to motive and speculation behind this, I'll leave that to you to form your own opinion. I think there are a couple salient things for me:
1. "Easily renewed by bi-partisan votes twice before" makes me think that this commission had value. If that's the case, why not renew it? Seems like a party line vote ended it this year. Again, what seems to have changed here?
2. As I'm sure you can appreciate, it's hard to follow some of the more esoteric things that come out of the Assembly. In a certain sense, boards made up of experts help fill the gaps. This is particularly the case when the board existed prior to Polis, is large, non-partisan, and occupying a wide range of roles in the judicial system. If I don't or can't follow some of the proposals coming out of the legislature, they can. They can better foresee problems. A loss like this, whatever the reason, leaves me worried that at the very least we'll have ill-considered (albeit perhaps well-intentioned) criminal justice policy coming out of the Assembly.
This board should have been renewed.
https://denvergazette.com/opinion/columns/dems-dismantle-colorado-s-justice-system-george-brauchler/article_06474551-1ac1-51a8-8019-7dcd86fe5354.html?fbclid=IwAR0a7OHOOahs0OTZ8wiFdlvhI7_bzHGQTSrGNqglWfKZH2M0SqrvnkW5Dog
This will be the last post for a today and also for tomorrow. I'm going to take Monday 5/29 off in observation of Memorial Day.
Remember this Memorial Day to think of and thank someone who served.
Thank you Nate.
Thank you Dad.
Thank you to those no longer with us.