(The Center Square) – Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold released her legislative priorities for the 2022 session Tuesday. 

Griswold said her office is focused on providing small businesses with tax relief, making government more transparent, and protecting the state's elections. Some of these priorities have already been introduced as to the General Assembly as bills. 

“From cutting common businesses fees to just $1, to protections from business identity theft and deceptive solicitations – these proposals will help everyday Coloradans and small business owners,” Griswold said in a statement. 

One bill that the secretary of state’s office is backing is the Colorado Business Fee Relief Act, which would reduce filing fees for most business paperwork to $1. Some common fees that would be reduced include annual business renewals, trade name registrations, and change of location forms. 

Griswold said her office is also proposing legislation that will provide additional protections for small businesses that suffer an identity theft. The bill would set up a pathway for businesses to take legal action through the Colorado Attorney General’s office, she added. 

The office is also seeking to update its campaign finance system and beef up the state's election infrastructure. Her office is supporting the Securing Our Voting Systems and Election Infrastructure Act, which would strengthen the laws surrounding voting systems and their hardware. 

The legislation comes after the secretary of state’s office launched three investigations into county election officials who allegedly breached election security protocals. 

“As Secretary of State, I work to ensure that every eligible voter – Republican, Democrat, and Independent, alike – has accessible, safe, and secure elections,” Griswold said.  “The nation is facing unprecedented threats to democracy, and we must innovate to continue to remain the nation’s gold standard for elections.”