Robert Davis | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – A small business advocacy group is calling on Governor Jared Polis to veto four bills passed during the 2022 legislative session. 

The Colorado chapter of National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), a nonprofit trade organization, said on Tuesday that each of the bills would add to the “regulatory burdens” that are already hampering small businesses in the state. 

“Colorado’s small-business owners already labor under the great weight of local, state, and federal compliance of rules and regulations,” Tony Gagliardi, NFIB Colorado's state director, said in a statement. “They needed the burden lessened not increased.”

NFIB said they are calling on the governor to veto a pair of bills that address the state’s clean air quality and two bills that would overhaul the state’s labor and wage laws. 

A spokesperson for Polis’ office did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment. 

One of the bills that NFIB said should be vetoed is House Bill 22-1244, which creates new regulations for hazardous air contaminants. It also requires the state’s Air Quality Control Commission to establish health-based standards and adopt emission control regulations to help Colorado meet federal clean air guidelines. 

According to the bill’s fiscal note, it is expected to increase state expenditures by $3.4 million in 2022 and to more than $5.3 million by fiscal year 2024-2025. 

NFIB Colorado said that the bill creates duplicative work for state agencies in charge of clean air monitoring and creates “litigation landmines” if Colorado cannot meet the standards. 

The group also wants Polis to veto House Bill 22-1355, which would establish a state-run recycling program for certain agencies. The program would be funded by dues paid by participating organizations.

Similar programs have cropped up across the country, but their legality has been challenged by other small business groups, according to the business group. 

NFIB Colorado said House Bill 22-1317 should be vetoed because it restricts what employers can include in noncompetition agreements. The group said this could stifle Colorado’s growing technology sector, which is particularly concerned with the loss of trade secrets. 

The business group also asked the governor to veto Senate Bill 22-161, which will define wage theft as criminal theft. The bill “tilts the field in favor of employees” who can bring a civil action against employers who wrongfully withhold payment of wages, NFIB Colorado said. 

“We’re not going to hold our breath given the political climate and constituencies Governor Polis has to deal with, but it sure would be nice if he vetoed four bills that would bring Main Street enterprises a sigh of relief,” Gagliardi said.