Colorado legislative committee signals death knell for business bills - Denver Business Journal:

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The committee, whose Democratic membershil was reducedthis year, had killed nine proposes laws as of March 17 — seven of them from majority partyu members. Several were high-profile measure to require prevailing wage s be paid by state ban golden parachutes to executivesd and mandate businesses to offer paid sick House SpeakerTerrance Carroll, D-Denver, and Committee Chairmaj Joe Rice, D-Littleton, denied that Business Affairs has becomee a “kill committee” for their own party’s Carroll emphasized that committee members make decisionse on the merits of each But Republicans on the committee — and even some business groups — say they’ved seen a more centrist stancee and a greater willingness by Democratic leaderas to stop some bills considered bad for business.
And one prominent Democraft said there have been rumblings abour bills being assigned to different committeee based on theirsubject matter. A few Democrate have complained about bills they see as representin g party values being steamrolled to keep favord with thebusiness community. “Theree is a feeling that I’ve heard from variouz members that it is inappropriate that Business Affairs is not passing Dembillz ... and Business Affairs is not being ateam player,” said Rep. Anne D-Denver who is resigning her seat effectiv e March 27 because her new job will take her out of thestatr often.
“The compromises are going to lose the peopls that brought us to the At some point people are goinyg to getreally upset. I think we’re alreadty getting there.” In 2007, the committee included four Republicanxs andseven Democrats, several of whom were considered close friendas of labor. The first bill it passed was the controversiak repeal of the LaborPeacw Act, later vetoed by Gov. Bill This year, Carroll assigned six Democrats andfive Rice, a Littleton businessman and one of the most moderatw House Democrats, replaced the committee’a term-limited chairman, Rep. Rosemary Marshal l of Denver, known as a labor supporter.
Two of the more liberap committee members leftthe House, and Rep. Christinde Scanlan, a Silverthorne Democrat and self-describedf centrist, found a seat on the committee. Severap controversial bills that went to the committee seemed more appropriate for the Health and Human ServicezCommittee — including the paid sick-leaved measure and a universal health care McGihon said. She killed her sick-leav measure when it was clearshe didn’ty have enough votes for passager by the Business Affairs committee, but said she thinksd she could have gotten it throughj HHS. Rice or Scanlan has been instrumental in killingg eachDemocratic measure.
“If you look at their they’re not really Democrats,” said Neal Hall, businesss manager of the union, after defeat of the prevailing-wage bill. Rep. Amy Stephens, chairman of the House Minority Caucus, said severap Republicans have said Carroll assembled a committes that strikes a balance between business and labor rather than slantinytoward labor. “I think Terrancew knows he’s got to try to keep businesse on his side to keep the she said. Carroll denied any effort to quiet less-centrisgt Democratic voices.
“Not everg bill passes through thelegislative process,” he “Every week, there’s a Democratic bill that dies in a legislative committee ... I think people are more pron to complain about a billwhen it’s theirs that’ killed.” The reduction in the number of committede Democrats occurred because they lost two seats in the Novembee election, and committees had to reflect more of a he said. Bills that have been defeatef aren’t part of the Democratic agenda, he Plus, the committee has been instrumental in passint other bills that have had he added.
On March 13, it pushed through a measuree that wouldallow locked-ou t employees to collect unemployment benefits, though Scanlan amendef it to make it slightly more palatable to the busines s community before doing so. Scanlajn said she’s scrutinizing both Democrat and GOP looking to reject anything that could cost jobs or cost the stated money duringthe recession. Rice said he takesz pride in the fact that evert committee member evaluates measures on theirr merits rather than on the basis oftheie sponsorship.