Issues and Advocacy

Advocating for our members and promoting the construction industry to legislators and policymakers is an important priority for Rocky Mountain MCA. We work with elected officials and government agencies at the state and local levels to encourage investment in building infrastructure and the development of sound policies that will lead to job creation and a thriving economy. We will continue to track, analyze and lobby bills with impact to the mechanical, plumbing and HVACR industry and keep members apprised of the issues and bills affecting their business.

As part of our efforts, Rocky Mountain MCA commissions and distributes an annual Colorado Capital Construction Report. This report serves to outline the economic impact of the construction industry in Colorado and educate policymakers about the importance of investment in capital construction and controlled maintenance.

The 2021 Colorado Legislative Session adjourned sine die on June 8^th 2021, and although the legislature was not in session there were several interim committees meeting throughout the summer. Three committees were formed to direct the funding of state stimulus dollars on the following topics affordable housing, behavioral health, and economic recovery. Each of these committees will prepare a report to the General Assembly on priority funding areas within these three buckets sometime in December.
In addition to the legislative interim committees Colorado has finalized the maps through the Redistricting Committee and they were finalized by the Supreme Court without challenge. The final maps do leave several legislators in different districts or competing against colleagues in the 2022 election.
The Governor’s budget was released on November 1^st with the administration’s priorities for funding in the FY 2022-23 budget year as well as for federal and state stimulus. The Joint Budget Committee has begun deliberating these priorities. Any administration priorities that are funded with stimulus dollars will be run as legislative bills and not through the Joint Budget Committee process which will allow for more involvement from the full body of the General Assembly on the spending of these dollars.

The Wyoming Legislature began this morning’s Special Session on COVID Vaccines at 10am. First order of business was to adopt Special Session rules to expedite the bill process for a 3-day session. Both chambers failed to adopt the special rules (2/3 majority vote required) House 37-12 and Senate 16-13. Both chambers moved to adjourn which failed by a simple majority vote. The Session then proceeded with bills being introduced and assigned to committee. Committee action took place all afternoon and into the early evening. The attached report indicates the current status of the forty bills filed.
Each chamber will convene October 27 at 8:30 am to work in Committee of the Whole (1st reading of 3). I anticipate a motion to suspend the rules and accelerate some bills to 3rd Reading on Thursday. Cross-over is anticipated on Friday. Stay tuned – all of this could change.