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May 7, 2019
In terms of the barrage of new regulations thrown at business, few Colorado legislative sessions have been as daunting as 2019. Bills were introduced to tell employers what they couldn't ask prospective employees, what retirement and family-leave benefits they could offer and what they should pay employees based on the location of their business. 

It could have been the worst session in memory for businesses, several lobbyists for major business organizations admitted in recent days. But, whether through open negotiations, constituent pushback or complaints from within the Democratic caucuses that ran both the House and the Senate, every one of the five major regulatory bills that were introduced - some for as many as the fifth time - changed radically from the versions of the bills that were run in recent years. 

Colorado will conduct its first presidential party primaries in decades on Super Tuesday next year, joining at least 12 other states in a scrum that could win now the sprawling field of 2020 White House hopefuls, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday. 

Polis told Colorado Politics he hopes the state will draw plenty of attention by holding its Democratic and Republican primaries on March 3, known as Super Tuesday, because it's the first and largest multiple-state election in the presidential nominating process, including primaries in California and Texas. 

U.S. Sen. Micheal Bennet became the second Colorado Democrat running for president Thursday, pitching his experience in business and as a schools superintendent as the antidote to a broken political system. Bennet joins at least 21 Democrats running for the chance to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020, including former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Bennet's one-time boss, who threw his hat in the field in early March. 

President Trump has signed an Executive Order directing the creation of programs to grow and strengthen our cybersecurity workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Executive Order will promote cybersecurity work within the Government, including through a new President's Cup Cybersecurity Competition. The Administration will develop a rotational program where Federal employees can expand their cybersecurity expertise through temporary reassignments to other agencies. 

Washington - Following the January release of "Innovation Nation: An American Innovation Agenda for 2020," Business Roundtable released six policy proposals on cybersecurity, automated vehicles (AVs), artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, space and quantum computing. The six proposals expand on the Business Roundtable Innovation Agenda, offering issue-specific policy recommendations to strengthen U.S. leadership in key technology areas. 

In releasing the six proposal, Business Roundtable issued the following statements from CEOs leading on these key technologies. The full innovation Agenda, technology-specific proposals and additional resources are available here. 

Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton was interviewed recently by Phil Laboon of Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global about It's the Manager, the book he coauthored with Gallup Chief Workplace Scientist Jim Harter. 

Business Roundtable Vice President Matt Sonnesyn today testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy, Water Development and Related Agencies during a hearing on "Energy Trends and Outlook." Sonnesyn underscored how technological innovation is and will remain crucial to delivering affordable, reliable energy while reducing environmental impacts. 

Defy Colorado is in the business of transforming lives of people with criminal histories. It can be hard to get a grasp on the power of Defy Colorado without making a visit to prison, but on April 24th, Defy Colorado set out to change that by hosting their first ever "Demo Day" at Boulder's iconic Dairy Arts Center. The event offered a glimpse of how Defy Colorado  brings people with criminal histories together with community members to create change as they walk through an entrepreneurial journey together.

May 6, 2019 - The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Economic Development Council of Colorado (EDCC) are partnering once again to highlight the significant impact our economic development stakeholders have in communities across the state by celebrating National Economic Development Week, May 6-11, 2019.

National Economic Development Week was created by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2016 with several goals; increase awareness of local programs and services that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase quality of life among our communities. IEDC is the largest professional membership organization for economic development.

In a new blog post, Alex Gorsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson and Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee, argues that diversity and inclusion improves society, leads to better business results and creates opportunities for U.S. employees, families, communities and companies. "The companies that invest in diversity and inclusion today will be the most innovative, sustainable and prosperous tomorrow," he wrote. "By accepting this shared responsibility, together we can seize a tremendous shared opportunity to create a more vibrant U.S. economy where all Americans can realize their potential." Gorsky cited the Business Roundtable report, "Advancing Diversity and Inclusion," and noted the work on diversity issues at several Roundtable companies. At a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the business case for diversity and inclusion, Subcommittee Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-OH) entered Gorsky's column into the committee record.

Listen at KDMT 1690 AM Denver's Money Talk from 
4-5 p.m. Monday through Friday or  live stream online. Podcasts are available at  http://www.cobrt.com/radio-podcast and on your favorite podcast app the day after live airing.

Stream or Download These Recent Episodes

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Annual Members Meeting - Colorado Succeeds

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Legacy of Learning Awards 2019 - Emily Griffith Foundation
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