Weekly Policy Update: Read CBSA’s 2020 Legislative Session Report
By: Colorado BioScience Association Date: 07/10/2020
On June 15, the Second Regular Session of the 72nd General Assembly adjourned sine die, marking the end of a truly historic legislative session.
During the first two months of the session, we saw the introduction of big democratic priorities as anticipated, including paid family leave, a public health insurance option, and drug pricing. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Colorado in mid-March, however, pending legislation was put on hold, and the General Assembly took a temporary adjournment.
By the time the General Assembly reconvened on May 26, many Coloradans were struggling as a result of the health and economic crisis, and the state faced a $3.3 billion budget shortfall. Legislative priorities shifted significantly, and an overwhelming majority of bills that were in progress in March were set aside for the year.
New priorities started to emerge including paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, worker protections, and price gouging legislation. Lawmakers also considered new legislative proposals that could generate revenue that the state desperately needed. These new priorities moved at lightning speed and demanded aggressive advocacy efforts from the CBSA team to protect incentives for innovation and a business-friendly environment for our ecosystem.
CBSA worked tirelessly over the course of the session to advocate on behalf of our members. We were successful in defeating and mitigating many harmful legislative proposals and protecting a critical state program that supports our life sciences ecosystem. We also worked effectively with our members and partners to advance legislation that will increase access to clinical trials and improve child vaccination rates.
CBSA is proud to represent Colorado’s life sciences ecosystem at the State Capitol and advocate on behalf of our members, who dedicate their careers to improving and saving lives with health innovations, products, and services. We appreciate the support and engagement of our community, and we look forward to working with you to advance our priorities in 2021.
Learn more about CBSA’s engagement during the 2020 session and the outcomes of our priority bills in the 2020 Legislative Session Report.