2008 Sample Ballot

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Amendment 46 – Prohibits the State from discriminating or giving preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
CRBC declines to make a recommendation on this because of the split decision of our Board.  Most agree that instituting discrimination does little to discourage racism.  But, others see the merits of set-aside programs for small-business owners from minority groups.

YES

Amendment 47 - Allows employees to opt-out of union membership and prohibits unions from collecting mandatory dues regardless of membership status.
A YES vote for the Colorado Right to Work Amendment would prohibit any employer or organization from requiring an employee to join a labor union.  While unions serve many good purposes, no one should be required to join one against their will or a requirement to get a job.  http://www.abettercolorado.org/

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Amendment 48 – Defines a person in the Colorado Constitution as any human being from the moment of fertilization.
CRBC makes no recommendation as this is not a small business issue.

YES

Amendment 49 - Ethical Standards Now (Ask First) stops government from bundling money through public payroll and delivering it to special lobbying interests.
A YES vote will end government collection of union dues from public employees directly out of their paychecks.  There is no reason that government should be using taxpayer money to collect dues for a private organization— much less one that carries out lobbying activities.  That creates an ethical nightmare.  A private organization should be responsible for collecting its own dues.  http://www.ethicalstandardsnow.com

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Amendment 50 - Allows cities with gaming to set hours of operation and raises betting limit from $5 to $100.
CRBC makes no recommendation because the Board could not reach consensus.  Some believe allowing communities to vote to raise the betting limit will encourage more big out-of-state operations to move in and will increase gaming.  Others see it as allowing business to compete by attracting a wider market.

NO

Amendment 51 –Increases sales tax by 2/10 of 1% for people with developmental disabilities.

The NO vote reflects a commitment to lower taxes, particularly because this amendment raises sales tax, the most regressive form of taxation where those with lower incomes pay a disproportionately larger share of their income in tax for basic expenditures.  The amendment also fails to describe how monies will be distributed.

YES

Amendment 52 – Reallocates existing severance tax for transportation projects on I-70.
A YES vote locks-in existing mineral severance taxes from oil and gas sales and reallocates them to transportation projects on I-70.  The Department of Natural Resources budget, the current recipient of the tax monies, will still grow, but only as fast as inflation, spilling surplus revenues into roads and bridges. http://www.betterroadsnow.com/

NO

Amendment 53 - Makes executives and board directors personally liable for corporate fraud committed by employees.
Vote NO on the first of four “poison pills” pushed by labor unions as punishment for Amendment 47 (Right to Work).  This amendment includes executives of non-profits and homeowners associations and provides for criminal penalties including fines and imprisonment.  Example: A volunteer board member of a homeowners’ association could be sued if a contractor stole from the organization. Current federal and state law already holds executives accountable for criminal behavior, but this will hinder recruitment of out-of-state businesses and executive talent, raise insurance costs, hurt non-profit executive recruitment, and encourage lawsuits that are politically motivated or frivolous.  The Amendment gives complete immunity to a wrongdoer who self-reports, even though executives could still be liable for the subordinate’s criminal act.  http://www.nopoisonpills.com/

YES

Amendment 54 – Clean Government Initiative reforms government contracting practices by closing the “Pay to Play” loophole.
A YES vote prohibits contractors from donating to political candidates for two years after they’ve been awarded no-bid or non-competitive government contracts. http://www.cleangovernmentcolorado.com/

NO

Amendment 55 - Bars employers from firing workers without "just cause" – which is broadly defined and requires extensive documentation.  Exempts unions.
A NO vote on this “poison pill” amendment protects an employer’s ability to fire a worker for poor performance or to make staffing adjustments to protect the long-term fiscal viability of the business.  This amendment opens the door to excessive litigation and would have a chilling effect on new hiring. Colorado Labor Law already protects an employee from dismissal as a result of discrimination against age, gender, gender preference, race, ethnicity, religion and nationality.  http://www.nopoisonpills.com/

NO

Amendment 56 - Requires businesses with 20 or more employees to provide “major medical” health care insurance, as defined by the Legislature, for full and part-time employees and their dependents.
Vote NO on this poison pill, which would make Colorado the most hostile state in the union for business and entrepreneurship.  It will kill incentive to invest in Colorado, and many current businesses will be forced to reduce staff, raise prices, and discriminate against hiring employees with dependents. The amendment creates a new government super-agency to implement a new system to provide health care coverage for employees whose companies don’t comply.  Companies that don’t provide insurance directly to employees must pay the new government insurance authority.  http://www.nopoisonpills.com/
Free Market Reforms Healthier than 56

NO

Amendment 57 – Allows injured workers, after collecting workers comp, to "double dip" to sue for unlimited damages including inconvenience, mental anguish and loss of “enjoyment of life.”
Vote NO to prohibit injured workers to take Work Comp and then sue for unlimited damages in district court.  The amendment requires employers with more than ten employees to maintain a safe and healthy workplace, but fails to define “safe”, “healthy” and “workplace.”  This is a trial lawyer’s dream.  It will stifle business and discourage new business and job creation.  http://www.nopoisonpill.com/

NO

Amendment 58 – Eliminates a tax credit for oil & gas, mineral severance tax payers and dedicates funds to college scholarship entitlements.
Vote NO on this amendment that will discourage energy exploration and development in Colorado and will cost oil and gas companies $321 million a year, which will be passed along to consumers.  Years ago, the tax credit was given to companies that were paying severance taxes to both the counties in which they operate and the State.  The double taxation was deemed unfair and unproductive.  Severances taxes are paid in the counties to mitigate the cost of development for roads, schools, fire departments and other infrastructure necessary to support a growing community based around the extraction industry. http://www.VoteNo58.com/

NO

Amendment 59 –Eliminates TABOR refunds forever and redirects funds to K-12 education.
Vote NO to protect TABOR.  Currently in Colorado, if the State collects surplus revenue in taxes, those excess taxes are refunded to the people under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).  Amendment 59 eliminates TABOR and would put any surplus revenue generated by taxes into an unlimited slush fund for K-12 public education, one of the most inefficient and ineffective systems in our government.  This would free-up monies for other pet programs.  This gives the Legislature a blank check, paid by taxpayers with no means to control the growth of government.  www.StrikeABetterBalance.com

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Referred Measure L, changes the age qualifications to run for a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives or the Colorado Senate from 25 to 21.
CRBC makes no recommendation, as this is not a small business issue.

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Referred Measure M –Eliminates obsolete Constitutional provisions relating to value and taxation of hedges, orchards and forest.
CRBC makes no recommendation, as this is not a small business issue.

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Referred Measure N – Repeals provisions that are no longer relevant to Article XXII of the Colorado Constitution, the intoxication liquor amendments.
CRBC makes no recommendation, as this is not a small business issue.

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Referred Measure O –modifies the requirements for citizen-initiated ballot measures submitted to voters; requires a higher standard of support for constitutional amendments than for making statutory changes; Constitutional Changes: Increases the number of signatures required to 6% of the votes cast in the previous election for Governor; Requires 8 % of the minimum signatures to be gathered from residents in each of the state’s 7 Congressional Districts.
Statutory Changes: Reduces the number of signatures required to 4% of the votes cast in the previous election for Governor; Increases the time for collecting signatures from 6 months to 9 months before an election.
CRBC makes no recommendation, as this is not a small business issue, although one can argue that the ease of putting an initiative on the ballot and its impact on the State Constitution, taxpayers and the economy in general affect small business.