This year's legislative session was a critical one for Colorado. There seemed to be real momentum to find solutions to alleviate rising costs, stagnant wages, and answer tricky questions about our state's new economy. So how well did the 2018 Colorado General Assembly do?
As a member of the Financial Equity Coalition, the Bell supports HB18-1415 because it offers greater oversight of student loan servicers in Colorado, which will aid in preventing predatory practices and improving the economic mobility for the 56 percent of Coloradans with student debt.
Now is not the time to give debt collectors an unprecedented short cut that undermines privacy and involves the state in private matters.
While pay inequity should first be recognized as a moral issue, it is also an economic issue. Colorado loses more than a combined total of $13 billion every year due to the gender wage gap.
Policies that focus on a job’s worth, versus an applicant’s salary history, have been implemented by companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Still, a recent survey found only 5 percent of employers say it’s already existing practice not to ask about a candidate's pay history.
The hourly wage needed to be self-sufficient for an adult and a preschooler is $26.86 in Boulder County, $17.41 in Mesa County, $20.18 in El Paso County, and $14.80 in Yuma County. Yet the state minimum wage is the same for all.
Many Coloradans, particularly those in mountain and rural communities, are reaching a health care crisis point. We need to problem solve now.
In our 2016 study, we found almost 900,000 Colorado private sector workers in their prime working years are not participating in any type of retirement savings plan at work. The Colorado Secure Savings Plan could change that.
A work requirement is unlikely to spur large numbers of additional non-disabled adults to get a job, but it will lead to tens of thousands of people losing coverage.
Money spent on children under age 4 have an enormous return on investment, including less reliance on social services later in life and an economic boost by allowing parents the time and ability to work.
