Policies

See also the Legislation page for updates about the current legislative session. This page was started in January 2025 and will be expanded over time.

Land Use Regulations

Transit Density: In 2024 the legislature passed Bill 1313 to (in CPR's words) "force some cities to allow greater residential density near certain transit lines." Generally, housing density often is too low because local land-use regulations artificially restrict the building and provision of housing. But, rather than simply respect people's rights to develop their properties as they see fit, this measure replaces some local controls with state-level controls. The state mandates should be repealed and replaced with simple overrides of local restrictions.

Rental Regulations

Eviction for Cause: As the Colorado Sun reviews, House Bill 24-1098 forbids property owners to evict renters who are not in contract, except for "cause" as defined by government. This law violates the rights of property owners to control their property, run their businesses as they see fit, and associate with others by mutual consent, and so should be repealed.

Business Regulations

Price Controls: In 2020, the legislature passed HB20-1414 that imposes price controls in certain conditions in the name of fighting "price gouging." Price controls violate people's rights to free trade and create shortages precisely when some good is needed most. All price-control laws should be repealed.

Labor Laws

Union Rules: Ed Sealover reviews some of the basics of the Labor Peace Act. A vote of half of employees can trigger the formation of a union. A vote of three-quarters of employees can trigger a mandate that all employees pay union dues. The government's sole proper responsibility here is to keep the peace, act against the use of force and fraud, and protect people's rights to associate voluntarily. Government should not set arbitrary triggers for union formation or organization. Employees properly generally have the right, in any numbers, to form a union. However, unions do not properly have the right to force employers to hire union members or to negotiate with a union. No union properly has the right to unilaterally force non-members to pay union dues. However, an employer properly has the right to negotiate with a union to require that only union members may work at a business and that they must pay union dues as a condition of employment. Reform in this area would involve a complex revision of state and federal laws.

Minimum Wage: CPR reviews, "Colorado's minimum wage has long been set to increase with inflation, but it started rising by leaps and bounds under a ballot measure approved by voters in 2016. . . . In 2019, state lawmakers voted to let cities and counties set their wages even higher than the state floor." CPR, quoting a Berkeley study, casts minimum wage laws as potentially beneficial to businesses, as they may "help with employment retention, saving business owners in the long run." Regardless, the right to freedom of association properly extends to wage negotiations. If it is in a business owner's interests to pay staff more, then the owner easily could be persuaded as much. (That said, union rules also should be reformed; see the section "Union Rules.") Minimum wage laws prevent some sorts of voluntary, mutually-beneficial work relationships. As Jon Caldara writes, some people with disabilities might enthusiastically accept a lower wage to find a job. An elderly relative might be perfectly happy to accept a lower wage to watch a child, or a student to answer light phones while mostly studying. The fundamental driver of wage increases is worker productivity. Most employees earn more than the minimum wage. And many people who earn a relatively low wage are not the sole contributors to their household income. For all of these reasons, the minimum wage laws should be repealed.

Gun Laws

Age 21 Restrictions: As the Colorado Sun reports, in 2023 with Senate Bill 169 the legislature raised the age to purchase a firearm to 21 (with limited exceptions). So long as Congress requires people to register for the military draft at age 18, any age-based restrictions on people age 18 or older are fundamentally unfair. But let's say Congress repealed draft registration, as it should. Then, there's no inherent reason not to phase-in the legal age of adulthood. Restricting purchases of nicotine and alcohol to age 21 probably is justifiable. At the same time, a person does not lose their constitutional rights just because they are younger than 21. Someone age 18 can legally marry, buy a house, and have children. An 18-year-old retains the fundamental right to self-defense; therefore, a blanket ban on the purchase of firearms is unjust. The legislature would be on more solid ground by prohibiting or delaying the purchase of select guns (say, semiautomatic guns with detachable magazines) up to a certain age (21 or even 25). So long as there is a blanket ban, someone affected by the ban should be able to request round-the-clock police protection, at state expense. Also, someone younger than the age of full legal rights should be able to petition a court to have their full rights recognized at a younger age, similar to how emancipation works.

Gun Waiting Period: HB23-1219 establishes a three-day waiting period when purchasing a gun. This is fundamentally unjust. "Rights delayed are rights denied." By natural law and by the Colorado Constitution, people have the right to self-defense. If someone urgently needs a gun for self-defense, a three-day delay is intolerable. So long as there is such a delay, someone affected by it should be able to request round-the-clock police protection, at state expense.

Firearms Dealers License: As Marissa Ventrelli reported January 13, 2025, "Introduced by freshman Rep. Max Brooks, R-Castle Rock, [House Bill 1055] would repeal last session's House Bill 1353, which requires firearms dealers to obtain state permits in order to operate in Colorado." This licensure requirement constitutes unnecessary harassment of gun dealers. The requirement probably won't be repealed by a Democratic legislature, but it's a matter worth noting.