The Green Party of Colorado announced its 2025 legislative agenda over the weekend, highlighting five key policies it believes should be prioritized by Governor Jared Polis and the state legislature in the upcoming legislative session to promote a more equitable state economy.
“Our 2025 Colorado Workers Agenda addresses some of the most pressing issues facing working families in our state,” stated Green Party of Colorado Co-chair Patrick Dillon in a release on Sunday. “From ensuring living wages to tackling the housing crisis and addressing climate change, these policies represent a comprehensive approach to improving the lives of all Coloradans this year – not 10 years from now.”
The party’s agenda outlines five key goals it hopes will be implemented in the next session. Among them is amending HB19-1210, a current law allowing local governments in Colorado to set minimum wages for individuals working more than four hours per week in their community. The party advocates for removing the current annual cap on wage increases, arguing that such a change would allow local governments to set wages that better reflect the costs of living within their communities.
The party is also calling for a $50 million investment in the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Grant Program, which it states would help state residents retain housing amid rising costs, for Governor Polis to declare a state of emergency in response to “the growing threat of climate change,” and for the Colorado state legislature to create a new state fund designed to provide debt forgiveness for medical and student loan debt for state residents.
Additionally, the part is calling for the elimination of the “Union Security” election requirement under the 1934 Colorado Labor Peace Act. Under current state law, two elections are required to establish a union security agreement in Colorado, with the first needing a simple majority and the second requiring a 75% majority yes vote. The party argues that removing the second portion of the mandate would further simplify the unionization process.
Notably, legislation to eliminate the second election is expected to be introduced during the next session. The legislature will convene on January 8, 2025.
My thing is.. when is this topsy turvy economy going to get fixed. For decades now many of us have been living paycheck to paycheck. Many of us having to work 2-3 jobs. Crimes of theft on the rise because working is only allowing many of us to just pay bills. Parents not being about to buy necessities for their children. The topsy-turvy of our economy all over America is that we suppose to make so least 5x’s more than our general living expenses such as rent utilities, internet bills, phone bills, medicine, gas, oil, medical co-pay and such so that we can be able to afford personal enjoyments but we only make enough to pay bills.
But there is a huge problem that is not being addressed in which raising the minimum wage no matter how high we raise it to 25, 30, 45 it does not will not work.. the economy remains topsy-turvey many of us continue to make only enough to pay bills, many of us continue to have to work 2-3 jobs, theft crimes and homelessness remains at an all time high, WHY? Because it never fails that every time the minimum wage goes up everything else goes up corporations and merchants raise cost on us 10 times more.
The only way a minimum wage raise works is if living expenses DO NOT go up when the minimum wage is raised FACT BUT will they make that happen? Will they prevent these corporations from raising cost on us when the minimum wage is raised? NO they will not and THAT is THE MAIN problem as to why our economy remains broken.
So as I hope you can see.. the main problem is not in needing to raise the minimum wage.. the main problem is allowing these merchants and corporation to raise cost on us 10 times higher everytime the minimum wage is raised.