[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6278782,"mediaKeyId","2634106-791edba4cb971b0d38ae997cfb34a0c3","parentId",2634106,"title","Committee advances bill to allow optional project labor agreements for state projects after tense hearing","audioSeconds",2302,"startMs",2041000,"endMs",4343000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2634106-791edba4cb971b0d38ae997cfb34a0c3&start=2041&end=4343","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2634106-791edba4cb971b0d38ae997cfb34a0c3/thumbnail_2041000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6278782/Colorado/Committee-advances-bill-to-allow-optional-project-labor-agreements-for-state-projects-after-tense-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6278782-031940f7b95519c6d58994df4cb2b5f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770507480&Signature=LukNDi7M~sEG-TtzwjZx0NT7QV2tDl-TJ0o7WVkonKvQaKF4zbmGSPcZXpNKwfznQDpqPqCEOmzlHFsIZ5VzS7w~61O5csFdeJwKZ9IagEiRNZJ4BOwt-oHHXCImMrcNFfR3ZSbSlrheh970d7mFULHFB-CHLBkvrEmCYWsEDMKtCjZ8XAX3z~wyp72soCHXerHQlaeLZVY8Ci0SjJQY8CofGpJX10LebXMtNl7p6B2L3~6E-AEZ2vQKy7pLJWPfUvzbCJEPtLgCSUdJNwEaWqo1h2Y903Sgm1pWIR1Qe8nE7TYopOaPCU86WVCpxEQ2ccvwFQHYUN-mYXqsFHKC~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado State Legislature","date","2025-03-06T00:00:00Z","article","The House Business Affairs & Labor Committee on Wednesday approved, 8-5, an amended bill that would authorize state departments and institutions of higher education to use project labor agreements, or PLAs, as an optional procurement method for public construction projects over $1,000,000.

The bill’s sponsors said a strike‑below amendment narrowed the measure after fiscal concerns forced them to remove earlier provisions, including expanded apprenticeship mandates and a proposed county opt‑in to the state prevailing wage law. “It’s not a mandate,” Representative Mike Carter, co‑prime sponsor, said of the amended measure, explaining the change makes clear that agencies would have the option — not the obligation — to use a PLA.

Supporters including representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68, the Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council and the Rocky Mountain Pipe Trades told the committee PLAs can improve project stability, boost productivity and secure wages and benefits for participating workers. Julian Aguilar of IBEW Local 68 said the bill “gives a definition of what a PLA is” and reiterated that the provision is permissive.

Opponents — including the Rocky Mountain chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors and the Associated General Contractors — argued PLAs would reduce competition and raise costs by disadvantaging nonunion contractors and small, minority‑owned firms. “PLAs undermine fair competition, inflate costs, and discriminate against an overwhelming majority of the construction workforce in Colorado,” Jack Tate, president and CEO of ABC Rocky Mountain, told the committee.

Committee members asked sponsors about outreach to stakeholders listed in the Secretary of State record and whether the amendment addressed concerns. Sponsors said they had extensive stakeholder engagement and that the strike‑below was intended to preserve the core change while limiting fiscal impact.

The committee adopted the sponsors’ amendment (no objections) and then voted to send the bill as amended to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. The roll call on final passage in committee recorded eight yeses and five noes.

What the bill would do: the strike‑below defines a project labor agreement in statute and authorizes — but does not require — state agencies and institutions of higher education to enter PLAs on public projects with total cost above $1,000,000, as set in the amendment. Sponsors said defining PLAs in statute provides legal clarity; opponents said statutory definition risks privileging one procurement approach over open competition.

Next steps: the bill goes to the Appropriations Committee. If it advances, additional amendments or fiscal changes could be offered on the floor or in Appropriations.

—Votes at a glance—
The committee moved the bill as amended to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; the final committee vote was 8 yes, 5 no.

—Context—
Sponsors and many labor representatives said the change aligns procurement options for state projects with energy sector public works law. Opponents emphasized concerns about access for small and nonunion contractors, apprenticeship impacts and potential cost increases to taxpayers.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Business Affairs & Labor [Mar 06, 2025]","oneSentenceSummary","The House Business Affairs & Labor Committee on Wednesday approved, 8-5, an amended bill that would authorize state departments and institutions of higher education to use project labor agreements as an optional procurement method for public construction projects over $1,000,000.","taxTitle","Business Affairs & Labor, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Colorado","taxId",26854,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6278777,"Committee backs bill to help schools access federal funds for HVAC upgrades, adds rural waiver and certification rules",3550,4979000,8529000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2634106-791edba4cb971b0d38ae997cfb34a0c3&start=4979&end=8529","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2634106-791edba4cb971b0d38ae997cfb34a0c3/thumbnail_4979000.jpg","/articles/6278777/Colorado/Committee-backs-bill-to-help-schools-access-federal-funds-for-HVAC-upgrades-adds-rural-waiver-and-certification-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6278777-7531d3ce61be99c0bc798137adf74be5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770507480&Signature=GAIm3qV5c7sG9NghIl74n~9U2CBvKWKLqNePCLZ6AKUKec8fP7gfmbWeLTjVB7MttZH30Jkfj8o6uzL2B59Lxdjy7niQ7dypDiAIu4NE-UlrSg449tUYsPK95iCBg2MhRE8ZykCCTVIPxHzZj7ozk~I0CjfPflJlDpijG3FXQs3ug4ewwMGq2ZkNbrw-DEkgq5f04~VoqrhlMHwT6XBr0JhC4jLzSkg6m8v8CvfzOC5bhKne7CUGX-MqIggK91nqloJbqi8YDkEnzQMA6E~JZDn49yNCHP1rMySRgO1dAM2M7Or9e86WdOzDrmtUkCqgzaxIabeVYW-R7WSWFHZNXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Business Affairs & Labor Committee voted 8-5 to advance an amended bill intended to help K–12 school districts secure federal funding for heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure projects and related capital improvements.

Sponsors said the bill opens a path for districts to use matching state funds to draw down federal IIJA dollars and establishes a certified‑contractor list to ensure work meets technical and safety standards. Representative Leader, the bill sponsor, said the measure was narrowed after stakeholder work and that labor standards would apply only to projects using state IIJA matching funds.

Representative Hamrick, a co‑prime sponsor and longtime educator, said the measure aims to improve student health and equity by addressing aging school infrastructure and uneven access to funding. “This is about equity,” Hamrick said in written remarks read to the committee, noting the bill opens the IIJA cash fund to receive federal grant money that supports capital or infrastructure improvements.

Teachers and school staff described classrooms that reach high temperatures and reported student heat‑related illness. “A student went to the hospital for heat‑related illness,” Sarah Vaughn, a middle‑school math teacher with Poudre School District and the Colorado Education Association, told the committee, recounting survey responses from educators in her district describing headaches, stomachaches and heat‑related symptoms among students.

Contractors, unions and building‑systems professionals generally supported the bill and its amendments, testifying that certified contractors and assessments are needed for safe, reliable HVAC upgrades and to maximize federal grant matches. ASHRAE and sheet‑metal and pipe‑trades representatives urged adoption of industry standards and said certified technicians are available statewide to perform assessments and commissioning.

The Associated General Contractors said it opposed the bill as introduced because the certified‑contractor language initially relied on registered apprenticeship graduation thresholds that could exclude some rural contractors; AGC indicated it might change its position if the committee adopted a rural waiver modeled on the prevailing‑wage statute. Sponsors offered two amendments in committee — L001 and L002 — that restrict the new labor standards to projects using IIJA matching funds, direct the Colorado Department of Education to publish (not require) a certified contractor list, and add an exceptions/waiver process for rural districts. Committee members adopted the amendments and then voted to send the bill as amended to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation.

Key fiscal detail: sponsors said they set aside $100,000 in state funds to seed the IIJA cash fund; the bill also expands the fund’s ability to accept federal grant dollars for capital improvements.

Next steps: the bill now goes to the Committee on Finance for consideration.

","The committee voted 8-5 to advance an amended bill that aims to help K–12 schools access federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) dollars for HVAC and other capital upgrades; sponsors added an exception pathway and clarified certified‑contractor rules after stakeholder outreach.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances bill to allow optional project labor agreements for state projects after tense hearing

Committee backs bill to help schools access federal funds for HVAC upgrades, adds rural waiver and certification rules