DENVER — Democratic lawmakers at the Colorado State Capitol are pushing a series of new bills they say would save Coloradans money and help small businesses compete, setting up an early-session debate over affordability, consumer protection and government regulation.
Lawmakers outlined three proposals during a Monday news conference, arguing the measures are designed to promote transparency and create what they describe as a fairer economy for consumers and small businesses.
One of the bills, House Bill 26-1012, has already been introduced. Supporters say it would strengthen protections against price gouging by requiring clearer price disclosures for consumers. The bill would require sellers to compare delivery prices with in-store prices at the point of sale and would prohibit what it calls “unreasonably excessive prices” charged to “captive consumers”, or people who have limited or no alternatives, such as at venues or locations without competition.
Colorado House Republicans, however, raised concerns about how parts of the bill are written.
“Often, what is said about bills isn’t as important as what’s actually in the bill itself,” said Rep. Chris Richardson, R–House District 56, who said he supports price transparency but worries about how certain terms in the bill are defined.
Richardson said the bill’s language could lead to confusion and unintended consequences for businesses.
“We can’t just pass a bill and let the regulators determine what it really means,” Richardson said. “That’s an abdication of what we should be doing as legislators.”
Democrats say the bill is meant to give consumers more information and prevent businesses from taking advantage of situations where competition is limited.
Two additional proposals discussed Monday have not yet been formally introduced.
One focuses on ensuring fair competition for small businesses by targeting what supporters describe as preferential pricing and backroom deals that benefit large corporations. Sen. William Lindstedt, D–Senate District 25, said small businesses often struggle to access the same pricing opportunities as larger competitors.
“It’s only fair that small restaurants and small grocers get the same access to pricing that the largest corporations do,” Lindstedt said.
Mike Callicrate, owner of Ranch Foods Direct in Colorado Springs, said market concentration has made it difficult for independent businesses to compete.
“We need fairness in the wholesale market,” Callicrate said, adding that large corporations often receive special deals that smaller businesses cannot match.
“The way it is today, the big companies will give vendors like Walmart sweetheart special deals that there's no way an independent business can compete with that,” said Callicrate.
The third proposal would ban what lawmakers call “surveillance pricing,” limiting the use of artificial intelligence and consumer data to set prices and wages. Rep. Jennifer Bacon, D–Assistant Majority Leader of the Colorado House, said companies are increasingly using personal data to determine how much consumers will pay or how little workers will accept in wages.
“They can look at our browser history, track where we are and understand our behavior to learn how much we’re willing to pay,” Bacon said. “That means our own data is being used against us.”
Bacon said the legislation would establish guardrails around how data can be used and give consumers more control.
“It’s our responsibility as a legislature to set those guardrails and create a space where all of us can thrive,” she said.
While House Bill 26-1012 is already moving through the legislative process, lawmakers say the other two proposals are expected to be introduced later this session.