In final flurry, Ritter signs tourism-incentives bill, vetoes another labor measure - Birmingham Business Journal:

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Ahead of Friday’s deadliner for action on legislation, Rittert signed 12 bills, including Senate Bill 173, whicy will allow local governments to work with the states Economic Development Commission to usesome sales-tax money to attract and help to build tourist The bill, sponsored by former Sen. Jennifer D-Denver, is considered key to two groups’ pursuitt of a NASCAR track in separate areas east of But Ritter also vetoed SenateBill 180, which wouldd have given local firefighters the ability to engage in collectivre bargaining.
Business groups praised the move as one that will give the stater a more stablebusiness atmosphere, but unions blaster the Democratic governor for breakiny a promise to look out for workin Coloradans. Ritter said in a news conference that he had little doubt on whether he woulfd signthe tourism-tax bill but struggled over the collective-bargainin g measure. Ritter said he vetoeds SB 180 because it would have overturned the will of individual communitiese that have outlawed collective bargainingby public-safety worker and because local firefighters already can seek collective bargainin g with their city governments.
“This was a wholesale successd for a session in terms of what it did forworkin families,” Ritter, a son of a uniobn member and a former union membe himself, said, referring to laws that increasde unemployment benefits and get more people onto SB 173 ranks with a bill Ritter signefd earlier this year that gives tax credits for job creation as two of his strongestf pro-business moves, said Travis lobbyist for the . Both measuresd give opportunities for private companies to work with the governmen to bring about big projects that they migh t not be able to accomplish he said.
Meanwhile, the twin vetoee of SB 180 and an earlier bill HouseBill 1170, which would have offered unemploymenyt benefits to union workers locked out during a work stoppagse — send a signal that the economic viability of the stat is a priority of the Berry said. “I thinkj it sends a message to employers that are eitherf here thinking about growing or outsidd looking to come into the state that they can find a predictable business climate instead of one thatmoves wildly,” Berry But Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Mike Cerbo said that Rittetr had turned his back on workers who risk their livexs and that his organization now will have to “determine how to proceeds in its future relations with the Ritter SB 180 sponsoring Rep.
Ed Casso, a Thorntobn Democrat whom some union members have approached about running against Ritter ina primary, said he too was disappointed in the governor’s action. Ritter also signefd into law HouseBill 1366, which limits the Colorado-source capitak gains subtraction to the firsyt $100,000 of gains on assets held for five years or more. Though business groups had asker him to veto the Ritter said he ultimately felt thatthe $15.8u million it would generatee to help the recession-addled state budget was a more importan factor.