Max's Minute | Blogspot

Lately, a wave of misinformation - driven by the banking lobby - has flooded inboxes and airwaves. Their goal? To sink a straightforward, commonsense bill: HB25-1282 . Their ads claim the bill will hurt consumers, destabilize the payment system, and threaten access to credit. But here’s the truth: HB25-1282 simply prohibits credit card companies from charging swipe fees on sales tax and tips - money that doesn’t belong to the business in the first place. Let’s be clear: this bill doesn’t eliminate interchange fees. It doesn’t prevent customers from using credit or debit cards. It doesn’t force small businesses to change how they operate. What it does is stop Visa, Mastercard, and other payment networks from taking a percentage cut of taxes and gratuities - charges that go to the government or workers, not to the business. A quick clarification: if you’ve tipped a server with a credit card, the full tip still goes to the server. But the business pays a swipe fee on the entire amount - i...

Last Friday, the Colorado Senate passed SB25-003 , the so-called “Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices” bill, as amended by the House – and with that vote, the legislation is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. It’s a deeply flawed and constitutionally questionable bill that infringes on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens, and I want to take a moment to explain just how hard Republicans fought this – and why our work is not done. When this bill came to the House floor, Republicans from all over the state stood together in a unified, tireless effort to defeat it. We brought forward dozens of thoughtful, reasonable, and constitutional amendments in good faith. We stayed on the floor until late in the evening, debating this bill with everything we had. I’ve never been prouder to stand beside my colleagues in defense of the Constitution, public safety, and the rights of law-abiding Coloradans. But after more than 13 hours of floor debate and every amendment ...

Last Friday, March 21, the Colorado House of Representatives spent over 13 grueling hours debating SB25-003 - legislation aimed at banning a broad swath of semi-automatic firearms and firearm accessories under the guise of public safety. As Republicans, we fought tooth and nail, offering more than 30 sensible, reasonable amendments to improve or at least mitigate the damaging effects of this bill. Yet every proposal fell on deaf ears. Instead of engaging in good-faith debate, the majority party plowed ahead, rejecting every attempt to inject logic, fiscal sanity, or constitutional restraint into their legislation. Let’s be clear: SB25-003 will do nothing to reduce gun crime. Criminals, by definition, do not abide by laws. The firearms targeted in this bill are widely owned by law-abiding citizens for sport, hunting, and self-defense. Stripping these citizens of their rights does not disarm violent offenders - it simply punishes responsible Coloradans exercising their constitutionall...

Small businesses are the backbone of Colorado’s economy, yet on the campaign trail, many business owners approached me and asked for help with their struggle under the weight of excessive fees imposed by large financial institutions. HB25-1282  Payment Card Network Practices & Fees is a critical step toward fairness, ensuring that businesses are no longer charged unnecessary interchange fees on taxes and tips - money they do not keep.  I’m pleased to report that my bill has passed in committee with a 9-3 vote and is now headed to the House, where I expect it to pass before advancing to the Senate. Despite exaggerated claims from opponents, this bill is a commonsense reform that promotes transparency, economic growth, and competition while eliminating an unfair financial burden on merchants. Currently, businesses pay swipe fees not only on their actual sales but also on taxes and tips, which are funds that go to the government and employees. HB25-1282 eliminates these unnec...

On Friday, SB25-003 (Semiautomatic Firearms & Rapid-Fire Devices) passed through the House Finance Committee despite clear constitutional, fiscal, and logistical concerns. The bill, which seeks to criminalize the future ownership, sale, transfer, and purchase of many common semiautomatic firearms and accessories, is not only a blatant violation of the Second Amendment but also a reckless financial burden on a state that is already drowning in a $1.4 billion (and growing) budget deficit. As if the bill itself weren’t problematic enough, an amendment ( L.055 ) was added to strip funding from Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) - an agency funded not by general tax dollars, but by hunters, anglers, and park visitors who pay for the conservation and recreational programs that sustain our state’s outdoor economy. This amendment does nothing to reduce the financial burden of the bill but instead drains resources from conservation efforts, leaving Parks & Wildlife underfunded while s...

House Bill 25-1147 represents a significant erosion of local control by imposing state-level mandates on municipal courts, particularly in communities like Castle Rock within Douglas County, which has effectively addressed unprecedented levels of retail theft and crime. This bill would cap municipal court sentences and standardize procedures in a manner that undermines home rule authority, a right explicitly protected under Article XX of the Colorado Constitution. Castle Rock, home to thriving retail hubs such as Park Meadows Retail Resort and the Outlets at Castle Rock, has prioritized prosecution of retail crime to protect local businesses and consumers alike. By homogenizing municipal court policies statewide, this bill ignores the unique challenges and successful strategies implemented by local governments that are far more in tune with their communities’ needs than distant state bureaucrats. Home rule was established to ensure that local governments can address issues directly af...

The defeat of SB25-047  in committee is a profound setback for the safety and security of Colorado's citizens. This bill aimed to reverse policies that inhibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, thereby addressing a growing public safety crisis. By voting against this bill brought by Senator Mark Baisley and me, Democrats have effectively tied the hands of law enforcement, making it more difficult to apprehend and deport individuals who pose legitimate threats to our communities. SB25-047 would have reinstated provisions requiring local governments to report individuals suspected of being illegally present to federal authorities, a practice that was repealed in 2013 . This repeal has coincided with a significant rise in crime, including violent offenses, committed by individuals who should not have been in the country in the first place. The bill also sought to end prohibitions on local governments contracting with private entities for immi...

This past week, I voted in favor of House Bill 25-1208 in the Business Affairs & Labor Committee, and I intend to support it again when it reaches the Finance Committee - barring any amendments that fundamentally alter the bill’s purpose. My decision is grounded in one simple truth: Colorado’s restaurants are struggling to survive under the weight of escalating labor costs, and they need relief now. As the backbone and lifeblood of local economies, including here in Castle Rock, our restaurants operate on razor-thin profit margins - often 1% or less. Without financial relief, many of these small businesses will face bankruptcy, resulting in significant job losses and economic decline for our communities. The Reality Facing Our Restaurants The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the restaurant industry, and now, just as they are beginning to recover, escalating labor costs are threatening to finish the job. Several municipalities across Colorado have enacted minimum wages that far exc...

In a disappointing turn of events, the Colorado House committee’s decision to kill HB25-1055 means that HB24-1353 - a deeply flawed bill - will continue to impose unnecessary burdens on law-abiding firearms dealers and responsible gun owners in our state. Let’s be clear: HB25-1055 was the solution, not the problem. Its purpose was to repeal the misguided HB24-1353, which seeks to establish an additional state licensing authority for firearms dealers - a move that defies common sense and accomplishes nothing in the fight against gun crime. One of the most glaring flaws of HB24-1353 is its cost. Enforcement of this redundant regulation is projected to cost Colorado about $3 million a year at a time when our state is already facing a budget crisis that requires cutting $1 billion due to reckless overspending by Democrats. These budget cuts won’t just affect abstract numbers; they will directly impact funding for education, healthcare, and other essential services that Colorado families ...