Businesses & Jobs | Chris Richardson | Colorado House District 56 

“Government does not create lasting prosperity. Colorado’s workers, entrepreneurs, farmers, and business owners do. Our job is to stop making their work unnecessarily harder.” 

Learn how Representative Chris Richardson is working to strengthen Colorado businesses, expand good-paying jobs, reduce regulatory burdens, and protect workers and consumers. 

Opportunity Begins with Someone Willing to Take a Risk

Nearly every job begins with someone taking a risk.

It may be a farmer investing in new equipment, a mechanic opening a repair shop, a family purchasing a restaurant, a contractor hiring an apprentice, or an established company deciding whether to expand in Colorado or somewhere else.

Those decisions determine whether communities grow, whether young people can build careers close to home, and whether families have the income and security they need to pursue their goals.

As I travel House District 56, I meet people who are doing everything government says it wants them to do. They are working hard, creating jobs, training employees, serving customers, supporting local charities, and paying taxes.

Too often, however, they feel that state government treats them as a problem to manage rather than as partners in Colorado’s success.

They face rising insurance costs, new labor mandates, complicated licensing requirements, higher energy bills, expanding legal exposure, and regulations that may be manageable for a large corporation but overwhelming for a small employer.

My goal is not to eliminate reasonable protections for workers, consumers, or public safety. It is to restore balance and common sense.

Colorado should protect people from genuine harm without punishing responsible employers, discouraging investment, or making it harder to create a job.

Why This Matters to House District 56

The economy of House District 56 is diverse, but it is built largely around small and locally owned enterprises.

Our communities depend on farms and ranches, construction companies, trucking and logistics firms, healthcare providers, restaurants, retailers, agricultural suppliers, repair shops, energy producers, schools, local governments, and professional services.

Many of these employers operate with narrow margins and small staffs. A new administrative requirement that appears modest in Denver may require a rural business owner to hire an accountant, attorney, human-resources consultant, or compliance specialist.

That added cost does not disappear. It may result in higher prices, fewer employee hours, delayed hiring, reduced benefits, or a decision not to expand.

Rural communities also face workforce challenges that are different from those along the Front Range. Employers may struggle to find skilled workers, affordable housing, childcare, broadband access, or nearby training programs. Employees may commute long distances, and businesses often serve customers across several counties.

Economic policy must recognize those differences.

A one-size-fits-all mandate written for a large urban employer can have serious unintended consequences for a family-owned business in Burlington, Limon, Elizabeth, Bennett, or Cheyenne Wells.

Colorado’s Economic Warning Signs

Colorado remains home to talented workers, innovative companies, strong universities, abundant natural resources, and an exceptional quality of life. We should be one of the most competitive states in America.

But we should not assume businesses will remain here regardless of how they are treated.

Colorado’s unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in June 2026, below the national rate of 4.2 percent. The state added 4,800 payroll jobs from May to June. Those numbers show real strength, but the broader trend deserves attention: Colorado added only about 100 jobs between May 2025 and May 2026, and employment declined in seven of the state’s nine largest counties between December 2024 and December 2025.

The lesson is not that Colorado’s economy is failing. It is that growth cannot be taken for granted.

Businesses compare states when deciding where to invest. Families compare opportunities when deciding where to live. Employers consider taxes, regulations, energy costs, housing, workforce availability, litigation risk, and the predictability of state government.

Colorado’s economy grew during the first quarter of 2026, but national data also show that economic performance varied widely among states. Competition for jobs, capital, and skilled workers is real.

We must make sure Colorado is competing to win.

The Cumulative Cost of Government

The legislature often evaluates bills individually.

A new mandate may be described as a small cost. A new fee may appear limited. A new reporting requirement may seem manageable. A new lawsuit may be characterized as an additional enforcement tool.

But employers experience these policies cumulatively.

One mandate is added to another. One form is added to another. One premium increase follows another. The combined burden can change whether a business hires, raises wages, offers benefits, expands, or remains open.

Research using state regulatory codes has warned that accumulated regulation can increase prices, suppress employment, and worsen economic conditions. The same research recommends regulatory budgets, periodic reviews, and sunset provisions so that ineffective rules do not simply remain in place forever.

That approach makes sense to me.

Regulations should have a clear purpose, measurable benefits, and costs that are understood before they are imposed.

Colorado should also revisit rules after they take effect. When a policy is not working, lawmakers should have the humility to repeal or repair it.

My Principles

Small Businesses Deserve a Fair Chance

Large corporations often have legal departments, compliance teams, and the ability to absorb additional costs. Small employers do not.

Whenever possible, legislation should account for business size, staffing capacity, industry, and geographic differences. An exemption or phased implementation may mean the difference between practical compliance and closing a business. Small businesses should not be treated as miniature versions of large corporations.

Work Should Be Rewarded

A strong economy should produce more than jobs, it should produce opportunity. I support policies that help workers acquire valuable skills, advance in their careers, earn higher wages, and support their families.

But wages and benefits are sustainable only when employers have the productivity and revenue to provide them. While government can mandate compensation on paper, it cannot repeal economic reality.

Policies that make an employee dramatically more expensive may unintentionally reduce hiring, encourage automation, or eliminate entry-level opportunities. The best worker protection is a strong economy in which employers compete for talent.

Rules Must Be Clear and Predictable

Businesses can adapt to reasonable rules when those rules are understandable and consistently applied.

What they cannot easily manage is constant change.

When laws shift every legislative session, employers spend time and money revising policies, retraining staff, changing contracts, and consulting professionals simply to remain compliant.

Colorado needs greater regulatory stability. Employers should be able to plan beyond the next legislative calendar.

Colorado Must Reduce Its Litigation Risk

Legitimate victims deserve access to justice, and businesses that cause harm should be held accountable.

But the civil-justice system should not encourage opportunistic claims, abusive litigation, or settlements driven primarily by the cost of defending a case.

Every expansion of liability affects insurance premiums, operating costs, and decisions about whether to provide certain goods and services.

A balanced legal system protects injured people without turning every disagreement or technical violation into a lawsuit.

Energy Reliability Is Economic Policy

Businesses cannot operate without reliable and reasonably priced energy.

Manufacturers, farms, hospitals, data centers, restaurants, retailers, and transportation companies all depend on electricity, natural gas, and fuel.

Colorado should welcome new investment while ensuring that large energy users pay their fair share of the infrastructure they require. Families and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize private projects or absorb the risk if those projects fail.

Environmental goals must be pursued without sacrificing reliability, affordability, or economic competitiveness.

Government Should Welcome Success

Colorado should not treat business growth as something suspicious.

When a company succeeds, it creates jobs, purchases goods and services, supports community organizations, and contributes tax revenue.

We should celebrate responsible success—not continually redefine successful employers and individuals as targets for higher taxes, additional mandates, or political criticism.

Colorado needs more successful businesses, not fewer.

Workforce Development That Leads to Real Jobs

Not every student needs a four-year university degree, and not every good career begins in a traditional classroom.

House District 56 needs electricians, nurses, welders, mechanics, equipment operators, truck drivers, dental professionals, construction workers, emergency medical personnel, teachers, and agricultural specialists.

I support stronger partnerships among employers, schools, community colleges, apprenticeships, career and technical education programs, and workforce centers. Training should be connected to real employment opportunities.

Students and workers deserve honest information about:

• expected earnings,

• job availability,

• program costs,

• licensing requirements,

• and whether employers actually need the credential being offered.

Government should not measure success by the number of people enrolled in a program. It should measure success by whether participants complete training, obtain work, and build sustainable careers.

My Record and Responsibilities

As Ranking Member of the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee, I review legislation affecting employers, workers, financial institutions, insurance, professional licensing, workplace rules, and Colorado’s overall business climate.

I approach that responsibility with a simple principle: First, do no harm.

That does not mean doing nothing. It means understanding the real-world consequences of legislation before imposing it on every employer in Colorado.

My work has included:

• opposing costly mandates that reduce flexibility or discourage hiring;

• challenging legislation that expands liability without sufficient safeguards;

• supporting workforce training and credentialing reforms;

• advocating for more transparent and competitive insurance markets;

• defending small and home-based businesses from disproportionate regulation;

• supporting agriculture, trucking, energy, healthcare, and other foundational Colorado industries;

• and pressing government agencies to explain the costs and practical effects of their rules.

I have also worked across party lines where practical solutions were possible without compromising my principles.

Good policy does not require government to choose automatically between employees and employers. Successful businesses and successful workers depend on one another.

A Better Direction for Colorado

Colorado can once again become one of the best states in America to launch a business, build a company, pursue a skilled trade, and create a career.

To get there, I support:

• a comprehensive review of existing regulations;

• sunset dates for rules and programs that need periodic justification;

• regulatory cost analysis before major mandates take effect;

• streamlined occupational licensing and recognition of appropriate out-of-state credentials;

• protection for independent contractors and flexible work arrangements;

• stronger career and technical education;

• apprenticeships designed with employers;

• affordable and reliable energy;

• civil-justice reforms that preserve legitimate claims while discouraging abuse;

• a competitive tax environment;

• and greater attention to the cumulative effect of legislation on small employers.

Colorado should also adopt a more disciplined approach to economic incentives. Government should not pick favored companies behind closed doors or offer deals that shift costs onto existing taxpayers and ratepayers. Incentives should be transparent, performance-based, and tied to genuine public benefits.

The best economic-development policy is not a special deal for one company.

It is a fair and predictable environment for every company.

Key Facts

Current Economic Snapshot

• Colorado’s unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in June 2026.

• The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent.

• Colorado added approximately 4,800 payroll jobs from May to June 2026.

• Colorado’s 2026 minimum wage is $15.16 per hour, with a tipped minimum wage of $12.14.

My Priorities

• Reduce unnecessary regulation

• Protect small and family-owned businesses

• Expand skilled-workforce training

• Improve occupational licensing

• Limit abusive litigation

• Protect flexible employment arrangements

• Maintain affordable and reliable energy

• Encourage private investment

• Promote predictable tax and regulatory policy

• Ensure new mandates receive honest cost analysis

Related Issues

• Cost of Living & Affordability

• Agriculture & Rural Colorado

• Water & Natural Resources

• Transportation & Infrastructure

• Taxpayer Protection & TABOR

• Parents & Education

Closing

I want Colorado to be a state where a young person can learn a trade and build a career, where an employee can earn a good wage and advance, and where someone with an idea and a strong work ethic can start a business without needing a team of lawyers to understand the rules.

I want established businesses to invest here because Colorado offers skilled workers, reliable infrastructure, affordable energy, and stable public policy.

And I want rural communities to have the jobs and opportunities necessary to keep our children and grandchildren close to home.

That requires more than promising to be “pro-business.” It requires lawmakers to understand that every tax, mandate, fee, regulation, and expansion of liability has consequences.

My commitment is to evaluate those consequences honestly, protect workers and consumers from genuine harm, and build a business climate where responsible employers and hardworking Coloradans can succeed together.