Business direction up for vote.

• Author: Berry, Chuck
• Position: Gubernatorial elections - Column

DECISIONS MADE BY COLORADO VOTERS IN THE gubernatorial and state legislative races as well as several ballot issues at this year's general election are crucial for Colorado's business climate. The elected legislators and governor will determine the direction of public policy for the next two sessions of the Colorado General Assembly in such areas as employer-provided health coverage, business taxes, employment-and-labor issues, education, transportation, economic and workforce development, environmental regulation, civil justice, illegal immigration, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance.

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Voters will decide whether Republican Bob Beauprez or Democrat Bill Ritter will serve as governor for the next four years. Because of term limits, Gov. Bill Owens cannot run again and will step down in January. Coloradans have a great propensity to re-elect incumbent governors, so their decision on Nov. 7 may well select Colorado's governor for the next eight years.

The other statewide elections of interest to the business community are for State Attorney General, State Treasurer and Secretary of State.

Businesspeople should also focus on the state Senate and House candidates in the districts where they live. A low-profile but extremely intense contest is underway statewide to see whether Democrats retain their majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives--or whether Republicans will regain the majorities they held for many years before the 2004 election.

The majority party in the Senate selects the Senate president, and the majority party in the House selects the Speaker of the House. These leaders not only select the chairs for each body's legislative committees, but each personally exerts enormous influence in guiding the course of policy discussions and legislation.

The Senate Democrats have held a slim 18-to-17 seat majority for the past two years, and it's likely that the Senate split will continue to rest on a single seat. However, it is difficult to forecast whether Democrats or Republicans will have the 18 majority votes after November. Only 17 of the 35 Senate seats will be contested in this election.

In the House, Democrats now hold a 35-to-30 majority...