Collaborate to create a stable business climate.

• Author: Tabor, David
• Position: GUEST column

THANKS TO GOV. JOHN HICKENLOOPER and the learn behind the crafting of the "Colorado Blueprint." The blueprint promotes innovation through a collaborative Colorado "'Slate of Mind/5 and Gov. Hicken-looper's administration has already begun acting in ways consistent with the positive outcomes proposed in the plan. Arrow Electronics credits the plan with its recent decision to make Colorado its headquarters.

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Our collaborative state of mind is a key opportunity and consistent with the mission of the Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry - to champion a healthy Colorado economv.

The blueprint, which can be found on the governor's website at www.Colorado.gov/governor, oilers six stated objectives. The first objective, to "Build a Business-Friendly Environment," is the focus of this opinion. The blueprint has four tactics to support building a business-friendly environment. They in-elude: (1) stopping unfunded mandates. (2) improving the state's customer service, (3) working with local governments to create more uniform tax and fee procedures, and (4) improving efficiency and effectiveness of slate government. CAGI supports these tactics.

And I propose a filth tactic: Maintain a collaborative attitude throughout government that laws and regulations affecting job creation should remain stable and predictable.

Business leaders want certainty about the laws and regulations that govern their operations and over which they have no control. We've learned that many companies facing uncertainty have resisted hiring and investing. Some of today's uncertainty is due to national and global factors, of course.

We can control the level of certainty created by state government, however, and we need to do so in two areas: first, new laws and regulations, and second, our state government's perceived attitude toward business. Here are examples from our recent past to illustrate what to watch for going forward as we strive to make Colorado a place in which businesses can survive and grow:

New laws and regulations: In the last few years, major rules revisions have been undertaken that affect energy exploration and extraction. As the state mulled over what the new operating rules would be, hundreds of millions of dollars in energy extraction investment were moved from...