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< Back March 11, 2019 TIME TO SQUEEZE OUT THE COMPETITION: HOUSE APPROVES BILL TO HELP KIDPRENEURS (Mar. 11) – The House gave final approval to a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. James Coleman, D-Denver, to allow children to operate a temporary business, such as a lemonade stand, without a license. “I’m proud to work on this bill that will help encourage our kidpreneurs and allow their creativity to flow,” said Rep. Coleman. “Ultimately, it will allow Colorado’s young people to build new skills and experiences, to start their own businesses or to raise funds for a good cause.” SB19-103 would allow small and temporary businesses such as lemonade stands, snow removal, and other kid-owned businesses across Colorado to operate without licensing requirements. These businesses must operate for fewer than 84 days each year and be located at a proper distance from other businesses to avoid unfair competition. The bill arose from an incident last Memorial Day with a family with three young boys who tried to have a lemonade stand but were shut down by police due to the lack of a license. The House co-prime sponsor is Rep. Terri Carver, R-El Paso. The bill passed unanimously through the Senate with sponsors Sen. Angela Williams, D-Denver, and Sen. Jack Tate, R-Centennial. The bill passed out of the House with a bipartisan, unanimous vote. It now heads to the Governor’s desk for signature. Previous Next

< Back January 23, 2020 REP. JACKSON’S FAIRNESS IN EVICTION COURT RECORDS BILL ADVANCES DENVER, CO — Legislation sponsored by Representative Dominique Jackson to protect renters from being discriminated against for vacated evictions today advanced the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation passed the committee 7-1. “Every renter in our state should have a fair shot at housing,” said Rep. Jackson, (D-Aurora). “A vacated eviction or an ongoing, undecided eviction proceeding should never get in the way of a family having a roof over their head. I was pleased to see the Judiciary committee move this initiative forward and stand up for the rights of renters across the state.” Currently, when an eviction is filed against a tenant it produces an official court record, regardless of whether the filing was dismissed for being unfounded or retaliatory in nature. This can result in a scarlet letter on one’s rental history and often prevents Coloradans and their families from accessing housing in the future. HB20-1009 would create an automatic suppression of court records while eviction proceedings are ongoing so that they do not become public until after the final court order is entered. It would also remove these court records from public view if an eviction filing is dismissed. Doing so will ensure that Coloradans and their families can access safe, affordable housing. Previous Next

< Back March 11, 2024 House Passes Bill to Prevent Price Gouging on Rent After a Disaster DENVER, CO - The House today passed legislation that would prevent excessive increases in rent in the wake of a disaster. HB24-1259 passed by a vote of 43-18. “Many Coloradans saw rents skyrocket after the Marshall Fire, and those who had lost their homes were forced to juggle exorbitant rents while they tried to rebuild their lives,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville. “Disasters, like wildfires, cause financial and emotional trauma, and no one deserves to be taken advantage of while they try to piece their life back together. This legislation adds essential protections for Coloradans so they don’t experience excessive rent increases in the aftermath of a disaster.” “After the Marshall Fire, hundreds of families suddenly had to find housing overnight because they lost everything they had, only to experience huge increases in rent because of the influx of renters in the market,” said Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora. “Disasters devastate communities and have a ripple effect on neighboring communities that now must house Coloradans post-disaster. This consumer protection legislation reigns in price-gouging of rent for a two-year period after a declared disaster, preventing disaster survivors from being taken advantage of." HB24-1259 would help protect Coloradans who have lost their home in a natural disaster from being taken advantage of by price gouging in rent. After a Governor- or Presidential-declared disaster that reduces the availability of housing, rent increases would be capped at the greater of 10% or the percentage rent increase in the previous year within the declared area for two years. The bill would make it a deceptive trade practice to price gouge when providing rental housing during this two-year period, allowing the Attorney General or a district attorney to pursue enforcement actions, including civil penalties, under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. Affected tenants would also be able to pursue civil action for violations. Previous Next

< Back April 22, 2019 HOUSE APPROVES BILLS TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING (Apr. 22) — The House approved three bills today that would increase access to affordable housing across the state. HB19-1309 creates a low cost and effective Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program within the Department of Local Affairs Housing Division. It also provides counties the same permissive authority that home-rule municipalities have to enact and enforce regulations. “Colorado mobile home owners have been raising serious concerns for years about mistreatment from park owners. There are more than 900 mobile parks in Colorado and the lack of enforcement of existing laws is troubling,” said Rep. Hooton, D-Boulder. “ This bill will protect Coloradans who are being exploited by relatively loose regulatory structures.” In addition, HB19-1309 extends the time a homeowner has to sell or move from their home after an eviction from 48 hours to 30 days, and extends the time to cure a late payment from five days to ten days. The bill would help provide protections for mobile home park residents. “In rural communities, affordable housing is at a premium and mobile home parks are an essential part of the solution to our housing crisis,” said Rep. McCluskie, D-Dillon. “However, there are many concerns about how residents are being treated in parks. This bill will create a process for effectively resolving conflicts so mobile home parks can remain a strong housing option for Coloradans.” The bill passed on a final vote of 41-23. The House also passed HB19-1245, sponsored by Rep. Mike Weissman. This bill would contribute more funding to the Housing Development Grant Fund within the Department of Local Affairs. The funding could then be used to improve, preserve, or expand the supply of affordable housing in Colorado. “This bill is a significant and meaningful approach to address the state’s affordable housing crisis,” said Rep. Weissman, D-Aurora. “Housing can strengthen a person’s ability to support a family, maintain a job and live a healthy life. This bill is a calibrated approach that would benefit all of Coloradans – especially our most vulnerable families and individuals.” Under current law, a business can keep 3.3 percent of sales tax that it collects for administration purposes. With this new bill, vendors can retain up to four percent of the vendor fees up to a $1,000 monthly cap. This minor statutory change will result in roughly $23 million in revenue in the first year and would invest $45-50 million per year afterwards. A third of these funds would be used to provide affordable housing to low income families. HB19-1245 passed by a final vote of 36-28. It now heads to the Senate. Finally, the House approved a bipartisan bill, HB19-1319 sponsored by Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, that would creates incentives to assist land developers in providing affordable housing statewide, and also identify undeveloped land owned by the state that could be developed for affordable housing purposes. “Too many hardworking Coloradans are not able to afford a place to live,” said Rep. Bird, D-Westminster. “This is a problem in urban, suburban and rural communities. So many people and communities are counting on us to address this challenge and to make meaningful change. This bill will help our state make use of un-utilized property and remove obsolete regulatory hurdles that stand in the way of funding affordable housing.” HB19-1319 passed with a bipartisan vote of 63-1. It now heads to the Senate. Previous Next

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< Back April 22, 2022 BILL TO INVEST IN STUDENT AND WORKFORCE PREPAREDNESS ADVANCES HOUSE Legislation would distribute nearly $91 million in federal pandemic relief funds to align postsecondary credential programs with today’s jobs DENVER, CO – The House passed a bill today on a preliminary vote to prepare Colorado students for success. This bill invests nearly $91 million of federal pandemic relief funds to build innovative workforce talent pipelines. “Together, we are investing $91 million in federal funds to build innovative career pathways into high demand industries with good paying jobs,” said Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon. “Through the help of local partners, labor organizations and industry leaders, postsecondary institutions can expand and develop programs to create workforce talent pipelines in every corner of the state.” HB22-1350 , sponsored by Representatives Julie McCluskie and Janice Rich, would establish a grant program with $91 million in federal funds to foster regional talent development initiatives to fill good jobs in growing industries. The competitive grant program will leverage local, federal and private dollars to better align postsecondary credential programs to today’s jobs. The program will take a regional approach to build and scale successful partnerships between employers and postsecondary institutions. These partnerships will build new pathways into high-skilled and high-demand industries, especially in industries with staffing shortages. Previous Next

< Back March 11, 2020 COMMITTEE VOTES TO EXTEND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT PROGRAM DENVER, CO — The House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor advanced Representatives Daneya Esgar and Tracy Kraft-Tharp’s bill to support businesses coming to Colorado and incentivize economic growth by extending the successful Transferable Tax Credit program for three years. “I fought hard to create this critical tool for businesses three years ago, and with it we were able to deliver results for Pueblo and keep jobs in our town,” said Rep. Esgar, D-Pueblo. “Now we’re ensuring that this successful business development program will continue to keep and create jobs for Colorado for years to come.” “The Transferable Tax Credit program has a track record of success, and I’m proud that we voted to extend it today,” said Business Affairs and Labor Committee Chair Rep. Kraft-Tharp. “We need to do everything we can to bring more jobs to Colorado and keep our state’s economy strong. This program will continue to do exactly that.” HB20-1298 would extend the Office of Economic Development and International Trade’s (OEDIT) performance-based Transferable Tax Credit (TTC) program for three years. The TTC program allows companies that make major capital investments in Colorado of at least $100 million to transfer certain OEDIT tax credits that they would not be able to use otherwise. These are tax credits that are earned in the course of making that investment and they include Colorado’s Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit and the Enterprise Zone (EZ) investment tax, EZ new employee credit, and EZ R&D credit. Since inception, the Transferable Tax Credit program has only been used in two extremely unique economic development opportunities that created and kept well-paying jobs in Colorado and will benefit our economy for decades. The first was the retention of EVRAZ Rocky Mountain Steel in Pueblo, where the company plans to spend more than $400M to build a steel mill that will be the center of a local manufacturing ecosystem. The second was the relocation of VF Corp’s headquarters from North Carolina to Denver, which will create an estimated 800 new jobs in the Denver area. Previous Next

< Back June 3, 2021 HOUSE PASSES BILLS TO PREVENT SUICIDE DEATHS, IMPROVE 2-1-1 HOTLINE DENVER, CO– The House has passed two bills on Third Reading and final passage that would better connect Coloradans with critical behavioral health support. “For every person who dies by suicide, there are 280 people who seriously consider suicide but do not attempt it,” said Rep. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County. “Suicide in general, and particularly teen suicide, has risen dramatically in Colorado over the last several years. Establishing the 988 suicide prevention network in Colorado will provide a lifeline for people having a mental health crisis. I’m thrilled that this critical bill is almost to the finish line.” SB21-154 , sponsored by Representatives Lisa Cutter and Matt Soper, would implement the 988 national suicide prevention lifeline network in Colorado. By calling this number, individuals will be provided with crisis outreach, stabilization, and acute care that aims to prevent suicide deaths. The bill aims to establish the new hotline by January 20222. The bill passed unanimously. The bill passed today by a vote of 53-10. “The 2-1-1 human services referral system connects Coloradans with critical resources such as housing assistance, vaccination information, and nutrition support, and now, it will refer Coloradans to behavioral health services, too,” said Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder. “Navigating the behavioral health system is sometimes the single most significant barrier to accessing care. By adding behavioral health services to the 2-1-1 hotline, we’re creating a new entry point for Coloradans to be connected to the mental health care and services they need.” “Colorado has a mental health crisis, and the pandemic has only made it more challenging for people to connect with behavioral health providers and access the care they need,” said Rep. Mary Young, D-Greeley. “Soon, Coloradans will be able to dial 2-1-1 and be connected with critical mental health care services. This, in addition to the 2-1-1 system, will benefit a lot of Coloradans, and especially people who are unemployed or do not have health care.” SB21-239 , sponsored by Representatives Judy Amabile and Mary Young, would improve the 2-1-1 Statewide Human Services Referral System. The bill appropriates $1 million to expand referral services authorized by the Colorado 2-1-1 collaborative to include referrals for behavioral health services and other resources in the state. By doing so, the 2-1-1 hotline will be able to connect more Coloradans with the mental health services they need. The bill additionally focuses on connecting Coloradans who are unemployed or who do not have health benefits to mental and behavioral health services. The bill passed Tuesday by a vote of 48-15. Previous Next

< Back May 15, 2024 Gun Violence Prevention Bill to Improve Investigations of Illegal Firearm Activity Signed Into Law New law improves the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s ability to address illegal firearm activity CENTENNIAL, CO - Governor Polis today signed gun violence prevention legislation into law to improve investigations of illegal firearm activity. “Though our background check system, InstaCheck, is working as intended, follow-up investigations are rarely conducted at the local or federal level due to resource limitations,” Senator Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, said. “By giving CBI statutory authority, they will be able to more effectively investigate illegal firearms purchases and transfers, purchases of illegal components and ghost guns, information obtained through tip lines such as suspected straw purchases, and other violations – all while improving safety in communities across Colorado.” “From safe storage laws to waiting periods, we’ve passed significant gun violence prevention legislation that will have a real impact on the safety of our communities,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood. “Current gaps in authority and resources make it difficult for law enforcement officials to enforce our laws to the fullest extent. Our new law gives CBI the authority and resources to work with local law enforcement agencies on life-saving investigations of illegal firearms.” “We all share a common goal of keeping illegal guns out of our communities, which is why I’m proud that our legislation is now law to ensure the safety of our loved ones and neighbors,” said Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. “We should be proud of the significant progress that we’ve made to tackle gun violence. This legislation uplifts our past work and reflects our commitment to keeping our communities safe by ensuring law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to investigate illegal firearm activity.” SB24-003 would give the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the ability to investigate illegal activity involving firearms. It would appropriate $1.7 million to the Department of Public Safety to create a team that investigates individuals convicted of felonies who are attempting to illegally purchase a firearm, and other illegal firearm crimes such as possession of a ghost gun. Previous Next

< Back March 5, 2024 Committee Passes Bill to Reduce the Cost of Housing Legislation puts ‘people over parking’ to lower the cost of building new homes, increase Colorado’s housing supply, and reduce harmful air pollution DENVER, CO - The House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee today passed legislation to make housing in Colorado more affordable and reduce traffic congestion by eliminating parking mandates that drive up the cost of building new housing, especially multifamily developments. HB24-1304 passed by a vote of 8-3. "Minimum parking requirements increase housing costs, travel distances, and greenhouse gas emissions," said Rep. Stephanie Vigil, D-Colorado Springs. “These requirements have had the unintended consequence of producing vast surpluses of asphalt and limited housing and transportation choices. Forcing builders to construct a minimum number of parking spaces makes many beneficial infill projects unfeasible and contributes to low-density sprawl. This legislation will also put the state to work developing data sets and tools, which will enable developments to right-size parking supply and manage demand in a market-responsive way." “Mandatory parking minimums drive up the cost of housing and reduce the number of units we can build, exacerbating our affordability crisis,” said Rep. Steven Woodrow, D-Denver. “Artificial parking minimums render denser development economically infeasible, contributing to single-family sprawl. Coloradans are relying on us to tackle the housing crisis, and this bill is one of many approaches that Colorado Democrats are taking this session to lower costs.” Beginning January 1, 2025, HB24-1304 would prohibit counties or municipalities from establishing or enforcing minimum parking requirements within a metropolitan planning organization (MPO). The bill would also direct the Colorado Department of Transportation to conduct a study and compile a report on parking space utilization, needs and best practices within MPOs to better inform parking needs for future development. Parking minimums increase home prices and rents by requiring developers to use valuable space for cars that may not be fully utilized and could instead be dedicated to more housing units. With new structured parking spaces costing $25,000 each in the Denver Metro Area in 2020, developers are disincentivized from building new residential projects or must reduce the number of units that are developed. Since the city of Minneapolis eliminated residential parking minimums in 2021, rents have only increased 1 percent , while Denver saw an average increase of nearly 5 percent in just the last two years. Research attributes the significant expansion of the housing supply in Minneapolis to the elimination of parking minimums. The oversupply of parking is also directly linked to higher vehicle miles traveled. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in Colorado, with cars contributing nearly 60 percent of the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified Denver and the Northern Front Range as having unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone, which can lead to negative health impacts like asthma and bronchitis, especially for vulnerable Coloradans. Additionally, replacing wildlife habitats to build massive surface lots for parking harms the environment by increasing soil and water pollution, flooding, and the heat island effect. The bill does not impact parking spaces required for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Previous Next

< Back April 14, 2023 House Advances Bill Help Reach Colorado’s Clean Energy Goals DENVER, CO – The House today passed a bill on a preliminary vote to accelerate Colorado's clean energy transition and save consumers money on their energy bills. “Colorado is leading the way on clean energy as we develop new tools to reduce dependency on fossil fuels,” said Rep. Cathy Kipp, D-Fort Collins. “High-efficiency appliances, including heating and plumbing fixtures, can drastically reduce your energy bill and your carbon footprint. This bill updates our state’s energy and water efficiency standards for household fixtures so Coloradans have access to the cleanest, greenest appliances and fixtures.” “This is one of many smart policies that saves Coloradans money and aids in our state’s clean energy transition,” said Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn . “This bill ensures we are stretching our precious energy and water resources as far as they can go by updating standards so consumers benefit from the latest technology and save money on utility bills. Coloradans are invested in our state’s transition to clean energy, and this bill makes it easier for them to obtain high-efficiency and cost-effective household appliances.” HB23-1161 would update energy and water efficiency and emissions standards for appliances and fixtures. This bill would make it easier for Coloradans to access the cleanest high-performance models of appliances, including heating and plumbing fixtures. HB23-1161 is part of a broader legislative package to accelerate Colorado’s clean energy transition. Previous Next

< Back May 17, 2021 BILL TO IMPROVE COLORADO ELECTIONS MOVES FORWARD DENVER, CO– The House State, Civic, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee today advanced legislation to improve Colorado’s gold standard elections system. “Colorado leads the nation when it comes to ballot access and election security,” said Rep. Susan Lontine, D-Denver. “One of the hallmarks of our system is that we are always looking at how we can make it better. While Republicans in the legislature have made multiple attempts this year to dismantle Colorado’s vote-by-mail system and restrict access to voting, Democrats have steadfastly protected Colorado’s gold standard election system, and now we’re making it better.” “The bill we passed today will improve Colorado’s election system by implementing the recommendations and findings of a group of bipartisan, statewide election officials,” said Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Thornton. “It improves drop boxes and voter services and prohibits disruptive electioneering tactics near polling locations. Importantly, the bill increases transparency in recall efforts and makes it easier for Coloradans to complete their voter registration online using the last four digits of their social security number if they don’t have a driver’s license.” SB21-250, sponsored by Representatives Susan Lontine and Yadira Caraveo, stems from the recommendations and findings of Colorado’s sixty-four county clerks, the Secretary of State, and other stakeholders. It makes clarifications, adjustments, and improvements to ensure Colorado’s election system remains the gold standard. The bill will improve access to drop boxes and Voter Service and Polling Centers, streamline Colorado’s voter registration system, and increase transparency in recall elections. Additionally, it clarifies and expands prohibitions on electioneering within 100 feet of a polling place in order to protect against partisan election interference. Specifically, the bill ensures that voters who are in dropbox lines at 7:00 PM are allowed to drop off their ballots, the same way voters who are in line by 7 PM at a voter service and polling center are able to cast a ballot. It also allows greater public input into the location of drop boxes. The bill clarifies what constitutes “electioneering” and ensures that voters may not be challenged for frivolous reasons unrelated to their eligibility. The bill modernizes the voter registration system to create a process for voters to register online with the last four digits of their social security numbers should they not have a driver’s license, requiring that information be matched and checked against the social security database in real time before proceeding to register the voter. The bill also requires institutions of higher education to provide information to enrolled students on their eligibility to vote and how to register to vote or update their address during the first full week of fall semester and the last full week of spring semester. Previous Next