Liz Peetz: Hot Items on the Agenda as 2020 Colorado Legislative Session Opens
It’s the start of a new political season. The second regular session of the 72nd General Assembly reconvened for the next 120 days on Jan. 8, and we have set our sights on what learned observers are saying could be an acrimonious adventure. Political year legislative sessions can bring out the worst and the best in anyone. It’s often hard to find the big policy compromises as every topic becomes fodder for the next campaign that’s not too far away. As we head into a long season I challenge you to consider a few words of wisdom:
“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock,” – President Thomas Jefferson
“Deliberation and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy.” – Jesse Jackson
Thank you in advance to our 2020 fearless Legislative Policy Committee members; they will likely be very busy volunteering their time to help CAR be the voice of real estate and homeowners at the state capitol. The list of bills that could cross legislators’ desks is long.
Here are just a few of the potential legislative topics we could deliberate over this year:
- Special district transparency
- Rent control and inclusionary zoning
- Mill Levy Equalization that could raise property taxes
- HOA bills, including the information center sunset that would allow HOA’s to assess homeowners to install solar panels, and CAM regulation
- Water speculation regulation and wildfire mitigation tax credit improvements
- Data privacy, including remote notarization
- Revisiting changes to the Homestead Exemption
- Business licensing authority for counties, including short term rental regulation
- Transportation and infrastructure funding
- Changes or improvements to Construction Litigation Reform
- Public option for healthcare and how that affects Association health plans and small businesses
- Increasing the availability of funding for affordable homeownership in the Division of Housing
- Source of income additions to the Colorado Fair Housing Act
Of course, many new ideas could arise in the next few months so this list is by no means exhaustive.
CAR, as always, will be here fighting for the real estate industry. This is an important year to stay engaged with CAR because your voice will be most valuable in a very active policy year. I encourage everyone to share your personal stories with us when we reach out for your input because we will have opportunities to impact legislation in a positive direction. Democracy can be messy, but it’s purposely slow and deliberative in Colorado under the GAVEL rule that requires every bill to receive a hearing. Therefore, I wish you all a very happy New Year and leave you with some last pieces of advice as we head into the opening days of policy season:
“Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment, it is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.” – President George W. Bush
“Baseball,” [like politics] is not a sport you can achieve individually.” – Curt Schilling
“And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” – Thomas Jefferson