Capitol Connection – January 14, 2022
Legislative Advocacy this Week at the State Capitol
Welcome to the Second Regular Session of the 73rd General Assembly
Welcome back to public policy season. On Wednesday, the Legislative Session commenced and we will be working on important policy at the Capitol related to REALTOR(R) Party issues for the next 120 days.
The Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) will begin reviewing bills next week, so if you have a member serving on LPC or as a key contact, tell them we appreciate all the hard work they will put in over the next several months to review and analyze legislation.
The composition of the General Assembly is mostly the same as last year except that we have one new House member in HD-42. Mandy Lindsay was just appointed by a vacancy committee to replace outgoing Representative Dominique Jackson who left the legislature to serve as the regional administrator for HUD, the federal agency for Housing and Urban Development.
The majorities remain the same with Democrats in control of both the House Chamber with a 41-24 advantage and the Senate Chamber with a 20-15 margin. The biggest change in the atmosphere under the Dome this year continues to focus on the dynamic election year ahead. Now that Colorado’s independent commission has given us newly redrawn and increased competitiveness in some Congressional and State Legislative districts, several state legislators might be running against each other in new districts or considering higher congressional office.
And this week’s biggest political announcement included long-time Realtor(R) Party Champion Congressman Ed Perlmutter announcing that he will not stand for re-election, which opens the field for many interested candidates on both sides of the aisle to run for his soon-to-be vacant Congressional seat.
Bill Updates
Opening Week of the Legislature Speeches
The opening week speeches from the Republicans and Democrats both focused on rising costs of living, preventing crime, the need for more affordable housing, and economic relief after the pandemic, but they might disagree on how we get to the resolution of those problems Colorado is facing.
Click here for Governor Polis’ State of the State Address
Click here for Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert’s speech
Click here for Senate President Leroy Garcia’s speech
Click here for Speaker of the House Alec Garnett’s speech
Click here for House Minority Leader Hugh McKean’s speech
Housing Industry News & Upcoming Events
Energize Denver New Rules and Hub of Information for Building Energy Requirements
The City of Denver is currently holding public hearings about the new regulations and rulemaking coming in March to address carbon dioxide emissions and air quality in buildings. The Energize Denver Hub will be the location to go for information about the new requirements and potential incentive programs for building owners to meet them in ways that best suit their needs and budgets.
In Case You Missed It
Realtor Relief Funding for Boulder County Wildfire Victims and What CAR is Doing to Help
Like so many Coloradans and citizens throughout our country, we were devastated by the December 2021 wildfires in Boulder County that damaged so many structures. And our REALTOR(R) community is here to help.
The Colorado Association of REALTORS® Foundation has been awarded a $2 million grant from the REALTORS® Relief Foundation to be distributed to victims of the December 2021 fires that destroyed more than 1,000 residential properties.
Funded through donations from REALTORS® and REALTOR® organizations and administered by the Colorado Association of REALTORS® Foundation, the grant will provide eligible applicants up to $3,000 of assistance per household impacted by the recent fires. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified applicants, victims of the Boulder County fires who have been displaced from their primary residence, based upon certain qualifications. The funds must be used for one of the following:
- Monthly mortgage expense for the primary residence that was damaged by the wildfire disaster; or
- Rental costs due to displacement from the primary residence resulting from the wildfire disaster.
Grant details and access to the online application process are available at: https://bit.ly/CARBOCOFireRelief. Application requests will be accepted until all funds have been distributed or until April 8, 2022. A panel of local professionals will review and verify the applications and supporting documents with relief checks issued weekly.
Additionally, as you’ve likely already heard, the CAR Foundation has established a Boulder County Fire Relief Fund for the victims of the Marshall and Middle Fork fires. Over the last week, individual Colorado REALTORS® across the state donated more than $85,000 to the Relief Fund. CAR Leadership and the CAR Foundation pledged an additional $80,000 to create an “immediate need” grant fund to provide housing-related relief assistance to those impacted. If you’ve already made your tax-deductible financial contribution to this fund, thank you, and if you haven’t, please consider contributing to the CAR Foundation by clicking here. It is through this Relief Fund that we as REALTORS® can have a direct impact on victims of these catastrophic fires.
Finally, we will be sharing information on the Colorado Project Wildfire website page to answer questions and share important resources about rebuilding, insurance and other topics, so check back frequently.
RPAC Announcements
REALTOR® Day RPAC Reception
Have you purchased your ticket to the RPAC Reception at Economic Summit and REALTOR® Day at the Capitol? Join us on January 31st from 4:00-6:00pm at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. Your $25 ticket to get into the reception goes directly to RPAC and gets you a free drink at the reception. We will also have a raffle at the reception with some great prizes, from airline tickets to Amazon gift cards! Start 2022 off strong by contributing to RPAC. Click here to purchase your $25 ticket to the RPAC reception
RAFFLE TICKETS
*You must be present at the RPAC reception to win*
- CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 1 RAFFLE TICKET FOR $99
- CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 5 RAFFLE TICKETS FOR $300 / Pledging to be a Major Investor (Your $300 is a pledge to become a $1,000 Major Investor for 2022)