Capitol Connection – February 11, 2022
Legislative Advocacy this Week at the State Capitol
CAR’s GA Division and LPC Work on Housing and Wildfire Mitigation Bills
This week, CAR, at the direction of the Legislative Policy Committee (LPC), worked to clarify and improve bills at the Capitol and worked with executive agencies to mitigate current process issues in court practices under previous legislation passed in 2021.
Senate Bill 22-019 is a bill that will tweak a previously passed sealing of eviction records until there is an actual decision by the court in eviction processes. However, because of previous legislation in 2021, there was no access to the records for mediators or attorneys that may represent a client in a court case before the outcome is decided. During the LPC discussions about this bill we uncovered a potential problem with housing providers in some areas of the state not having access to court cases when they are a named party to the case.
And after we convened a conversation with the Judiciary Department and court management staff, we identified that we could solve the problem without amending the legislation SB-019. Thank you to our dedicated LPC member Micah George for helping us both identify a problem that some housing providers were experiencing and working together to help find a way to improve transparency and access to adequately participate in the judicial process. Advocacy takes place at many levels!
House Bill 22-1011 is a bill the LPC is supporting a bill that creates the Wildfire Mitigation Incentives Local Government Grant Program in the Colorado State Forest Service that allows the state to provide matching funds to local governments for forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts. This bill allows local governments to invest in mitigation that best meets the needs of their communities, and creates more investment in sustainable long-term funding for wildfire mitigation efforts.
We are also encouraged to understand that local governments will be able to work with groups such as Colorado Project Wildfire (CPW), and non-profits that do wildfire mitigation in collaboration with local governments under this bill too. Colorado REALTORS® continue to engage and educate property owners throughout our state about the importance of creating defensible space to help prevent the dangers of property loss and lives due to wildfires.
This week, House Bill 22-1102 improved to become a better bill than the original introduced version with two new amendments in the House in response to stakeholder comments and feedback. And these amendments should interest all REALTORS(r) because they affect housing in two important ways:
1) a clarifying amendment ensures that sellers do have the ability to consider legitimate and non-discriminatory factors when deciding whether to accept an offer
2) an amendment also wraps in restrictive covenants as another form of discrimination that this legislation is intended to prohibit under the fair housing act.
In Case You Missed It
News About Boulder County Wildfires
Council Waives Demo Permit Fees for Fire Victims
The City Council of Louisville unanimously approved a resolution to waive demolition permit fees for fire victims. After a short discussion, the original proposal was revised and the time limit for the waiver was extended until September 30. Victims have to apply for the permit by that date. The actual work must begin within 180 days.
Department of Insurance Guidance
In response to the needs of those affected by the Boulder County Fires, the Colorado Division of Insurance has created a document offering guidance for homeowners’ insurance policyholders who belong to homeowners associations (HOAs). This guidance includes information for people who own condominiums, townhomes and individual homes.
This guidance was developed based on questions the Division received in the aftermath of the Boulder County Fires.
Inflation Report Released
Just Released from the Common Sense Institute Inflation Through January and Chart of the Century
Here are a few key findings:
Inflation in the Denver MSA in 2021 was the highest on record (since 1986).
Inflation over the last twelve months in the Denver MSA was 7.9% , more than 2.7X higher than the average inflation between 2010 and 2019 of 2.85%.
The average Colorado household spent more than $2,900 more on food, housing, transportation, medical care, recreation and education over the past 12 months than in 2020. The 2022 impact on spending will be even more. Over the past two decades, the prices of higher education, housing, medical care and gasoline have all outpaced wage growth.
Housing Industry News & Upcoming Events
Pique Your Intellectual Curiosity and Learn More: NAR Reports and Research
Independent Contractors or Employees?
Want to learn more about labor definitions and how Realtors are categorized? Check out one of the newest white papers from NAR here.
New NAR Report on Affordability of Housing Released
Record-high home prices and record-low inventories, a combination labeled “double trouble” by analysts, are growing roadblocks for many Americans to achieve homeownership, particularly for Black Americans, according to a new analysis from the National Association of REALTORS® and realtor.com®. The newly released report, The Double Trouble of the Housing Market,”examines the impact of rapidly rising home prices and low inventories on housing affordability
RPAC Announcements
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