“What’s different is that there are so many new legislators and the very fast speed for consideration of big concepts and ideas,” said Elizabeth Peetz, vice president of government affairs for the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. “But we’ve always worked (in a bipartisan way) across the aisle. So we had a lot of new players who weren’t aware of how...
DENVER – With more than half of the state’s population now living in or near areas that are prone to wildland fire, public and private organizations across the state are teaming up as a part of Wildfire Community Preparedness Day (May 4) to educate and help Colorado residents to prepare for the growing threats created by wildfires. According to the Colorado...
As Democrats are scrambling to get the last of their agenda accomplished before the 2019 legislative session ends in almost exactly a week, we thought we’d help them with a little bit of prioritization. First, there are two terrible bills that Colorado lawmakers should pitch out the closest window. Senate Bill 225 would do away with a long-standing prohibition on rent control policies...
Senate Bill 19-107: Broadband Infrastructure Installation ### SB19-107, sponsored by Sen. Kerry Donovan (D-Vail) and Sen. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon), authorizes an electric utility that has an electric easement on real property or a commercial broadband supplier designated by the electric utility to act on the electric utility's behalf, after having provided advanced notice to the owner of the real property and to any...
House Bill 19-1322: Expand Supply Affordable Housing ### HB19-1322, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts (D-Avon), Rep. Perry Will (R-New Castle), Sen. Dominick Moreno (D-Commerce City) and Sen. Don Coram (R-Montrose), appropriates a portion of the unused funds in Colorado's Unclaimed Property Trust Fund, while protecting the 20-year claims reserve. The bill ensures all unclaimed property claims will continue to be paid and...
DENVER – With affordable housing concerns topping the list of priority issues for many Colorado residents, the Colorado Association of REALTORS® collaborated with diverse stakeholders throughout the 2019 legislative session to make significant strides focused on short- and long-term housing solutions for communities across our state. The Association’s Government Affairs Division, led by Elizabeth Peetz, is working cooperatively with more than 80 stakeholder...
A new bill under consideration in the state legislature would give local governments across Colorado the ability to implement rent control policies. Colorado has had a statewide ban on rent control policies since 1981, when it was enacted in response to a citizen initiative in Boulder to allow rent-controlled housing. Now, in the face of an affordable housing crisis in Denver and across...
### April is Fair Housing Month. As stewards of the right to own, use, and transfer private property, REALTORS® understand that fair housing protects the real estate industry and our businesses. We depend on a free, open market that embraces equal opportunity. In short, fair housing makes us stronger. "The Fair Housing Act was amended to prohibit discrimination based on gender, disability and...
Vote "No" on Senate Bill 225 Senate Bill 225 is bad public policy because it repeals current Colorado statute prohibiting rent control on private residential real property or housing units and allows any local jurisdiction to pursue their own rent control limits. It will be on the Senate Floor on Thursday morning. ### Rent control does not equal affordable housing; in fact, it...
By: Elizabeth Peetz, Vice President of Government Affairs, Colorado Association of REALTORS® ### As we enter the last weeks of April, the Legislature is starting to round the corner heading into the final stretch as we race to May 3rd. The legislature just took up the state budget pursuant to our constitutional requirement to pass a balanced budget in Colorado. So while...