HB 19-1322 (Roberts, Will/Moreno, Coram) Expand
Supply Affordable Housing
This bill requires that up to $30 million from the Unclaimed
Property Trust Fund be transferred to the Housing Development
Grant Fund each June for three years starting in FY 2020-21
through FY 2022-23. Transfers are limited to three fiscal years.
The amount transferred will be based on the balance in the
Unclaimed Property Trust Fund as of June 1 each fiscal year, as
well as the Legislative Council Staff June revenue forecast. If the
amount of revenue forecast exceeds the Referendum C cap for the
current year minus $30 million dollars, the transfer will be made.
In addition to existing statutory mandates, the funds transferred
to the Housing Development Grant Fund may be spent for the
following purposes:
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grants and loans for housing in non-urban areas for
purchasers with up to 120 percent of the area median
household income;
down payment assistance programs for households with
up to 100 percent of the area median household income in
conjunction with public and private organizations;
programs for home rehabilitation;
repair, replacement, and disposal of mobile homes, in
conjunction with local organizations;
grants and loans for land acquisition and infrastructure
costs for the provision of utilities for affordable housing
developments;
grants and loans for affordable housing targeted at specific
area or income levels; and
rental assistance programs targeting homeless families,
Medicaid clients in nursing homes, family unification, veterans,
households below 60 percent of the area's median income,
and survivors of domestic violence.
The Division of Housing is required to consult with stakeholders
from urban and rural communities in order to determine how to
meet the needs of local communities, serve populations with the
greatest unmet need, and optimize the funds allocated.
Position: Support
Outcome: Passed House & Senate
Effective Date: August 2, 2019
HB 19-1328 (Herod/Rodriguez) Landlord & Tenant Duties
Regarding Bed Bugs
The bill requires a tenant to promptly notify a landlord when the
tenant knows or reasonably suspects that a rented residential unit
contains bed bugs. Not more than 96 hours after receiving notice,
a landlord must inspect the dwelling unit and any contiguous
dwelling units. Except as otherwise provided, a landlord is
responsible for all costs associated with mitigating bed bugs. The
bill requires that landlords provide tenants reasonable notice of
the need to inspect a unit. Tenants must comply with reasonable
measures to mitigate bed bugs and must pay any cost associated
with preparing the dwelling unit for inspection and treatment.
A tenant who knowingly and unreasonably fails to comply with
inspection and treatment requirements is liable for the cost of
subsequent bed bug treatments.
Position: Neutral
Outcome: Passed House & Senate
Effective Date: January 1, 2020
SB 19-180 (Winter/McCluskie) Eviction Legal Defense
This bill creates the Eviction Legal Defense Fund in the Judicial
Department. Grants will automatically be awarded from this fund
twice a year to qualifying nonprofit organizations in each county
that will provide legal advice, counseling, and representation
to indigent clients facing or at risk of eviction. This bill requires
nonprofit organizations that receive a grant from this fund to
submit an annual report to the State Court Administrator's Office
(SCAO) that includes information on the number of clients served,
nature of assistance rendered, amount of rent in dispute, and
demographic data. In addition, the SCAO must evaluate the use
of grant money from the fund by December 31, 2024 and every
five years thereafter. This bill allows the SCAO to accept and
spend gifts, grants, and donations for the purpose of awarding
grants. Lastly, this bill provides an appropriation of $750,000 to the
eviction legal defense fund.
Position: Monitor
Outcome: Passed House & Senate
Effective Date: Upon Signature of Governor
SB 19-225 (Gonzales, Rodriguez/Lontine, Gonzales-
Gutierrez) Authorize Local Government to Stabilize Rent
Current law prohibits a local government from enacting laws
that control rent on private residential real property, or private
residential housing units. This bill attempted to remove that
prohibition and permit local governments to enact local laws
or regulations that stabilize rent on private residential property.
The sponsors of this bill pitched it as a “rent stabilization bill
but it would have been the first giant step toward rent control in
Colorado. The bill was assigned to the only Senate committee it
could possibly pass through but was never heard on 2nd reading
in the Senate. Democratic leadership knew there weren't enough
votes to pass the bill, so rather than eat up hours of time debating
rent control, they opted to let it die on the calendar.
Position: Oppose
Outcome: Died on the Calendar
SB 19-236 (Garcia, Fenberg/Hansen, Becker) Sunset
Public Utilities Commission
This bill continues the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in the
Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) for seven years.
It also implements various recommendations from the sunset
review and makes other changes to the operations of the PUC.
It incorporates the provisions of House Bill 19-1313 related to
the PUC and electric utilities, including adding clean energy
planning requirements for carbon dioxide emissions for electricity
generation by large utilities, allowing an electric utility to apply
to the PUC to issue energy impact bonds, and specifying the
rights of retail electric utility customers concerning customer-
site generated renewable sources. The PUC is repealed on
September 1, 2026, pending a sunset review. The primary reason
the Apartment Association tracked this particular bill is because of
a specific recommendation in the PUC Sunset Report prepared by
DORA last summer. This recommendation was to prohibit agency
agreements between property owners and towing companies.
Members of the Apartment Association including towing
companies and property owners opposed this recommendation.
We provided testimony at the hearing and successfully advocated
to keep this recommendation out of the bill as introduced and
ultimately adopted.
Position: Monitor
Outcome: Passed House & Senate
Effective Date: Upon Signature of Governor
www.aamdhq.org
JUNE 2019
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