cole wist
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Construction defects litigation voices finally get in Colorado harmony
The angrier voices in the debate over construction defects litigation are finding a harmony, based on the floor debate of House Bill 1279 Friday. The compromise legislation announced Wednesday was a long-awaited cease in hostilities. One side has argued through multiple legislative sessions that lawsuits are gobbling up the profit margins and eliminating the incentive to build lower-cost…
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Lawmakers, stakeholders say persistence, high stakes led to breakthrough on construction defects bill
Officials say they’re hopeful a breakthrough compromise reached on construction defects legislation as Tuesday night turned to Wednesday will thaw Colorado’s frozen condominium market and help resolve the state’s housing crisis. Calling the agreement a “psychic win,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said Wednesday at a Capitol news conference that he expects builders to respond favorably, and…
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Breakthrough reached as business coalition, mayors throw support behind bipartisan construction defects bill
After weeks of protracted negotiations and postponed hearings, the standoff over bipartisan construction defects legislation broke Wednesday with the announcement that an alliance of builders and business groups and a group representing the metro area’s mayors will back the bill. House Bill 1279, which would require that a majority of unit owners in a condo…
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Colorado House Republicans find lots of cash for transportation ‘in the cushions of the governor’s mansion’
This week’s House Republican video is good for a couple of smiles. It serves up a lot of food for thought about the state budget and paying for transportation. The House GOP has contended all along that a tax increase isn’t needed to fund billions for widening interstates and other core transportation needs. (Transit, not…
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#Coleg Week 15: Legislative suspended animation, candidate tax returns, homeless civil rights, sexting, civil forfeiture
It’s a strange run-up to the home stretch at the Legislature. This week there will be floor votes and committee hearings same as the weeks before, but the whole endeavor seems to be operating in a suspended state, the major legislative projects of the year still hanging in the balance. The state’s $26.8 billion budget…
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Lawmakers delay bipartisan construction defects bill for a third time, remain hopeful a fix is in sight
Sponsors of a bipartisan bill to reform Colorado’s construction defects law tapped the brakes again Wednesday, delaying for a third time the legislation’s scheduled committee hearing in order to spend more time negotiating the fix, lawmakers said. House Bill 1279 has been scheduled for its first hearing three Wednesdays in a row now, but each time…
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Hancock urges lawmakers to stay at table, resolve impasse over construction defects legislation
Calling bipartisan legislation aimed at tackling construction defects issues “critically important,” a spokeswoman for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock on Thursday said the mayor is urging negotiators to stay at the table and push through to find a solution. “Addressing construction defects is critically important and Denver remains hopeful that meaningful action will move forward this session,”…
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Leslie Herod gets an earful from fellow lawmakers about best ways to resolve conflicts
State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, got plenty of advice when she recently asked several House members from both sides of the aisle to discuss their favorite ways to resolve conflicts at the Capitol. One legislator even cites reggae legend Bob Marley. Noting that lawmakers recently passed a bipartisan resolution to join Gov. John…
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Sponsors again delay hearing on bipartisan construction defects bill, say negotiations ongoing
Lawmakers late Tuesday pushed back a scheduled Wednesday committee hearing on a bipartisan construction defects reform bill, saying negotiations involving critical issues are still unresolved. Groups representing builders and homeowners have been facing off for years over attempts to rewrite state law governing how condominium owners can go about getting builders to fix defective construction, and…
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House Republicans say there’s a problem with the budget, and Cole Wist isn’t happy about it
They might not have the votes to do anything about it, but Colorado House Republicans say the state budget doesn’t need new taxes but rather new thinking in a new video. (Stop staring at us, Cole Wist; you’re freaking me out.) Last week the Senate Democrats and Republicans put out a podcast and a video,…