house state affairs committee

Construction litigation reform roller-coaster concludes with unthought-of unanimous votes

May 11, 2017

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Ernest Luning

It was almost anticlimactic when the bipartisan construction defects litigation reform bill passed unanimously in the Senate on May 4, sending the much-anticipated legislation to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk. While there had been plenty of drama surrounding the measure throughout most of April, after the governor, House sponsors and prominent stakeholders announced a deal had…
Knights of Columbus warn that Joe Salazar’s Columbus Day ban would fulfill Klan’s plan

May 3, 2017

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Ernest Luning

The world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization is coming out swinging against a bill sponsored by state Rep. Joe Salazar to cancel Columbus Day as a state holiday in Colorado. The Knights of Columbus — named in honor of explorer Christopher Columbus — is opposing House Bill 1327, saying the legislation is based on “fake history”…
Senate committee gives unanimous OK to bipartisan construction litigation reform bill

May 1, 2017

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Ernest Luning

Bipartisan legislation to make it more difficult for homeowners’ associations to sue condominium developers for defective construction is one step closer to becoming law after winning unanimous approval from a Senate committee Monday on its first vote in the upper chamber. House Bill 1279, sponsored in the Senate by Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, and…
House passes bipartisan construction litigation reform bill unanimously

Apr 24, 2017

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Ernest Luning

Bipartisan legislation to make it more difficult for homeowners associations to sue condominium developers for construction defects passed unanimously out of the Colorado House on Monday and is headed to the Senate. The bill marks a breakthrough backers hope will thaw Colorado’s frozen condo construction market and help address a housing shortage across the state.…
Lawmakers, stakeholders say persistence, high stakes led to breakthrough on construction defects bill

Apr 19, 2017

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Ernest Luning

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…
Breakthrough reached as business coalition, mayors throw support behind bipartisan construction defects bill

Apr 19, 2017

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Ernest Luning

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…
Lawmakers delay bipartisan construction defects bill for a third time, remain hopeful a fix is in sight

Apr 12, 2017

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Ernest Luning

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…
Joe Salazar introduces legislation to repeal Columbus Day as a state holiday in Colorado

Apr 8, 2017

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Ernest Luning

State Rep. Joe Salazar, a Thornton Democrat, on Friday introduced a bill to cancel Columbus Day as a state holiday in Colorado and instead offer state employees a floating day off in October. The legislation, House Bill 1327, includes a lengthy section that declares, “The Columbus voyage triggered one of history’s greatest slave trades, the pillaging…
Hancock urges lawmakers to stay at table, resolve impasse over construction defects legislation

Apr 7, 2017

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Ernest Luning

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,”…
Sponsors again delay hearing on bipartisan construction defects bill, say negotiations ongoing

Apr 5, 2017

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Ernest Luning

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…