Colorado’s reinsurance program will save people who buy their health insurance on the individual market an estimated $493 million next year, compared to how much premiums would have risen without it, according to the Polis administration.
Statewide, premiums on the individual market will rise by an average of 5.6%, while they will increase about 7.1% for small-group plans.
Reinsurance is a backstop that limits how much insurance companies have to pay out for the relatively small number of people who have highly expensive medical needs each year. Since they aren’t on the hook to pay out as much, the companies charge lower premiums, which in turn means the federal government doesn’t have to spend as much on tax credits to people buying insurance on the marketplace. Colorado got permission from the federal government to use those federal savings to further lower monthly premiums.
A news release from Gov. Jared Polis’ office estimated that premiums in 2025 will be about 24% lower than they would have been without a reinsurance program. The amount any customer would save depends on where they live, their age and how many people in their family need coverage.
A 40-year-old buying individual coverage would have an average savings of $1,500 over the course of a year. People living on the Western Slope would save more, while the change was smaller near the Front Range.
Open enrollment on the marketplace begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 15.
Missed the second half of the show? The latest on…Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, who is on the House task force investigating the July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, tells “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that there were “enormous gaps” in the Secret Service communication, Amid comments from former President Donald Trump about Venezuelan gangs in Aurora, Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis says the city is “safer than it’s been, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog tells “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that his country is a “very aggressive, active and vociferous democracy.” “The world has to be with us.”
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ chief of staff will leave the administration next week to take a job as a lobbyist at UCHealth.
Then-Speaker Alec Garnett of the Colorado House of Representatives during a committee hearing on fentanyl at the Colorado State Capitol on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Alec Garnett, a former Democratic lawmaker from Denver, joined the governor’s office at the start of 2023 after serving as speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives. He used those close ties to lawmakers as he worked to pass Polis’ agenda and weigh in on legislation, including during a special legislative session last week that was aimed at averting property tax reform ballot initiatives as part of a deal with conservative and business advocacy groups.
Polis’ office announced Tuesday morning that he will step down as chief of staff on Sept. 13. UCHealth, in an internal announcement, says Garnett will join the health system as vice president of government and regulatory affairs.
Polis’ new chief of staff will be David Oppenheim, who served as the deputy to Garnett, handling legislative and policy affairs. Before that, he was director of operations and cabinet affairs. He joined the governor’s office as legislative director in 2019.
“I thank Alec Garnett for his incredible leadership and hard work for the people of Colorado, culminating in a historic special session that successfully cut the property tax rate for every homeowner and small business,” Polis said in a news release.
As Colorado’s universal preschool program moves into its second school year this month, officials are hoping to leave its rocky rollout in the rearview mirror.
By the end of July, more than 31,000 4-year-olds matched with state-funded preschool providers for the coming year, according to the most recent data for the core program from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Most will receive up to 15 hours of free classtime per week, though about 11,100 of them — about 3,000 more than last year — are expected to qualify for 30 hours each week, after state officials expanded eligibility criteria for the extra class time.
The number of providers participating in the program — in-home day cares, private practices, religious schools and public schools — has grown by about 150, to more than 2,000 statewide for this school year, Universal Preschool Program Director Dawn Odean said.
Taken together, that data points to the year-two stabilization of a program whose inaugural year, hiccups and all, was akin to “building the plane as we were flying it,” Odean said.
Colorado’s program was officially born in April 2022, when Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill to create it and the new Colorado Department of Early Childhood. The program was set for a fall 2023 launch. That left about 16 months to stand up the department, bring about 1,800 participating providers into the new system and sign up tens of thousands of families.
But entering year two of the $344 million program, Odean and local coordinating organizations are hopeful the initial struggles were growing pains associated with its launch. Department officials expect to meet or surpass last year’s sign-up numbers soon, and they hope to see enrollment increase by up to 5%.
“In a nutshell, I’ll tell you things are much better,” said Elsa Holguín, president and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program. It’s one of the local coordinating organizations, or LCOs, that act as a link between the state department and on-the-ground providers. “Things have gotten better for the families, things have improved for the child care providers and things have improved for the LCOs.”
But, she added, there’s always room for refinement.
“Are we where we need to be? No. We still have some work to do across the spectrum,” Holguín said.
The rollout of year two is still underway, with parents now able to walk through local providers’ doors to sign up for free preschool, space permitting, rather than being required to apply online. The full enrollment figures for this year won’t be available until the fall.
Aleia Medina, 5, second from right, and classmates attend a morning class with Rosario Ortiz at the Early Excellence Program of Denver on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Adapting to last year’s high enrollment
Ahead of last year’s launch, expectations for the first year began shifting about as soon as public planning for it began.
A promise of 10 hours a week of free classtime for all preschoolers turned into 15, with some students qualifying for double that time — considered full-day schooling — based on family circumstances. But months later, officials raised the threshold to qualify for 30 hours as overall enrollment rates shot up about 20% higher than expected, leaving some families feeling like the rug was yanked out from under them.
Initially, the state had planned to offer extra time to children deemed at risk if they qualified under an eligibility category — by having an individualized education plan, being a dual-language learner, coming from a low-income family or being in foster care.
When demand outpaced expectations, state officials changed the criteria to add base household income limits, at a middle-class level, as an additional qualification. Students still had to qualify under at least one other factor.
Meanwhile, providers and families were chafing at a confusing enrollment process that drew critical attention from state lawmakers.
But officials point to a number of under-the-hood changes since then to smooth out operations.
Voters in November approved a ballot measure last fall that allowed the state to keep $23.7 million in excess tobacco tax proceeds that help pay for the program. Officials expanded the criteria for 30 hours of free classtime to include all families who are at or below the federal poverty line, expanding access to some 3,000 more children. And the state streamlined enrollment processes to smooth out some of those first-year wrinkles.
“We’re ecstatic with year one as far as the number of children served and the number of providers participating — but (we) certainly knew that we stood up the program, and the process to enroll and register, in a fairly compressed timeline, which created some challenges,” said Odean, the state’s preschool program director, in an interview this week.
She also acknowledged the legal battles that played out in the first year.
A group of school districts had sued over the rollout, claiming that it hurt students with special needs and left school districts in a lurch. A judge ruled in July that the districts lacked standing to sue, while also acknowledging the “headaches” they faced, according to Chalkbeat.
In a separate January lawsuit, two Catholic schools sued over a nondiscrimination clause for preschool providers. That suit was largely rejected, but not before the state removed the nondiscrimination clause. About 40 religious schools are registered as universal preschool providers in the state this school year.
Odean said she couldn’t comment on the particulars of the lawsuits, but she appreciated the conversations they spurred about how to make sure families get the preschool they want — even if she wished they didn’t take the form of litigation.
Hunter Fridley, 4, counts the number of classmates during a morning class with Rosario Ortiz at the Early Excellence Program of Denver on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Private providers’ low enrollments “concerning”
When it came to preparing for school this year, Holguín, the Denver Preschool Program’s CEO, said preregistration for families and other changes to enrollment, in particular, “changed our world” by making it easier to connect them with preschool providers.
Diane Smith, director of the Douglas County Early Childhood Council, another LCO, likewise said the state’s program is better positioned this year “in many ways” — though it’s still too early to make a definitive call.
She still identified a number of focus areas for the future, including a desire for more lead time between announced changes to the program and when they’re implemented, along with more predictable, consistent funding for providers. And, of course, the unending work of making sure every family that wants to participate knows about the program and how to enroll in it.
In short, the first-year growing pains haven’t quite waned, Smith said, even as she excitedly reports that more providers have signed up to provide universal preschool in her area.
“Some people are bigger worriers than I am,” Smith said. “I’m the type who says ‘Yes, this is a little bit of a challenge, but I think intentions are always good.’ We’re looking to move forward and we have.”
Dawn Alexander, executive director of the Early Childhood Education Association of Colorado, which advocates for private preschool providers, warned that some of her members were starting to fret about “concerning” lowearly enrollment numbers — though she, too, cautioned that it was too early to raise a red flag.
Many families seem to be choosing school districts’ programs for their 4-year-olds, Alexander said, meaning that private preschools lose out on those enrollments. The older, less care-intensive preschool children help round out the rosters of many facilities that also provide day care for infants and toddlers, she said. Losing those populations can put their entire business at risk.
That, coupled with other strains associated with tight margins and fluctuating enrollment, add up for providers, she said. Many staffed up based on expected enrollment — and corresponding state funding — that’s so far not materialized, she said. She and other private providers raised similar concerns last year.
“You get too many frustrations and you go, ‘I’m out,’ ” Alexander said. “And you don’t want private providers to opt out of the system. It’s critical they be a significant part of it.”
Odean said there was still work being done around funding, including how to make it easier for families to qualify for — and providers to benefit from — the myriad state and federal preschool assistance programs.
There’s also a balance to strike between stable, predictable funding and ways to allow it to fluctuate so it meets current needs, she said. A smoother year two will make it easier for officials to be intentional about steps forward, she said.
“Things change, communities change — and so we have to continue to be responsive,” Odean said. “We just want to have some clear processes in place where we’re continuing to hear from families and providers, and we have a stable system and environment … so we can continue to improve.”
All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia CommonsCredit: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA
Last week, Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey attended the National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City, sparking curiosity about his potential political aspirations. During the event, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy inquired about McConaughey’s thoughts on entering the political arena.
“I’m on a learning tour and have been for probably the last six years,” McConaughey responded. “Do I have the instincts and intellect that it would be a good fit for me and I would be a good [fit] for it. You know, would I be useful?”
Watch his full comments:
Nothing New for McConaughey
McConaughey’s musings about a political career are not new. He has been contemplating this shift for several years, most notably in 2021 when he considered challenging incumbent Governor Greg Abbott in the 2022 Texas gubernatorial race. This contemplation has become as familiar as his iconic phrase, “alright alright alright.”
The actor’s approach to politics is seen by some as a refreshing contrast to the often impulsive nature of political figures. And for some a reminder of how past figures weighed the challenges of political work.
Governor Green’s Advice to McConaughey
Hawaii Governor Josh Green offered McConaughey some sage advice during the meeting. “Don’t fall into the trap to think you should be just one thing,” Green advised. “A lot of Republicans will want you to be Republican and a lot of Democrats will want you to be a Democrat, just be you because that might be something special for all of us.”
Green’s advice underscores the importance of authenticity in politics, a quality McConaughey has consistently displayed in his acting career and public persona. However, the actor’s prolonged hesitation raises an important question: If McConaughey has spent years pondering his usefulness in a political role, might he already have his answer?
Screenshot: The Salt Lake Tribune Youtube
McConaughey’s potential entry into politics could bring a unique perspective to the often polarized political landscape. His centrist views and dedication to thoughtful consideration might resonate with voters tired of extreme partisanship. Yet, the question remains whether he will ultimately decide to take the plunge.
As McConaughey continues his “learning tour,” the public and political observers alike remain intrigued by the possibility of his candidacy. His approach, which is quite reminiscent of other political figures will keep people’s attention.
For now, the question of his political future remains unanswered, leaving room for continued debate and anticipation.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was elected Friday to lead the National Governors Association, a bipartisan 55-member body of state and territorial leaders.
For the last year he served as the vice chair of the group, which serves as a policy workshop for the nation’s governors and their cabinets. In the new post, Polis will push an initiative to help states build education systems that prepare students for the workforce and to address economic needs, such as mismatched skills and worker shortages.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis speaks next to U.S. Senator Michael Bennet at a bill-signing event for a new child tax credit at Denver KinderCare in Denver on Friday, May 31, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)
“All Americans should have access to education that prepares them for success in life,” Polis said in a statement announcing his chairmanship. “As the world changes and technology evolves, ensuring all students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary for success is so important for U.S. economic competitiveness.
“Our initiative will explore how to better evaluate outcomes from state investments in education, and help drive improved outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey.”
Polis earlier served in Congress, and before that on the Colorado State Board of Education. He helped found two charter schools. He has also previously served as chair of the Western Governors’ Association, where he pushed an initiative exploring the use of geothermal energy in the West.
Nearly $1 million — mostly from a group supporting charter schools — has poured into the Democratic primary for a seat on the Colorado State Board of Education, a race that some observers say could play a role in the future of charters in the state.
But the two candidates vying to represent the 2nd Congressional District dispute that Tuesday’s primary, whatever the result, will alter the fate of charter schools. They each said in interviews that they support school choice, a system in which charters — public schools that have more autonomy than traditional, district-run schools — play an integral part.
“I believe this is a false narrative,” said Marisol Lynda Rodriguez, an education consultant new to politics with a background in charter schools.
Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera was hospitalized Wednesday night due to an infection, state officials announced.
“Lt. Gov. Primavera is one of the strongest and toughest people I know and we are glad she is taking extra caution and getting the care she deserves,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Thursday. “I was not surprised when I learned that she plans to continue working today.”
Information about what led to the infection and hospitalization was not available Thursday.
Primavera — a lifelong Coloradan and longtime Broomfield resident — is currently serving her second term as Colorado’s 50th lieutenant governor.
In her role, Primavera leads six programs: the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, the Office of eHealth Innovation, the Colorado Disability Funding Committee and Disability Policy, the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, Serve Colorado and Aerospace and Defense.
Cannabis advocates in Colorado cheered the Biden Administration’s reported move to reclassify marijuana and said the decision likely would reduce businesses’ tax burden significantly.
Industry leaders cautioned that such a move — if finalized — would not resolve some major challenges facing the industry, such as limited access to banking. But they pointed to the symbolic importance of preparations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to downgrade the substance’s drug classification.
A man pours cannabis into rolling papers as he prepares to roll a joint the Mile High 420 Festival in Civic Center Park in Denver, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt/Special to The Denver Post)
The occupancy ban still allows cities and counties to enforce fire codes and to regulate unhealthy and unsanitary conditions, but for the most part, cities will no longer be able to restrict how many unrelated people live in a house or apartment together.
Very few cities still have occupancy limits on their books, and those that do rarely enforce them. Most of the enforcement was occurring in areas near colleges where neighbors complained about cars blocking driveways and too many loud, late-night parties, and landlords use the law as an excuse to limit the number of tenants in an apartment (a discriminatory trick that can intentionally restrict units from less affluent renters).
But late-night disturbances in college neighborhoods can occur whether it is guests or residents making the problems. And we know that both rich and poor tenants can trash a condo or fail to make rent payments on time.
The reality is that with housing reaching unsustainable costs in places across the state, more and more families are doubling up to be able to afford housing. Those families should not live in fear of being “caught” and also should be afforded the protections that come with having their name on the lease as legitimate tenants.
Colorado cities will just have to get more aggressive in enforcing nuisance ordinances that already exist in most places. Anyone can have a problem neighbor whether there is one person living in a house or 15. The problem most generally isn’t density, but rather is the behaviors that can be associated with many college-aged tenants living together. We doubt families will be a concern.
Next up Polis will likely have to consider a bill to allow ADUs on every lot in large cities. Accessory Dwelling Units are a way to bring gentle density to single-family neighborhoods. We understand concerns that coupled with the occupancy limit ban, this bill may bring more than gentle density.
That’s why we are glad to see changes in the proposed law that allow for local jurisdictions to regulate setbacks for detached ADUs. It’s a gentle acquiescence that not every lot, in every city is appropriate for a detached ADU, but that some would try to squeeze one in any way possible to maximize return on investment on a small lot even if the unit takes up the entire backyard.
House Bill 1152 prohibits municipalities from passing ordinances that are more restrictive or require more in terms of design and appearance than the city does for other residential structures. But under the law communities will still be able to set dimensional standards and setback laws that hold ADUs to the same standard as houses. For example, Denver has a minimum amount of a lot that must not be developed, regardless if it’s simply one massive house or two units on a single lot.
The bill also includes a grant program for lower-income homeowners looking to add an ADU that they would rent and for those looking to keep their ADU rents affordable. This will be the key to making certain that more ADUs are constructed than just those that will be used as pool houses or fancy guest houses — developments that do nothing to add to the housing supply.
None of this legislation will solve the housing crisis. We don’t expect a slew of ADUs to pop up in backyards or to get developed in basements, but a few hundred a year, across the state, that could be rented out to more than one family, could slowly have an impact on bringing down rents and purchase prices.
Colorado is experiencing an alarming spike in syphilis among newborns, leading the state to issue a public health order Thursday aimed at curbing the disease’s spread through wider testing.
In 2023, 50 infants in Colorado were born with syphilis, up from only seven in 2018. So far this year, the state is halfway to last year’s total, with five infected babies who were stillborn and two who died in their first months of life, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.
“We’ve already had 25 cases so far this year, putting us on track to have maybe 100 cases,” she said at a news conference, addressing what Gov. Jared Polis’s office called a “growing epidemic.”
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that sometimes causes no symptoms in adults, though the bacteria can eventually damage the heart and brain if a person doesn’t receive treatment. But roughly two out of five babies born to infected mothers will be stillborn or die in infancy, and those who survive are at risk of intellectual disability, bone deformities and other lifelong health problems, Herlihy said.
The new public health order from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires all health care providers to offer syphilis testing at least three times to pregnant patients: in the first trimester, in the third trimester and at birth.
Nearly all insurance plans cover the testing, and people without insurance can receive it for free at public health clinics or by ordering a home test kit.
“We hope to save many babies from death and suffering,” Polis said at the news conference.
On Thursday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a recommendation that all pregnant patients receive testing three times. Previously, it only recommended more than one test if a patient had certain risk factors for getting infected while pregnant.
“The cases of congenital syphilis are definitely climbing, and they’ve been climbing over the last 10 years. And it’s completely preventable… It’s unacceptable,” said Dr. Laura Riley, who chairs the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and helped with the guidance. “We need to be able to do better diagnostics and treatment.”
The Colorado order also requires offering tests to prisoners who are pregnant, and to people who have experienced a stillbirth after 20 weeks of pregnancy, when spontaneous miscarriages are rare. While it would be too late for that particular fetus after a stillbirth, antibiotic treatment would protect the mother, her sex partners and any future pregnancies.
Patients and prisoners aren’t required to undergo testing if they don’t want to, but their providers have to give them the option, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the state health department. State law already required that providers offer everyone syphilis testing in the first trimester.
Last year, 3,266 people in Colorado received a syphilis diagnosis, which was a 5% increase over the previous year and more than three times the number diagnosed in 2018. Most of the diagnoses are still in men, because the bacteria became entrenched in the community of gay and bisexual men. About one-third are in women, though, and diagnoses have risen faster among women than among men.
Nationwide, syphilis diagnoses reached their highest rate since at least 1950 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases peaked in the 1940s, before antibiotics became widely available, and fell throughout the 20th century.
People of color and those who lack access to reliable health care, such as the homeless population, have been hit disproportionately hard in the resurgence over the last few years.
Earlier this year, the state health department asked for $8 million over four years to fund an opt-out syphilis screening program at two hospital emergency departments in Denver and Pueblo County, which both have a significant share of new infections.
The department also proposed to distribute rapid tests to organizations that work with at-risk people; to fund delivering treatment to some people in their homes; and to build up a stockpile of the antibiotics used to treat syphilis. Most antibiotics are cheap, but the best option for syphilis, Bicillin, is relatively expensive and in short supply, so providers don’t always opt to stock it.
The state and the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment already run a small pilot program to bring treatment to people in their homes. Jails in Pueblo, El Paso and Jefferson counties also have started screening female prisoners and offering treatment to anyone who tests positive.
Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said about one-quarter of the 634 people his department has screened so far tested positive, and seven were pregnant at the time of their positive test. The Pueblo County jail has a partnership with the local health department to follow up if someone returns to the community before completing treatment, he said.
“Without a doubt, this program saves lives,” Lucero said.
The biggest driver of the increase in congenital syphilis seems to be that mothers aren’t getting early prenatal care, which could identify and cure the infection, Herlihy said. The mothers of babies born affected this year have higher rates of previous incarceration, untreated addiction and homelessness than the general population, she said.
“The risk factors we’re seeing are really driving the actions we’re taking,” she said.
Homeowners associations’ foreclosure filings on thousands of Coloradans’ houses over unpaid fines and fees have spurred fresh attempts by lawmakers to better regulate HOAs and metropolitan districts with the hope of preventing more people from losing their homes.
Lawmakers have introduced several reform bills that would restrict foreclosures from delinquent fees and require HOAs and metro districts to adopt written policies, enhance notifications to homeowners and add licensing requirements for professional managers. The legislation would also set regulations on how much homeowners can be charged. HOAs would be required to work with homeowners before beginning any foreclosure proceedings.
“As more Coloradans find themselves living in HOAs and metro districts, it is more important than ever that homeowners be protected from losing the largest asset they will ever invest in through unnecessary foreclosure,” said Rep. Iman Jodeh, an Aurora Democrat who is sponsoring two bills.
Homeowners associations in Colorado legally have the power to place liens on residents’ homes that supersede even those of the banks that hold their mortgages. An HOA can then sell a property to collect the money a resident owes — and the owner still would be left with mortgage debt and none of the equity they had built.
About half of Colorado residents live in communities overseen by an HOA.
The associations’ power drew more scrutiny in 2022 following media reports, including by The Denver Post, about the Master Homeowners Association for Green Valley Ranch in far-northeast Denver. That HOA filed nearly half of all HOA foreclosures in Denver the prior year.
Neighborhood residents who are Black, Asian or Latino said they sometimes weren’t notified of the fines or would continue to accrue new fees and interest even after resolving the violations. In some cases, residents didn’t even know their homes had been placed in foreclosure proceedings until someone showed up at their door and said they now owned the home.
The legislature passed a law in 2022 to protect homeowners from accumulating HOA fines and fees that they may not be aware of by requiring HOAs to provide written notice to residents, in their preferred language, about any violations. It also capped the fees HOAs could assess.
“We want to make sure people stay housed in Colorado”
But lawmakers say there is much more to be done for communities across metro Denver to limit HOA-driven foreclosures and protect homeowners from predatory or mismanaged companies.
“We’re fighting for homeowners,” said Rep. Naquetta Ricks, an Aurora Democrat, adding that this was especially important amid the state’s ongoing housing crisis. “We want to make sure people stay housed in Colorado.”
A statewide committee, the HOA Homeowners’ Rights Task Force, was charged with studying issues related to metro districts and HOAs, and its members recommended multiple areas of focus for the 2024 session. Lawmakers have incorporated at least two recommendations into new bills — creating an alternative dispute resolution process and addressing licensure of community association managers.
The task force is expected to release a final report by April 15.
The new bills introduced so far during the 2024 session include:
HB24-1267, which would require metro districts that conduct covenant enforcement like HOAs to adopt written policies on fines and fees and on governing disputes. It also would prevent the metro district from foreclosing on any lien because of delinquent fees.
HB24-1158, which would require changes to HOA notifications to owners on delinquent accounts and before lien foreclosures, and it would establish a minimum bid.
HB24-1337, which would limit a homeowner’s reimbursement of collection costs and attorney fees to 50% and prohibit an HOA from foreclosing on a lien until it has tried to serve an owner with a civil action within 180 days or obtained a personal judgement in a civil action. It also would prohibit the purchaser of a home in foreclosure from selling for 180 days, with the former owner having first priority of buying the home again.
HB24-1078, which would reestablish license requirements for HOA community association managers (a program that expired in July 2018).
So far, just two bills have been considered by committees. HB-1267 passed 10-0 in a House committee Wednesday, and no one spoke in opposition to the bill. Jodeh said she worked with metro districts when crafting the legislation.
HB-1078, the licensure bill, passed 8-3 in a House committee Feb. 14, eliciting support from homeowners who had faced HOA foreclosures and opposition from community management associations.
Vicki Souder, left, and Linda Wilson protest against foreclosures in front of the Master Homeowners Association for Green Valley Ranch offices on Friday, April 1, 2022. The HOA filed 50 foreclosures in 2021, nearly half the total of all HOA-initiated foreclosures in Denver that year. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Arvada Democratic Rep. Brianna Titone, a former HOA president, is one of the sponsors of the bill. The legislature passed a similar bill in 2019, but Gov. Jared Polis vetoed it. At the time, Polis’ office said he was concerned about costs to get licensed that would then be passed to consumers, even though a 2017 report from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies recommended an extension, and a 2021 report also recommended regulation.
Titone said the new licensing bill would “make sure that people are educated about the law and make sure that no felons are getting involved in having full access to communities’ money.”
The bill would also ensure managers know how to do their jobs, Titone added, so that they don’t have to hire attorneys to help, costing residents even more money. And it would require companies to disclose relationships that include identifying whom they’re providing kickbacks to, she said.
The requirements would apply only to professional management companies, not employees directly hired by HOA boards.
“I’ve come here with licensing in 2019. I’ve come with licensing in 2022. And I’ve come with licensing today,” Titone said at the committee hearing, and “nobody has ever suggested an alternative. … They just say no. … You should ask yourself why they don’t want this. It’s because because they’re making a lot of money off of the backs of the people they work for and they’re hired by.”
Licensing bill draws opposition
Despite the bill’s similarity to the 2022 bill Titone worked on with Colorado’s Division of Real Estate, Deputy Director Eric Turner testified against the bill at the hearing, calling it “well-intentioned.” He said it “does not address the various issues about living in an HOA, imposes barriers to entry into the profession and increases costs for homeowners.”
John Kreger, who testified for Associa, the largest community management association in the country, jokingly said that “after the unflattering characterizations of our industry today, I feel compelled to assure the committee that on behalf of Associa and the hundreds of Coloradans we employ, we are not crooks or idiots.”
Kreger and other community association managers argued the bill would not be effective at protecting consumers but instead would just raise costs. Kreger said there wasn’t enough data to show a widespread problem, and any theft of funds or misuse should be handled within the criminal justice system.
Homeowners and nonprofit foreclosure attorneys have attended committee hearings to describe horror stories about themselves or their clients losing their homes over fines and fees from HOAs and metro districts, even if they’d never missed a mortgage payment.
Monica Villela, who lived in a Green Valley Ranch home with her family for 19 years, choked back tears at Wednesday’s hearing. She told lawmakers that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became difficult to keep up with maintenance and HOA fees that ballooned.
Her family had never missed a mortgage payment and had never even refinanced their home, she said, but they didn’t have the money to pay the $8,000 in fees they owed or for an attorney to fight them.
They lost their home, just as her son would have started college.
“We no longer have that option,” she said. “Our family has honestly been deeply affected. It really hurts seeing my kids being depressed by this horrible situation. We have been hurt.”
She urged lawmakers to pass reforms “to keep families in their homes all across Colorado so we can keep our most holy possession: our homes.”
While a majority of the HOA and metro district legislation introduced at the Colorado statehouse this year centers around protecting homeowners, at least two bills aim to make processes easier on HOAs: HB24-1233 would reduce some of the requirements placed on HOAs when collecting delinquent payments, while HB24-1091 would allow HOAs to set standards for (though not prohibit) the use of fire-hardened building materials for fencing.
Polis’ office declined to comment on the specifics of pending HOA bills or to discuss the HOA task force’s recommendations. Spokesperson Shelby Weiman issued a statement that said his office would monitor the bills’ progress, adding that Polis commends lawmakers’ efforts to provide more flexibility for homeowners.
“Governor Polis believes that burdensome HOA policies shouldn’t be so restrictive that they reduce fire safety, drain individuals and families of their finances, or force people from a home they love over something like untrimmed grass,” she wrote.
It’s been 10 years since Colorado launched the first legal recreational marijuana market in the world and became a pioneer in drug reform.
But when it came to the nascent industry, the first sales on Jan. 1, 2014, were more a starting block than a finish line.
In the decade since legalization, Colorado has refined laws, catalyzed new ones and served as a litmus test for the rest of the country as states followed its lead. Today, cannabis is recreationally available for sale in 24 states — where more than half of Americans live.
Colorado’s governor signed four gun control bills Friday, following the lead of other states struggling to confront a nationwide surge in violent crime and mass shootings.
Before the ink was even dry on Gov. Jared Polis’ signature, gun rights groups sued to reverse two of the measures: raising the buying age for any gun from 18 to 21, and establishing a three-day waiting period between the purchase and receipt of a gun. The courts are already weighing lawsuits over such restrictions in other states. The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights.
The new laws, which Democrats pushed through despite late-night filibusters from Republicans, are aimed at quelling rising suicides and youth violence, preventing mass shootings and opening avenues for gun violence victims to sue the long-protected firearm industry. They were enacted just five months after a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.
“Coloradans deserve to be safe in our communities, in our schools, in our grocery stores, in our nightclubs,” Polis said as he signed the measures in his office. The governor was flanked by activists wearing red shirts reading, “Moms Demand Action,” students from a Denver high school recently affected by a shooting, and parents of a woman killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012.
Gov. Jared Polis signed four gun control bills by Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, parents of Aurora theater shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, at the governor’s office in Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver, Colorado on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post
Supportive lawmakers and citizens alike had tears in their eyes and roared their applause as Polis signed each bill. Colorado has a history of notorious mass shootings, reaching back to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.
Republicans decried the bills as onerous encroachments on Second Amendment rights that would impede Colorado residents’ ability to defend themselves amid a rising statewide crime rate. Gun rights advocates pledged to reverse the measures.
“This is simply bigoted politicians doing what bigoted politicians do: discriminating against an age,” said Taylor Rhodes, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, referring to the new age limit on gun purchases. Rhodes said he has confidence in the lawsuits that his group has filed.
A third measure passed by the legislature will strengthen the state’s red flag law, and a fourth rolls back some legal protections for the firearm industry, exposing them to lawsuits from the victims of gun violence.
The new red flag law, also called an extreme risk protection order, empowers those working closely with youth and adults — doctors, mental health professionals and teachers — to petition a judge to temporarily remove someone’s firearm. Previously, petition power was limited mainly to law-enforcement and family members. The goal is to act preemptively before someone attempts suicide or attacks others.
At the signing ceremony, Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Democrat and one of the bill’s sponsors, said Republicans and other gun control opponents often respond to mass shootings by saying it’s too soon to talk about restricting firearms.
“It isn’t too soon. It’s too late for so many of the lost souls,” Fenberg said. “We needed to have done more to prevent what happened.”
Republicans argued that the law would discourage people — especially military veterans — from candidly speaking with medical doctors and mental health professionals for fear of having their weapons temporarily seized.
The law requiring a three-day delay between buying and receiving a firearm — an attempt to curtail impulsive violence and suicide attempts — puts Colorado in line with nine other states, including California, Florida and Hawaii.
Colorado has the sixth-highest suicide rate in the country, with nearly 1,400 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A RAND Corporation analysis of four studies found that waiting periods are linked to lower suicide-by-gun deaths.
Opponents raised concerns that people who need to defend themselves — such as victims of domestic violence — may not be able to get a gun in time to do so.
In raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, Colorado joins California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Rhode Island. Proponents point to now oft-cited data from the CDC showing that gun violence has overtaken vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in recent years.
At the ceremony, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser likened the new laws to the campaign for vehicle safety that spawned groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the forerunner of Moms Demand Action.
In their speeches about rolling back legal protections for gun manufacturers, lawmakers looked often to Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, whose daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was slain in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. The parents tried to sue the companies that had sold the shooter ammunition and tear gas but were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the couple ended up owing more than $200,000 in defense attorney fees and had to file for bankruptcy.
California, Delaware, New Jersey and New York have passed similar legislation over the past three years. Opponents of the bill argued that it would merely bog the firearms industry down in bogus lawsuits.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado signed a trio of bills Friday that further protect the rights to abortion and gender-affirming services in the state, as access to the so-called abortion pill across the country remains in limbo and some neighboring conservative states have moved to restrict such procedures.
Polis’ signature comes a year after he signed a measure to codify the right to abortion into Colorado law, months before the US Supreme Court eliminated federal protections for abortion rights by overturning Roe v. Wade. At the same time, conservative neighboring states Oklahoma and Wyoming have passed strict abortion bans, while in Utah, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill earlier this year banning hormone treatment and surgical procedures for minors seeking gender-affirming care.
One of the bills Polis signed, SB23-188, sets Colorado up to be a haven for people from states with more restrictive laws who are seeking access to abortion and gender-affirming treatment.
The new law bars Colorado courts or judicial officers from issuing subpoenas in connection with a proceeding in another state that involves a person who receives or “performs, assists, or aids” an abortion or gender-affirming treatment in Colorado, both of which are legally protected in the state.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Colorado’s blue neighbor to the south, also signed legislation last month that prohibits local municipalities and other public bodies from interfering with a person’s ability to access reproductive or gender-affirming health care services in the state.
“I’m proud to sign these pro-freedom laws to further uphold Colorado’s value of protecting access to reproductive health care,” Polis told CNN in a statement. “[Here] in Colorado, we value individual freedoms and we stand up to protect them.”
Another bill Polis signed into law directs large employers to provide coverage for the total cost of abortion care starting next year.
The third law will make it a “deceptive trade practice” for an entity to advertise that it “provides abortions, emergency contraceptives, or referrals for abortions or emergency contraceptives” when it does not, according to a bill summary. A health care provider would also be subject to disciplinary measures if it “provides, prescribes, administers, or attempts medication abortion reversal” in violation of any related rules by state authorities.
The three bills passed the state’s Democratic-controlled state legislature earlier this month.
Republicans have criticized the new laws, with state House Minority Leader Mike Lynch saying they deny a woman the right to choose “alternative options other than to end her pregnancy.”
As Polis signed the bills into law Friday, the fate of access to the abortion drug mifepristone continued to play out in the courts after a US district judge in Texas said last week that he would suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill.
US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday extended a hold on that lower-court ruling in an effort to give justices more time to consider the issue.
Parts of the Texas ruling had been set to go into effect Saturday at 1 a.m. ET, but Alito’s hold puts off that deadline in the fast-moving dispute until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
The case centers on the scope of the FDA’s authority to regulate a drug that is used in the majority of abortions today in states that still allow the procedure.
Denver — Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has mixed feelings about former President Donald Trump’s third run for the presidency.
“As a Democrat, we obviously salivate at the prospect of being able to defeat President Trump again. But as an American, I’d like to see a healthier body politic and would love to see somebody who believes in our Constitution, our system of governance and believes in the integrity of elections on both side of the aisle,” Polis said in an interview with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on “The Takeout.”
The Colorado governor, who was reelected by a nearly 20-point margin in November, predicted another Democrat might challenge President Joe Biden in 2024 — but it won’t be Polis.
Asked whether he has aspirations to run for the highest office, Polis said, “No…I really don’t have the fire in my belly to do that.” Mr. Biden is expected to announce his reelection bid as soon as next month.
FILE: Gov. Jared Polis explains about his supplemental budget at Carriage House of Governors Mansion in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2023.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post
Polis spent five terms in the House before winning the governorship in 2018.
During his decade in Congress, Polis regularly handled classified materials. He believes Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Biden could have avoided Justice Department scrutiny over their handling of classified documents, had they adhered to congressional protocols.
“We’d go to the [secure facility],” Polis said. “You leave your cell phone outside. You go in there. You review what you want to review, and you’re not allowed to leave the room with any of it. So that same parameter should apply to the executive branch.”
Polis called for reforming protocols governing the handling of sensitive materials.
“Why are people in the executive branch apparently able to walk out to non-secure places with classified information? They simply shouldn’t be able to do that,” Polis said.
Polis also weighed in on a decision by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to block schools in his state from offering Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies. DeSantis claims the course imposes a left-leaning political agenda on students.
“I haven’t reviewed the curriculum for that course, nor should I as governor. I don’t view that as my job,” Polis said. “The last thing a governor should be doing is micromanaging the curriculum…I don’t know how a governor like Ron DeSantis can run a big state like Florida and still find time to review the AP curriculum.”
Polis has also been briefed on the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who died from injuries sustained while he was allegedly beaten by five Memphis police officers earlier this month. Those officers face second-degree murder charges.
Video of Nichols’ arrest is expected to be made public Friday evening and law enforcement officials are girding for nationwide protests.
Polis said he would watch the video when it is available. “I’m sure that the American public and myself included will also be following what type of accountability exists in Memphis for those who perpetrated this act,” he said.
Executive producer: Arden Farhi
Producers: Jamie Benson, Jacob Rosen, Sara Cook and Eleanor Watson
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a crowded brewery, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis embraced Richard Fierro, the veteran hailed as a hero after tackling a shooter who killed five people and injured 17 others at the LGBTQ enclave Club Q last week.
There was a festive atmosphere Tuesday at Atrevida Beer, owned by Fierro, where patrons clutched pints of beer, a long line stretched across the room to the door, and above the bar was printed a message: “Diversity, it’s on tap.”
Fierro’s event, where Polis and the Colorado Springs mayor both made an appearance, was the paradigm of a catchphrase Fierro has repeated since the shooting: “Be nice, hug each other, take care of your neighbor.”
The hugs seemed contagious. Fierro squeezed Wyatt Kent, a drag queen whose 23rd birthday was being celebrated the night of the shooting, and chatted with his family.
Kent, who’s drag name is Potted Plant, was still reeling from the horrific night. Kent remembered shots, then collapsing below Kelly Loving, who had been shot in the chest. Squeezing her hand as they asked Siri to call 911, Kent then held Loving’s head, repeating “one more breath, just one more breath” before paramedics arrived.
The bleeding from Loving’s chest, was “like a hole in an air mattress,” said Kent, pausing and looking away. Loving was among the five dead, along with Daniel Aston, who Kent was in a relationship with. Aston had left strawberries, roses and a card for Kent’s birthday before he was killed.
Kent, who’d written 119 poems about Aston, went completely numb in the days afterward. Then, they began connecting with Aston’s family and friends, those “who loved him, it’s really healing,” they said.
Club Q’s community had been a steadfast support network, said Kent, one which has continued to undergird the community’s healing since the tragedy.
“If I pour myself out into others they will pour themselves out back into me,” said Kent, “and that’s what this community has always done.”
The broader Colorado Springs community is pouring out support for the survivors, too. At his brewery, Fierro was honored with $50,000 from a local credit union.
“I’ve never had that much money in my life,” said an astonished Fierro, who reiterated that “everyone in (Club Q) was a hero.”
Matt Gendron, chief engagement officer at Ent Credit Union and who’s employee had been in Club Q that night, said that Fierro “saved the lives of many people, including one of our family members.”
Earlier that day, Polis solemnly walked along a line of flowers, crosses and signs bearing the photos and names of the victims outside Club Q in Colorado Springs.
When he reached the end, he picked up a piece of pink chalk and drew a heart and wrote “We remember” on the pavement in front of the memorial, which had been covered with tarps to protect it from snow until his arrival.
“Five people are lost forever. We celebrate their lives. We mourn them,” Polis said while speaking to reporters afterward at the site.
Polis, who spoke earlier in the day to relatives of those killed as well as the injured, wore a gay pride ribbon pinned to the zipper of his puffy jacket. The Democrat, who became the first openly gay man elected governor in the U.S. in 2018, said he was concerned about rhetoric associating mainly transgender people with grooming and pedophilia and feared it could “inspire acts against the LGBTQ community.”
But he was also optimistic about the future of the club, a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in the mostly conservative city of 480,000, located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Denver.
“Club Q will be back and the community will be back,” he said.
The attacker opened fire Nov. 19 with a semiautomatic rifle inside the gay nightclub before being subdued by patrons and arrested by police who arrived within minutes, authorities have said.
The motive remains under investigation and one person is in custody.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was being held without bond on suspicion of murder and hate crimes. Aldrich was arrested at the club after being stopped and beaten by patrons.
Hate crime charges would require proving that the shooter was motivated by bias, such as against the victims’ actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
Prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges against Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, according to court filings by his lawyers.
Aldrich was arrested last year after a relative reported Aldrich was threatening her with a homemade bomb and other weapons, according to authorities.
Ring doorbell video obtained by The Associated Press shows Aldrich arriving at their mother’s front door with a big black bag the day of the 2021 bomb threat, telling her the police were nearby and adding, “This is where I stand. Today I die.”
Authorities at the time said no explosives were found.
This week on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” the U.S. faces some tough questions on public health — and public safety. Americans are gathering for the holidays, some for the first time in years, but health officials are warning a pandemic-weary populace of the dangers posed by a triple threat of respiratory viruses. We’ll talk to Dr. Anthony Fauci about the risk. Plus, Rep. James Clyburn and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he expects state lawmakers to consider expanding “red flag” laws to potentially allow district attorneys to obtain extreme risk protection orders, used to confiscate guns from those deemed a threat to themselves or others.
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This week on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” the U.S. faces some tough questions on public health — and public safety. Americans are gathering for the holidays, some for the first time in years, but health officials are warning a pandemic-weary populace of the dangers posed by a triple threat of respiratory viruses. We’ll talk to Dr. Anthony Fauci about the risk. Plus, Rep. James Clyburn and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
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