Colorado Poverty Law project worked with legislators and partners to help pass several important pieces of legislation this session, including:
Veteran and Military Status in Fair Housing
HB22-1102, sponsored by Rep. David Ortiz, Rep. Tom Sullivan, Sen. Bob Gardner and Sen. Nick Hinrichsen
Prohibits discrimination in housing based on a person’s military or veteran status.
Allows the Colorado Civil Rights Division to accept, investigate and adjudicate complaints.
Attorney Access to Eviction Court Records
SB22-019, sponsored by Sen. Faith Winter and Rep. Steven Woodrow
Strengthens legal aid by allowing attorneys and their support staff to access eviction court records with permission from a party.
Allows access to suppressed eviction records to provide legal advice, or to evaluate a case for legal representation or mediation, but not for other commercial purposes.
Protections for Mobile Home Park Residents
HB22-1287, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, Rep. Edie Hooton and Sen. Faith Winter
Promotes resident-owned mobile home parks by giving homeowners 120 days to make an offer to purchase a park and by establishing a right-of-first-refusal for public entities purchasing a park on behalf of residents.
Requires a park owner to pay relocation assistance to displaced homeowners following the closure of a park.
Establishes new enforcement tools for aggrieved homeowners, the Division of Housing and the Attorney General’s Office, and expands protections for renters residing in a park.
Limits the enforceability of expensive and onerous park rules and provides homeowners with greater freedom to sell their home situated in a park.
Prohibits a park owner from threatening baseless evictions, misleading a homeowner into signing a new lease agreement, or from retaliating against residents for organizing activities
Establish Fair Housing Unit in Department of Law
HB22-1082, sponsored by Rep. Edie Hooton, Rep. Jennifer Bacon and Sen. Julie Gonzales
Creates a new fair housing unit within the Attorney General’s Office.
Allows the Attorney General to enforce certain renter protections, including laws related to security deposits, consideration of criminal history on rental applications, late fees, notice and frequency of rent increases, Immigrant Tenant Protection Act, and the Mobile Home Park Act.
HOA Accountability and Transparency
HB22-1137, sponsored by Rep. Naquetta Ricks, Rep. Mary Bradfield and Sen. Julie Gonzales
Requires homeowner associations to provide greater notice and more detailed information to homeowners who are in debt or accused of HOA violations.
Caps the amount that an HOA can fine a homeowner for a violation at $500, provided the violation does not threaten health or safety.
Prohibits an HOA from initiating a foreclosure based on unpaid fines and most types of attorney fee debt.
Allows a homeowner to enter a repayment plan before an HOA can pursue a foreclosure based on unpaid assessments.
Loan Program for Resident-owned Mobile Home Park Communities
SB22-160, sponsored by Sen. Julie Gonzales, Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, Rep. Andrew Boesenecker and Rep. Mandy Lindsay
Allocates $35 million in federal funds to support resident-owned mobile home park communities.
Funds will be distributed by Division of Housing to provide low-interest loans to mobile homeowners and to support nonprofits that provide supportive technical assistance.
Nonprofit and Local Government Grants for Housing
HB22-1304, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts, Rep. Mary Bradfield, Sen. James Coleman and Sen. Julie Gonzales
Appropriates $138 million in federal funds to provide grants to local governments and nonprofits that develop affordable housing or provide housing services.
Allocates $40 million in federal funds to the Infrastructure and Strong Communities Grant Program, to support infill infrastructure projects that promote affordable housing.
Budget Amendment to Support Eviction Legal Defense Fund
Carried by Rep. Monica Duran, Rep. Steven Woodrow and Sen. Faith Winter
Increases the general fund appropriation for the State’s Eviction Legal Defense Fund by $500,000, bringing the total general fund appropriation up from $600,000 to $1.1 million for fiscal year 2022/2023.
Questions? Contact Jack Regenbogen, CPLP's Policy and Advocacy Staff Attorney, at Jack@copovertylawproject.org.