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Tag: 74th Special Session

Making quick work of special session assignment, property tax bills clear first hurdles
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kdvr.com, State

Making quick work of special session assignment, property tax bills clear first hurdles

By Gabrielle Franklin | Fox 31 News The agreement between Colorado property tax initiative supporters, the governor and a group of lawmakers passed its first committee on Monday afternoon. Another measure seeking to gain voter approval to put property tax measures on the ballot also advanced out of committee. Both measures passed with a vote of 8-3. The House Appropriations Committee worked on the marquee negotiated agreement. While leaders on both sides of the aisle made clear they were ready to get to work on property taxes, their members made it known they had concerns about the pre-negotiated deal on the table. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX 31 NEWS
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On opening day of special session, lawmakers kill most bills, advance tax cut, constitutional change
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State, The Sum & Substance

On opening day of special session, lawmakers kill most bills, advance tax cut, constitutional change

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance Colorado legislators winnowed 13 property-tax bills down to just four during the first day of a special session Monday, but put a bill at the center of a governor-negotiated deal on a collision course with a constitutional amendment that could upend that deal. In the most anticipated hearing of the day, the House Appropriations Committee approved a measure that would expand property-tax breaks passed at the end of the regular session in May and cap annual growth of property-tax revenue for schools and local governments. Passage of House Bill 1001 also would get Advance Colorado and Colorado Concern to pull from the November ballot a pair of more far-reaching property-tax-cut proposals that education and government leaders fear would result in ...
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‘Their property taxes have gone up exponentially’: Rose Pugliese addresses Mighty 19 in opening of special session
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

‘Their property taxes have gone up exponentially’: Rose Pugliese addresses Mighty 19 in opening of special session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice When the second regular session of Colorado's 74th General Assembly closed earlier this year, lawmakers believed they had reached consensus on a property tax plan. Senate Bill 24-233, led by Republican prime sponsors Rep. Lisa Frizell and Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, cleared the House with about two-thirds of Republicans supporting the bill and just two Republicans in the Senate opposed. Then a pair of citizen initiatives on the subject earned enough support to reach the fall ballot and lead Gov. Jared Polis to call a special session on property tax. That special session opened Monday, with many on the political right opposed to the deal that allowed for the special session to be called. "We did good work [with SB 24-233]," said House Minority Lea...
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First bills of special session released by sponsors, including five by Republicans
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

First bills of special session released by sponsors, including five by Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Nine bills in the Colorado House and two more in the Colorado Senate are set to be introduced in the special session of the 74th General Assembly, along with others which have not been pre-released. The special session, called by Gov. Jared Polis, opened at 10 a.m. Monday. The special session has a singular purpose to address property tax in an effort for lawmakers to avoid citizen-led Prop. 108 and Constitutional Amendment 50 from reaching the ballot. Following is a glance at the Republican bills set to be introduced: Senate Bill 24B-0009, by Republican Sens. Mark Baisley and Kevin Van Winkle, would require the property tax levy of a special taxing district to be calculated by dividing the actual value of the property by the total actual ...
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Concerns grow over expanded property-tax proposal
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State, The Sum & Substance

Concerns grow over expanded property-tax proposal

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance A new version of the tax-cut bill at the heart of the special legislative session seeks to further limit property-tax revenue growth — a provision producing angst around what proponents are touting as a compromise solution that could head off a costly ballot battle. Colorado legislators will gavel into session again at 10 a.m. Monday at the request of Gov. Jared Polis to consider a brokered deal designed to stop two property-tax-cut initiatives that could cut billions of dollars in state and local funding from going to the ballot. Instead, the Democratic governor is asking legislators to pass a bipartisan bill that will expand a recently passed $1.3 billion property-tax cut to roughly $1.6 billion and will, if signed into law, commit proponent...
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Williams: Colorado Republican Party will sue to prevent special session
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Williams: Colorado Republican Party will sue to prevent special session

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice Members of the Colorado Legislature are set to convene in a 74th Special Session on Monday at the Colorado State Capitol Building to settle the issue of property tax. Gov. Jared Polis called the session to prevent two propositions from advancing to the ballot and for a voter decision on the matter come November. One of those measures, Prop. 108, this week qualified for the ballot, Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced. And that is where the Colorado Republican Party believes the matter should stay -- in the hands of the voters. The party will sue to prevent legislators and the parties which filed the measures -- Advance Colorado -- from deals to undo the process and negotiate a different property tax outcome, Republican Party Chairman...
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Closed meetings and backroom deals: Could Colorado’s special session test SB 157, lawmakers?
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State, The Colorado Sun

Closed meetings and backroom deals: Could Colorado’s special session test SB 157, lawmakers?

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun When Colorado lawmakers in March made the first major changes to the state’s open meetings law since the 1990s, top Democrats promised it wouldn’t reduce government transparency. “This bill is not attempting to create less transparency than we have today,” Senate President Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat who sponsored the measure, said at the first committee hearing for Senate Bill 157. But open government advocates say legislative Democrats earlier this month used the new law to do just that, barring news outlets from two caucus meetings where lawmakers discussed the prospect of a special session to reduce property taxes. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Analyzing a super-minority in Colorado’s legislature and what it means for governance
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Analyzing a super-minority in Colorado’s legislature and what it means for governance

By Amanda Hardin | Rocky Mountain Voice In state politics, the term "super-minority" might not be as familiar as "super-majority," but it plays a crucial role in shaping the legislative landscape. In Colorado, the House of Representatives has already placed Republicans in a super-minority status, and the Senate is just a few seats away from potentially following suit. To understand the significance of this shift, let's explore what a super-minority is, how it impacts governance, and what it means for the balance of power in Colorado. What is a super-minority? A super-minority occurs when one political party holds significantly fewer seats than the other, making it nearly impossible for them to influence or block legislation without some support from the majority party. In the C...
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House Democrat wants to block any further ballot measures on property tax, but it could blow up special session deal
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coloradopolitics.com, State

House Democrat wants to block any further ballot measures on property tax, but it could blow up special session deal

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics A proposal for the three-day special session that starts on Aug. 26 would ask voters for a constitutional change to block any further statewide ballot measures that would limit property tax revenue. The bill, in its draft form, isn't going over well in some circles, with several sources warning that it could blow up the deal crafted among lawmakers, Gov. Jared Polis, and proponents of two ballot measures that would cut property taxes further than what lawmakers approved earlier this year.  The concurrent resolution is being shopped around by Rep. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, who is running to succeed Democratic Sen. Rhonda Fields in November. Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, would be its prime sponsor in the Senate. READ THE FULL STORY AT C...
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Constas: Colorado’s property tax crisis, the partisan divide driving the state’s housing affordability crisis
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Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Constas: Colorado’s property tax crisis, the partisan divide driving the state’s housing affordability crisis

By James Constas | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Homeowners across Colorado with mortgages are opening their annual escrow analyses and facing a shocking reality. I am one of them.  To my dismay, I discovered my mortgage will increase by a staggering $1,000 per month. This 54% surge in my monthly payment was driven by soaring property taxes and an even more exorbitant rise in homeowner's insurance premiums. Astonishingly, I now pay more towards taxes and insurance than towards the principal and interest on the property! Outraged, I shared my escrow analysis on X (formerly known as Twitter), where it garnered 887 likes, 263 retweets, and over 24,000 views in just 24 hours, clearly striking a chord. The 72 comments came from fellow homeowners sharing their fiscal misery and ...
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