Special Legislative Session Allocates $54 MM more to housing and rental assistance
With just about two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, Governor Jared Polis called the Colorado legislature into special session beginning this past Monday November 30th and charged them with providing additional relief related to the COVID 19 pandemic. Among the issues, was continued funding for housing and renter assistance building upon work done in HB 20-1410, during the past legislative session. CLLC responded quickly to the announced special session, organizing our legislative effort, and drawing upon our legislative committee, legislative liaison, and our professional lobbying firm to engage at the statehouse. We were invited to the legislative table with other key housing and landlord tenant organizations to discuss upcoming legislation with the legislative sponsors, and to review a pre-released draft of the housing assistance legislation before its introduction Monday the 30th. Working throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, CLLC members moved into action fully reviewing and analyzing the legislation, resulting in a strong support position. Due to COVID restrictions at the State Capitol, CLLC Legislative Liaison, Annemarie Sunde of Legacy Property Management, testified remotely before both the Senate Finance and the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committees, offering comments in support of the legislation, introducing CLLC as a newly formed organization participating in the legislative process, and answering a number of questions from the committee about both CLLC and details of the property management profession. As the session concluded today, our round-the-clock efforts made a difference in the passage of SB 20B-002 sponsored by Senators Julie Gonzales (D-Denver) Chris Holbert (R-Douglas) and Reps. Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs) and Kerry Tipper (D-Jefferson) final version linked here:
https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2020B/bills/2020b_002_rer.pdf
Among other provisions, SB 20B-002 moves and additional $54 MM into housing & rental assistance for those unable to make their rental payments due to their financial circumstance and providing much needed income for Colorado landlords.
Through our lobbyist, we also engaged with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), gaining valuable insights about the rental assistance program and its importance for Colorado landlords. We have included a link to the program here, which is available for landlords to apply for funds on behalf of their tenants, with rental payments made to landlords directly. As we learn more about this program, we believe it is well structured and provides valuable relief for our landlord members and the tenants we work to serve.
https://cdola.colorado.gov/rental-assistance
As a final step, CLLC will be writing Governor Polis urging him to sign this important legislation and introducing CLLC representing Colorado landlords at the State Capitol.