Legislators engage with housing plans, pesticide applicator regulations

The Colorado General Assembly is in its final days of the 2023 session, with adjournment to take place no later than Monday, May 8 at midnight.

Lawmakers have at least 200 bills to complete in the final week, including the governor’s housing plan as contained in Senate Bill 213.

The bill was gutted last week to remove most, but not all, of its language, stripping local government control on zoning and other housing issues, and ceding it to the state.

As it exists this week, the measure now has to head over to the House, where progressive Democrats may try to put the bill back toward its original form. As amended by the Senate, Senate Bill 213 still contains a housing needs assessment at the state and local levels, and added a statewide housing summit favored by Senate Republicans, including Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton.

Senate Democrats and Republicans teamed up to force the changes in the bill, including Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, a key swing vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee, who said she would not vote for the bill with the state control language.

Among the issues Gov. Jared Polis identified in his State of the State address in January were expected increases in property taxes. The governor hinted at both short-term and long-term fixes in his speech, but so far, a long-term fix has not yet been introduced.

Several ideas on short-term fixes have already surfaced; a bipartisan measure, Senate Bill 108, would allow local governments to provide temporary property tax relief through tax credits or mill levy reductions, and is awaiting final action in the House after winning a 35-0 vote in the Senate.

The state budget has set aside $700 million for two years of temporary property tax relief. A bill expected to be introduced this week is expected to be the long-term fix, with Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, as its sponsor.

Property taxes are estimated to increase by as much as 50% in this assessment year, partly the result of voter repeal of the Gallagher Amendment in 2020.

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