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February and March were active months for the Colorado House of Representatives with respect to attempted reforms of current landlord/tenant laws in Colorado.  In addition to proposed major overhauls to Colorado statutory eviction procedures (House Bill 23-1171), on February 27th the House passed House Bill 23-1115, which proposes repealing the current statewide ban on local government rent control measures.

Under current state law, counties and municipalities are expressly prohibited from enacting any ordinance or resolution controlling rent on private residential property or individual private residential housing units (C.R.S. § 38-12-301).  In addition to repealing that prohibition, HB 23-1115 proposes a conforming amendment placing specific requirements on future local government rent control measures.Continue Reading Colorado House Passes, Senate Considers Repeal of Rent Control Prohibition

On Monday, January 9th, 2023, the Denver City Council voted to pass a new wage theft ordinance, which provides greater authority to the City Auditor’s Office to ensure employees are paid their promised wages.  Denver’s existing minimum wage ordinance continues to allow employees to file complaints to the City Auditor’s Office (the “City Auditor”) and provides employees with a right of private action to recover unpaid wages plus interest. The new wage theft ordinance establishes a civil violation for wage theft violations whereby employees can submit complaints to the City Auditor and the City Auditor will pursue the complaint and seek restitution on the employee’s behalf.  …
Continue Reading Wage Theft Ordinance Passes in Denver

Yesterday, Colorado Springs further solidified its standing as “Olympic City USA” with the grand opening of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum.  The 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, soon to be connected to America the Beautiful Park via a 250-foot pedestrian bridge, cost $91 million to construct, and was aided by the Colorado Economic Development Commission’s 2013 dedication of up to $120.5 million of state sales tax revenue to Colorado Springs for its City for Champions initiative.  The initiative, designed to attract tourists to the City of Colorado Springs through the development of a host of unique destinations, includes the museum, the proposed Air Force Academy Gateway Visitor Center complex, a new downtown sports stadium, and the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine & Performance Center on the UCCS campus.
Continue Reading Olympic City USA

On Wednesday, July 2, 2020, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion holding that Colorado’s Governor cannot suspend, by executive order, the state’s constitutional requirements for ballot measure signatures.  The Governor had sought, among other things, to permit campaigns for ballot measures that have titles set or pending before the Colorado Supreme Court…

On Friday, May 15, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued Executive Order D 2020 065, temporarily suspending certain statutory requirements governing the distribution, signing, and certification of ballot measures for the November 2020 election. The Order would, among other things, permit campaigns for ballot measures that have titles set or pending before the Colorado Supreme Court to collect signatures electronically by e-mail or by mail, rather than requiring a petition circulator to obtain signatures in person. It would also give campaigns additional time to collect and submit the required number of signatures. The Order directed Colorado’s Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, to issue temporary rules to accommodate these changes. A coalition of business organizations immediately challenged the Order in court, questioning whether the Governor has the power to unilaterally alter the state’s election laws.
Continue Reading Colorado’s Governor Issues Executive Order Relaxing Requirements for November 2020 Ballot Measures; Business Groups Sue