This week, lawmakers introduced a handful of bills that address evictions in the state.
One bill would require the judicial department to publish in a free and searchable format monthly data on all forcible entry and detainer actions filed in each county. Another bill prohibits a landlord from evicting a residential tenant unless that tenant qualifies for a no-fault eviction as defined by the bill or meets other qualifying circumstances. A third bill would eliminate filing fees for a defendant filing an answer in an eviction proceeding, removing the current process to waive the fee and prohibiting the court from charging a fee related to the mailing or filing of motions, answers or other documents in eviction proceedings.
Also introduced this past week was the anticipated Voting for Confined Eligible Electors bill, which would require a county sheriff to designate at least one individual to facilitate voting for confined eligible electors at the county jail or detention center.
Another bill recently introduced would prohibit a plaintiff’s attorney in a personal injury case from collecting attorney contingency fees based on a portion of the ultimate damages award attributable to the 9% interest specified in current law.
Bill Number: SB24-064
Title: Monthly Residential Eviction Data & Report
Introduced: Jan. 19
Sponsors: K. Mullica, S. Bird
Summary: The bill would require the judicial department monthly to collect, compile and publish online aggregate residential eviction data for all forcible entry and detainer actions filed in each county in the immediately preceding month. The judicial department would also be required to make certain residential eviction data available upon request. The bill would require the judicial department to publish online in a searchable format, and make available free of charge, every final order issued by Colorado district courts regarding residential eviction actions.
Bill Number: HB24-1098
Title: Cause Required for Eviction of Residential Tenant
Introduced: Jan. 24
Sponsors: J. Mabrey, M. Duran, J. Gonzales, N. Hinrichsen
Summary: The bill would prohibit a landlord from evicting a residential tenant unless the landlord has cause for eviction. Under the bill, cause exists only when a tenant or lessee is guilty of an unlawful detention of real property under certain circumstances described in existing law as amended by the bill, or conditions exist constituting grounds for a no-fault eviction. A no-fault eviction of a residential tenant is also defined by the bill.
Bill Number: HB24-1099
Title: Defendant Filing Fees in Evictions
Introduced: Jan. 25
Sponsors: M. Lindsay, M. Soper, J. Buckner, B. Pelton
Summary: The bill would eliminate the filing fee for a defendant filing an answer in an eviction proceeding. It would also remove the current process for securing a waiver of these filing fees, among other provisions like prohibiting the court from charging a fee related to the mailing or filing of motions, answers or other documents in eviction proceedings.
Bill Number: SB24-062
Title: Prohibit Attorney Fees on Personal Injury Interest
Introduced: Jan. 19
Sponsors: B. Gardner
Summary: Current law permits a plaintiff in a personal injury case stemming from a tort to claim interest at a rate of 9% on the damages alleged from the date the action accrued until the date the judgment is satisfied. Beginning July 1, the bill would prohibit a plaintiff’s attorney from collecting attorney contingency fees based on that portion of the ultimate damages award attributable to the 9% interest.
Bill Number: SB24-072
Title: Voting for Confined Eligible Electors
Introduced: Jan. 22
Sponsors: J. Gonzales, M. Rutinel
Summary: The bill would require a county sheriff to designate at least one individual to facilitate voting for confined eligible electors at the county jail or detention center and requires the sheriff’s designee to coordinate with the county clerk and recorder.
Bill Number: HB24-1095
Title: Increasing Protections for Minor Workers
Introduced: Jan. 24
Sponsors: S. Lieder, J. Amabile, T. Sullivan
Summary: The bill would increase penalties for violations of the Colorado Youth Employment Opportunity Act of 1971 and require penalties be deposited into the wage theft enforcement fund. Among other provisions, entities that violate the act would also need to pay specified damages to the individual who is aggrieved.
Bill Number: SB24-084
Title: Attorney General Duties to Prevent Mis- & Dis-information
Introduced: Jan. 24
Sponsors: L. Cutter, L. Garcia
Summary: To prevent and combat the sharing and spreading of misinformation and disinformation, the attorney general would be required to establish an initiative related to engagement and develop and share a curriculum to facilitate conversations regarding statewide and national issues, among other requirements.
Bill Number: HB24-1101
Title: Empower Victims through Access Restorative Justice
Introduced: Jan. 25
Sponsors: J. Mabrey, M. Snyder
Summary: The bill would aim to increase access to restorative justice practices in Colorado by creating a victim-survivor right to participate in restorative justice in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, requiring victim-survivors be informed of their statutory right to restorative justice and how to exercise it and creating a victim-survivor right to request restorative justice as an alternative to, or in addition to, prosecution, among other provisions.
Bill Number: HB24-1107
Title: Judicial Review of Local Land Use Decision
Introduced: Jan. 25
Sponsors: W. Lindstedt, J. Bridges
Summary: The bill would require a court to award reasonable attorney fees to a prevailing defendant in an action for judicial review of a local land use decision, except for an action brought by the land use applicant before the governmental entity. Filing an action for judicial review of a local land use decision wouldn’t affect the validity of the local land use decision under the bill.
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