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Laws in Colorado are being updated as the property tax deal passes in the House of Representatives
The Colorado General Assembly met this morning for the third day of its special session on property taxes. There were calls for additional relief to businesses and homeowners as part of negotiations with conservative activists to avoid deeper measures in the November election. The session will last at least until Thursday.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
Updated at 1:03 PM: The bill at the center of the special session of the Colorado Legislature cleared the House on a 45-18 vote shortly after noon, allowing it to quickly pass the Senate.
House Bill 1001 would provide another cut to the state’s tax rate, adding about $254 million to the $1.3 billion cut in statewide property tax collections that Gov. Jared Polis signed into law in May. The assessment rate, along with local mill taxes, affects how much money property owners owe in taxes.
If HB-1001 becomes law, most homeowners would see an additional reduction of less than $100, compared to the roughly $400 savings for the owner of a typical $700,000 home under the spring legislation.
More important to legislative leaders and Polis, the new bill is the cornerstone of a deal to remove Initiatives 50 and 108 from the November ballot — that is, if the bill that passes aligns with the framework negotiated by the elected officials and the conservative advocacy group Advance. Colorado and the business-oriented group Colorado Concern.
It was accompanied by relatively minor changes in the House of Representatives, where Democrats have a supermajority, as individual bills imposing progressive priorities died.
Progressive Democrats cast the majority of the no votes after a series of speeches criticizing the process. But bipartisan support secured a majority.
“This is a deal crafted in the backroom and supported by people who will never be accountable for the outcomes,” said state Rep. Stephanie Vigil, a Democrat from Colorado Springs. The groups that negotiated the deal were given access that she and other lawmakers “could never hope to get,” she said.
House Speaker Julie McCluskie, a Dillon Democrat and sponsor of the bill, acknowledged that the special session and the bill were intended “to protect Colorado from the destructive ballot initiatives” while also increasing outreach efforts and transparency of the legislative process.
“Is this now a move to play defense? You bet it is,” McCluskie said. But she noted that it was also intended to reassure communities and stakeholders that the legislation would provide guarantees in school financing and local government services.
The Senate will consider the bill this afternoon. If lawmakers want to wrap up the special session Thursday, the bill will have to clear a committee hearing, which will be the only opportunity for public comment, and an initial voice vote today.
Any changes in that chamber will have to be reconciled with the House of Representatives — a potential problem that proponents of the compromise hope to avoid.
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