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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 2/7/2023 - 5. Memorandum From Ginny Sawyer Re: Legislative Updates City Manager’s Office City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com MEMORANDUM Date: February 2, 2023 To: Mayor and City Council From: Ginny Sawyer, Policy and Project Manager Thru: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager RE: Legislative Updates The 2023 legislative session is underway. The Legislative Review Committee (LRC) met on January 24, 2022 (DRAFT minutes attached.) Throughout the session staff will provide bi-weekly updates that will include a bill tracker, lobbyist update, and any LRC action. Legislative Review Committee (LRC) meetings are scheduled from 3:00-4:00PM in the CIC Room, 300 LaPorte Ave and via Zoom on the following dates: February 21 March 21 April 25 Additional LRC meetings will be scheduled as necessary. The Bill tracker can be found here: https://www.fcgov.com/citymanager/legislative.php DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 City Manager’s Office City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com Legislative Review Committee Meeting Minutes Tuesday, January 24, 2023 3:00-4:00PM Council Information Chambers (CIC) in City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave In-person with Zoom option Councilmembers present: Mayor Arndt, Councilmember Canonico (chair), Councilmember Peel Staff present: Ginny Sawyer, Megan Valliere, Tyler Marr, Megan DeMasters, Lindsay Ex, John Phelan, Jessica Jones, John Duval, Sylvia Tatman-Burruss Guests present: Ed Bowditch (lobbyist), Jennifer Cassell (lobbyist) 1.Approval of minutes from October 25, 2022 meeting a.The Mayor moved to approve the minutes from the October 25th, 2022, meeting. Councilmember Peel seconded. Motion passed. 2.Session Kick-off a.Jennifer Cassell and Ed Bowditch (lobbyists) intro to session expectations and bills of note and overview of CML Policy Committee recommendations. i.As of 01/24/2023, the General Assembly is in its third week of the 2023 session. The Capitol is starting to get to work, and bills are now being heard in committee. ii.Both chambers have indicated priorities related to healthcare, childcare, and housing affordability. Themes around human services, local government, housing, and business are emerging. iii.The following table details the specific bills that LRC discussed. Bill/Bill Topic Introduced Y/N Prime Sponsors LRC Discussion Recommendation or Consensus from LRC SB23-001 - “Authority of Public-private Collaboration Unit For Housing” Y Sens. Roberts and Zenzinger Reps. Bird and Lukens Lobbyists informed LRC that this bill passed committee. N/A HB23-1001 - “Expanding Assistance for Educator Programs” Y Sen. Zenzinger Reps. McLachlan and Kipp Lobbyists informed LRC that FC Rep Cathy Kipp was co-sponsoring this bill to provide financial N/A DRAFT DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 incentives to retain educators. SB23-005 - “Forestry and Wildfire Mitigation Workforce” Y Sens. Lewis and Cutter Lobbyists informed LRC that this bill had been introduced. N/A SB23-016 - “Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures” Y Sen. Hansen Reps. McCormick and Sirota Lobbyists shared that this GHG reduction omnibus bill was also introduced last year. The bill updates statewide GHG reduction goals, provides income tax credits for electric lawn and garden equipment, and more. One section requires local governments to provide an expedited process for revamping transmission lines. N/A HB23-1039 - “Electric Resource Adequacy Reporting” Y Sens. Rodriguez and Winter Rep. Bird John Phelan shared that this bill had been introduced and was circulating. The group agreed that all were interested in seeing what CAMU says regarding this bill. Land Use Bill N Originating from the Governor’s Office, sponsors TBD We may see a copy in March. The Gov. Office has been meeting with cities and counties individually, but there has not been a broad effort to connect with CML, CCI, etc. Mayor shared that she, Kelly D., and MPT Francis met with Will and Serena from the Gov. Office to discuss the bill and home rule implications. She indicated that the bill’s most significant policy items will likely include an elimination of exclusionary zoning, the legalization of ADUs, and The group discussed that several portions of the bill as introduced may address policy goals held by City Council, but home rule authority is also our baseline foundation for evaluating proposals from the General Assembly. Mayor committed to brokering a meeting between Will/Serena and Kevin Bommer from CML. Draft DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 efforts to increase density near transit. Middle Housing Bill N Rep. Woodrow Lobbyists shared that this bill is not currently part of the Governor’s land use package, but the sponsors would like it to be. N/A DDA Bill N Unknown Tyler shared that this bill would extend the sunset of the DDA. Rep. Boesenecker would like the City’s position on this bill. N/A Assault Weapons Bill N Rep. Boesenecker Lobbyists shared that this bill would likely prohibit the purchase of assault weapons within the state but would not prohibit their possession. The current version does not have a local government storage component. The word is that the Governor is not supportive of this legislation. N/A Domestic Violence in County vs. Municipal Courts N Unknown The Mayor shared that Judge Heuser opposes any bill that takes power from the municipal court regarding its ability to hear domestic violence cases. While the Fort Collins Municipal Court does not hear these cases, the bill encroaches on the authority of municipal courts and removes the ability of municipal courts to alleviate capacity constraints on county courts for domestic violence cases. We are open to requirements regarding Victims’ Assistance programming for municipal courts hearing DV cases, but we do not support any attempt to remove authority from municipal courts. Microtrenching Bill N Rep. Titone The group discussed that CML is aggressively opposing a lot of this bill The City generally opposes microtrenching as a Draft DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 in draft form since it mandates cities to allow microtrenching, doesn’t put the same requirement in place for the state, and doesn’t follow the same process as other utilities for permitting and regulation. concept/procedure for broadband installation and did not use it for Connexion. iv.CML Policy Committee Recommendations 1.The group discussed significant legislative stances coming from CML this year, including: a.Making car theft a felony regardless of the value of the vehicle (currently, theft of vehicles assessed at less than $2000 is a misdemeanor charge). b.Opposing efforts in a bill by Sen. Fields to place limitations on the use of no-knock warrants. c.Opposing any attempt by Rep. Mabrey or others to reintroduce the Right to Rest Act. d.Opposing fee exemptions from CORA for press entities in a bill that may be sponsored by Sen. Hansen and Rep. Snyder. e.Supporting legislation that will provide grants to local governments for environmental remediation at closed landfill sites. f.Supporting legislation that gives local government right of first refusal to purchase properties at market value for development into affordable housing (sponsored by Rep. Boesenecker). b.Bill tracker overview and staff introductions i.At the next LRC meeting, the group will work through the bill tracker tool and discuss support and oppose positions on legislation we are tracking. ii.The Mayor and Councilmember Peel indicated a preference for hybrid rather than fully remote LRC meetings going forward. 3.Other Business and Announcements a.None. Draft DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 Bill # Title Description Position Sponsors (House and Senate) HB23-1038 Stolen Catalytic Converter Replacement Exemption Concerning the replacement of a catalytic converter that has been stolen from a motor vehicle. Monitor House: R. Bockenfeld (R); Senate: HB23-1039 Electric Resource Adequacy Reporting Concerning a requirement that electric load-serving entities periodically report about the adequacy of their electric resources. Monitor House: S. Bird (D); Senate: F. Winter (D), R. Rodriguez (D) HB23-1057 Amenities For All Genders In Public Buildings Concerning a requirement that certain public buildings have restrooms with amenities for all genders. Monitor House: K. McCormick (D), S. Vigil (D); Senate: S. Jaquez Lewis (D) HB23-1101 Ozone Season Transit Grant Program Flexibility Concerning support for transit, and, in connection therewith, increasing the flexibility of the ozone season transit grant program and increasing opportunities for transit agency participation in regional transportation planning. Monitor House: J. Bacon (D), S. Vigil (D); Senate: F. Winter (D) SB23-016 Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures Concerning measures to promote reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado. Monitor Senate: C. Hansen (D); House: E. Sirota (D), K. McCormick (D) SB23-035 Middle-income Housing Authority Act Concerning the operation of the middle-income housing authority, and, in connection therewith, adding members to the board of directors and expanding the power of the authority to enter into public-private partnerships. Monitor Senate: D. Moreno (D), J. Bridges (D); House: L. Herod (D) SB23-058 Job Application Fairness Act Concerning required disclosures of age-related information on job applications. Monitor Senate: J. Danielson (D), S. Jaquez Lewis (D); House: M. Young (D), J. Willford (D) SB23-097 Motor Vehicle Theft And Unauthorized Use Concerning the adoption of the 2023 recommendations of the Colorado commission on criminal and juvenile justice regarding motor vehicle offenses committed by a person who is not the owner of the motor vehicle. Monitor Senate: R. Zenzinger (D), R. Gardner (R); House: S. Bird (D), M. Soper (R) DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 1/31/23, 1:56 PM Legislative Update https://mailchi.mp/8c958c55837b/weekly-update-15111549?e=757d8873e3 1/2 Fort Collins Legislative Update January 27, 2023 View this email in your browser General Summary This week, the legislature got to work hearing bills in committee and we got to see how new legislators interact and participate in their committees. Floor work still remains limited since there are few bills that have been forwarded by the committees to debate. The legislature held a memorial for Minority Leader Hugh McKean and for former legislator Dottie Wham, and these drew large crowds to the Capitol. Two housing bills passed their first committee hearings this week. First was SB 23-001 which allows the state to engage in public private partnership to build affordable housing on state-owned land. This was passed by the Senate Local Government Committee. The bill received almost unanimous support. The second bill, SB 23-035, will allow the middle-income housing authority to enter into agreements with public or private entities and allows affordable rental housing to be exempt from state and local taxation and issue bonds to finance projects. This bill was also passed by the Senate Local Government Committee. An additional housing bill that seems to be getting attention is HB 23-1115. This bill was Introduced by Reps. Mabrey and Velasco and would allow local governments to remove the prohibition on rent control. This could be a tool that certain local governments may adopt in order to address rising rent; however, this will be a political target for those who don’t believe this is a role for government. Rumors are still swirling around large policy proposal bills targeted at local government land use reform, free access for the press to the Colorado Open Records Act, and tightening gun control/safety measures. This week Sen Hansen’s bill (SB 22-106) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions passed its first committee hearing. The more aggressive targets for GHG reductions remained intact, as did the flexible language around local government expediting land use applications for renovating and rebuilding transmission lines. Coming up next week: HB 23-1101 Ozone Season Transit Grant Program Flexibility will be heard in the House Energy and Environment Committee. HB 23-1057 Amenities for all Genders in Public Buildings will be heard in the House State Affairs Committee. Subscribe Past Issues Translate DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286 1/31/23, 1:56 PM Legislative Update https://mailchi.mp/8c958c55837b/weekly-update-15111549?e=757d8873e3 2/2 Follow us on Twitter BCPA Website Copyright © 2019, Bowditch & Cassell Public Affairs, All rights reserved. P.O. Box 40844 Denver, CO 80204 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. F o r t C o l l i n s B i l l R e p o r t This email was sent to gsawyer@fcgov.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Bowditch & Cassell Public Affairs · PO Box 40844 · Denver, CO 80204-0844 · USA Subscribe Past Issues Translate DocuSign Envelope ID: 364CAFBF-04C5-4550-AE2B-4362E86A9286