Reports from the Colorado Legislature including property taxes, data centers, gun bills, etc.

Laws promoting the construction of data centers. Not everyone supports the idea. Here’s why:

A bill giving state tax rebates to attract data centers to Colorado faces opposition from critics who warn of the facilities’ heavy energy and water demands and potential higher costs for other power customers. is experiencing.

The bill would provide state sales and use tax rebates on construction materials and equipment beginning in 2026. Senate Bill 24-085 declares that investments in projects such as data centers are “critically important to the future economy,” and Colorado is considered to be at an increasingly high bar.・Tech hubs are lagging behind in attracting facilities.
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Colorado Legislature passes bill to make it easier to repair cell phones and electronic devices

Coloradans will have an easier time repairing their cell phones and other personal electronic devices under a bill passed by the state House on Tuesday. This bill is the latest in a number of “right to repair” bills being considered here in recent years.

House Bill 24-1121 would require manufacturers of various personal electronic devices, such as cell phones and video game consoles, to provide replacement parts, software, and repair information to third-party shops and consumers. Masu. Supporters say this would open up a repair market outside of manufacturers’ control, make it cheaper and easier to repair gadgets, and reduce the amount of repairable equipment sent to landfills.
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Gun bills, property tax reform, construction defects and new economic forecasts will be addressed in the Colorado Legislature this week

This week marks a major milestone in mid-March as the Colorado Legislature accelerates toward the end of its 120-day session.

The Joint Budget Committee is working on drafting next year’s budget, which begins in July, and will hear the final economic outlook before lawmakers debate and vote on the budget. The state of the economy, tax collections and overall budget projections will determine how much money lawmakers are comfortable spending next year.

Six firearms bills are also scheduled to be voted on this week, two of which are on the verge of passing the first chamber.
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Colorado considers mandatory minimum prison sentences for human traffickers

Most days, Alicia was sent to a hotel room in the Denver area, where a steady stream of people showed up to pay for sex.

From 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., she received call after call. Then she goes back to her pimp’s house and he demands sex too. If she resists, slap her. When she became pregnant with his child, she thought he would let her out of her life.

When her assailant was arrested, Alicia was too scared to step into the courthouse. She didn’t have a phone. Because he had tracked her down that way before. Therefore, she did not listen to the virtual court hearing. In the end, he was sentenced to probation, largely because Alicia did not participate in the court process.

Currently, Alicia is pushing a bill in the Colorado General Assembly that would extend the statute of limitations for adult human trafficking charges from three years to 20 years, give prosecutors 20 years to file criminal charges, and give survivors more time. I am speaking out in support. Please come forward about the crime. The bill also, more controversially, provides for mandatory minimum prison sentences for people convicted of human trafficking.
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Who is on trial in sexual assault cases? A Colorado bill aims to protect victims from questions about their clothing.

Clothing racks in the hallways of the Colorado State Capitol displayed T-shirts and jeans, children’s pink cardigans and polka-dot miniskirts, and Army sweatshirts and shorts.

The costumes represented everyday clothing worn by women and girls across the country when they were sexually assaulted. Each costume, marked with a brief description, is intended to counter the myth, which sometimes still permeates American culture and courts, that rape victims may have solicited sexual contact. Ta.

State lawmakers are considering a bill aimed at increasing protections for sexual assault victims in Colorado. It would expand on rape shield laws to prevent certain evidence, including what the victim was wearing, from being used by a defendant in court as evidence of consent.
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Westminster City council tackles housing reform with state-wide intervention in mind

Jodi Lovejoy can see the Front Range mountains from her Westminster apartment window. She can follow the clouds that pass by and observe the weather changes in the mountains. This is what she was doing with her children. The surroundings are quiet and dotted with mature trees. Although her two bedrooms, which she has shared with her daughter for the past eight years, are not hers, the apartment feels like home.

Still, Lovejoy hopes she can own one. She has become accustomed to negotiating yearly with her landlord for increases in her rent. Last year, she hired a real estate agent to research the Westminster housing market. But the market was too competitive, the homes she looked at required a lot of work, and the HOA fees were too high.

The circumstances weighing on Lovejoy – a tight housing market, high rents and limited options outside of traditional housing – are not unique to her. Nor are they unique to Westminster. Like other cities in her range, this suburb is struggling to cope with a shortage of housing units and rising costs, displacing low-income residents and limiting options for future generations. Masu. The city is caught between vocal residents opposed to further development and concerned about resources, and a statewide housing crisis that state lawmakers and Gov. Jared Polis are watching anxiously.
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