Mobile Home bill press conference
Over 100,000 Coloradans are mobile home residents. They own their homes, but not the land underneath.
When owners and rental companies sell mobile parks, rents skyrocket, causing mass community displacement. That's why House Bills 1196 + 1201 aim to provide:
❤️ Protections against arbitrary evictions & utility charges
🏠 Transparency, fairness and privacy for tenants
❤️ Fair negotiation opportunities
🏠Public sector & nonprofit involvement in purchase rights
Shoutout to our bill sponsors, Sens. Pete Lee, Joann Ginal, Dominick Moreno and Majority Leader @stevefenberg and our wonderful community partner @9to5colorado for this important legislation!
Hate has no home here
Today several dangerous and misguided GOP bills will be heard in the House, including attempts to harm transgender, intersex and nonbinary youth rights and prevent loving LGBTQ families from adopting children. “These bills would cause active harm to communities in Colorado, and indicate how far some Republicans are willing to go to restrict LGBTQ rights,” said Sen. Dominick Moreno (D-Denver). This year, we're building on LGBTQ wins we achieved last session, like protecting community members from harmful and misinformed practices like conversion "therapy." Sen. Moreno is sponsoring legislation to simplify Jude's Law to allow minors to obtain a new birth certificate that aligns with their gender identity — without requiring surgery or clinical care. "As a member of this community, these bills are caustic attacks on LGBTQ rights. I will always stand up for LGBTQ equality and everything that we have fought so hard to achieve," said Sen. Joann Ginal (D-Fort Collins).
Homeless youth shelter
❤️The Senate just passed critical legislation to address unhoused and unaccompanied youth in Colorado❤️ SB-106 aligns state law with federal provisions to allow youth under 18 to consent to shelter and services.
During the 2018-2018 school year, Colorado's Department of Education reported 23,000 that students experienced homelessness statewide, and 2,397 of those students were identified as unaccompanied minors.
From children who age out of foster care to those seeking respite from unhealthy living situations, hundreds of youth under 18 are without a bed or shelter on any given night in Colorado. Nearly 40 percent of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Young homeless people are at greater risk of developing substance abuse and mental health problems as well as physical abuse, sexual exploitation and running into problems with the criminal justice system. This bill helps protect and provide for some of the most vulnerable kids in our state.
Fair arbitration for CO
Today the Senate passed SB-093, taking an important step toward increasing transparency for Colorado consumers and employees! “Forced arbitration clauses dominate so many goods and services, and they often tip the scales in favor of corporations," said Sen. Mike Foote. "These clauses can really do a disservice to consumers and employees, and this bill simply aims to make the process more fair and transparent for Coloradans.”
In the last 20 years, the number of workers in arbitration clauses has more than doubled. After Wells Fargo manipulated consumers with fake accounts, forced arbitration clauses prevented over 64,000 Coloradans from seeking justice in a class action suit. Millions of workers and consumers are forced into these clauses with little ability to defend themselves against corporations with endless resources. "Coloradans deserve a fair process in arbitration disputes, but they haven’t been receiving one: Banks and lenders use forced arbitration clauses in loans issued to the more than 48,000 active-duty service members, reservists, and veterans in Colorado. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also found that 85% of private student loans studied were subject to these unfair terms," said Majority Leader @stevefenberg. "It is time that Colorado reformed forced arbitration. With SB 93 passing the Senate, we are one step closer to ensuring all Coloradans receive a transparent and fair process during these proceedings."
SB-093 would:
⚖️ Establish ethics and conflicts of interest standards for arbitrators similar to those followed by judges and others in the legal profession to prevent bias and discrimination
⚖️ Create basic public transparency requirements for arbitrators so consumers, employees and the public are able to identify bad behavior & prevent corporate concealment .
⚖️ Addresses unenforceable terms that discourage people from bringing their claim forward, such as forcing out-of-state arbitration and waiving rights under other areas of law
Under the Gold Dome
We’re hitting the ground running this week to support our service members, educators and dispatchers and protect working families and consumers! #copolitics