Boulder lawmakers outline 2012 agendas [Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.]
By Heath Urie, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Those and other priorities were topics of discussion Monday morning during the
Sen.
Levy told the council that her first bill this session, which begins Wednesday, was inspired by the aftermath of the Fourmile Fire in 2010 as some homeowners struggled with their insurance companies to get a fair replacement value for homes that burned to the ground.
"It turns out insurance policies and the (replacement) figures have nothing to do with the actual cost of rebuilding up there," Levy said.
Her bill calls for requiring estimated replacement values to account for the actual costs of building homes in steep, rural terrain. It also would require insurance companies to provide homeowners with a copy of their policy within 48 hours of a disaster.
"That was a recurring problem," Levy said.
She said her bill also would require insurance companies to provide coverage without itemizing every item lost in a fire.
"They had to itemize everything in their home," she said of the Fourmile Fire victims. "It seemed like torture to them when they lost everything in their homes.
"If it's a total loss, write the check and don't nit-pick and torture these people."
She said there are more than 100 victims of the Fourmile Fire who are ready to testify at the
He said the city is looking at alternatives at the same time it explores municipalization, such as community choice aggregation. Community choice allows governments to purchase the power they want and pay the existing utility to transport it to area homes and businesses.
"It's interesting to think about other parallel opportunities," he said.
Levy said she plans to ask the
But, none of the officials said they expect to see legislation addressing community choice this year.
"I think it's the beginning of a conversation," Levy said.
Gardner, meanwhile, is a short-timer at the statehouse. She was elected Sunday to fill the
She said she plans to try and find a new sponsor for a bill that would address wage theft. The bill, which is being supported by
"A fairly common problem in
Gardner said she agrees that the loophole needs to be plugged.
"I think Stan feels like he probably wouldn't need to prosecute very many people before it would improve the behavior of others," she said.
Hullinghorst, who is a ranking member of the
Her plans include addressing whether certain tax breaks actually provide a benefit for the state, and supporting "economic gardening" programs that provide technical assistance to companies.
"It's a nice alternative to just providing some tax break," Hullinghorst said.
Heath said he will continue to focus on the state of funding for education in
"We have an incredible problem facing us," he said. "I think what 103 showed us is the average person out there doesn't have any understanding about these issues."
Heath said the state needs to engage in a massive education campaign about the current state of the budget and funding for education.
"I don't intend to take my foot off of the gas pedal," he said.
Some of the lawmakers said they expect to see other bills this year addressing immigration laws -- perhaps including a bill that mirrors
The Democratic lawmakers seemed to agree that getting much of anything done this legislative session could be difficult, given the political divides that currently exist.
"It will be kind of a mad dash to the finish line," Levy said. "I'm hoping we'll get something done under those circumstances."
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