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Legislators present session highlights

John Scarffe
Posted 6/18/23

Colorado State Senator Dylan Roberts and Representative Judy Amabile hosted a post-legislative session town hall in Gilpin County on Sunday, June 4, 2023, at the Gilpin Public Library from 3 p.m. to

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Legislators present session highlights

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Colorado State Senator Dylan Roberts and Representative Judy Amabile hosted a post-legislative session town hall in Gilpin County on Sunday, June 4, 2023, at the Gilpin Public Library from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. They used this time to share highlights from the 2023 legislative session, discuss how their bills will impact Gilpin County, and answer participant questions.

Senator Roberts said he represents Senate District 8, which includes Gilpin County and goes west to Utah and north to Wyoming. He lives in Eagle.

Representative Amabile represents House District 49. She is following in Roberts’ footprints with her first two years on the Business Committee. She is also running for the Senate in District 18.

She said the legislature had a very busy session this year. Roberts said it was a 120 day session. He is already working on bills for next year starting in January.

He has been working on affordable housing, which unites people in the mountain areas around the need for more affordable housing, grants, and loans being awarded. He sponsored Senate Bill 1, to use state-owned lands for affordable housing from the Western Slope to Denver.

Proposition 123 was on the ballot last year for $300 million every year to allow every community to get these funds. Communities can petition for the funds.

Roberts is also chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources committee. They look at bills for wildfire and water, and they are funding the Colorado Water Plan. They will be using $90 million for the projects. Much of the funds come from sports betting.

He also is working on reducing the red tape on stream restoration. Access to federal funding exists.

For health care, he introduced a bill to reduce the cost for epi pens, so everyone can get two for $60. Regarding public education, he is excited about an increase per pupil of over $1,000. “We are not paying teachers enough,” he said.

Amabile said that there is an annual summary of who are the most effective legislators, and Roberts was judged the most effective. She has been working on gun violence prevention and working on the results of not having a good mental health system.

She helped on legislation to require a three-day waiting period to buy a gun. “If you wait you might decide not to commit suicide,” she said. The legislature also added a category so that it is easier to sue gun manufacturers.

“It was a historic year,” she said. She has been working on disentangling mental health from the jails. People with mental health issues are being harmed by being forced to spend time in jail.

She is sitting on the Competency Task Force to figure out a better way to deal with several issues around incarceration. Successes include kids visiting relatives in jail and alternative sentencing for women who are pregnant.

Regarding insurance and underinsurance: when getting a policy, people should have some protection. During the Marshall fire in Boulder County, residents didn’t have enough insurance. Some people can’t get any insurance at all. She said there will be a survey around the state for house values, to give homeowners a reality check. It will cost $400 to $500 per square foot to rebuild.

Regarding Proposition HH, Amabile said she supported it. It will include property tax relief and protect school and fire districts. It is a companion piece to TABOR, leading to the lowering of property tax bills. This will be a ballot measure for this year.

If it passes, it will make it possible for seniors to take their ten-year housing credit mobile, so they can downsize.

Roberts said house valuations in Eagle County went up 100 percent. With Senate Bill 303, Proposition HH, taxes would go down to 6.7 percent. It allows special districts to retain their funds, and senior homesteads get portable. There will be up-front relief and then the rate reduction.

The alternative proposed would be harmful, Roberts said. He will vote for HH in the fall.

Roberts said stream restoration is limited to minor projects, and they still have to go to water court for a big project.

Amabile said during the summer she will be meeting with stakeholders and is on three committees: jail standards and working with sheriff; committee on criminal justice; and defining recidivism. “It is an honor to serve here,” she concluded.

Roberts said the Colorado Department of Health and Environment is in charge of water quality, and he will be on that task force.

For more information about Senator Roberts, go to https://www.leg.colorado. gov/legislators/dylan-roberts.

For more information about Representative Amabile, go to https://leg. colorado.gov/legislators/judy-amabile.