By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
The Colorado solution to a national problem of squatters occupying a property without consent or ownership and with few remedies to remove them will be considered Tuesday during the House Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 25-1104, by Rep. Rebecca Keltie, is slated to be heard at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in HCR 0107. It will mark the first hearing of a bill written and sponsored by the freshman Republican representing District 16 in El Paso County.
“A person who occupies a premises without the consent of the landowner commits the new crime of squatting,” the bill reads, with a first offense resulting in an unclassified misdemeanor and a $2,000 fine per offense. Upon conviction, the court shall fine the offender $1,000 per day the property was illegally occupied. A person committing second and further offense could be given a penalty of six months confinement. The court may also fine offenders for restitution, the bill reads.
The bill requires that upon presentation of title as proof of ownership, law enforcement shall remove the squatter without the need of a court order.
“A person convicted of squatting shall not recover damages from the landowner of the premises where damage occurred,” Keltie’s bill reads.
Also in the House Judiciary Committee, following the hearing of Keltie’s bill, will be the hearing of three bipartisan bills.
HB25-1138, by Democrat Rep. Meghan Lukens and Sen. Lindsey Daugherty and by Republican Rep. Rose Pugliese and Barbara Kirkmeyer, would offer greater protections for victims of sexual misconduct in civil suits. It would prohibit “the admission of evidence of the victim’s manner of dress, hairstyle, speech or lifestyle as evidence of the victim’s consent, credibility or the existence or extent of damages or harm,” the bill reads.
HB25-1098, by Democrat Rep. Rebekah Stewart and Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Republican Rep. Matt Soper, would establish an automated protection order victim notification system in the division of criminal justice.
Finally, HB25-1116, by Republican Rep. Ryan Armagost and Sen. Rod Pelton and by Democrat Rep. Jennifer Bacon, would require the department of corrections to search “to determine whether an offender held at a correctional facility is subject to an outstanding warrant or if the offender has a pending case in a Colorado court.”
Additionally, two Democratic bills will be heard Tuesday in the House Health & Human Services Committee.
HB25-1011, by Democrat Reps. Lorena Garcia and Emily Sirota and Sen. Cathy Kipp, would require a child care center owned by an “institutional investment entity” to meet certain requirements in order to receive state funding, including wait list fees of no more than $25 and posting of pricing on the center’s website.
HB25-1027, by Democrat Reps. Lindsay Gilchrist and Kyle Brown and Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, would amend statutes governing the operations of the department of public health and environment regarding disease control.
Follow this link for information on offering testimony on these or any other bills.