First bills of special session released by sponsors, including five by Republicans

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice

Nine bills in the Colorado House and two more in the Colorado Senate are set to be introduced in the special session of the 74th General Assembly, along with others which have not been pre-released.

The special session, called by Gov. Jared Polis, opened at 10 a.m. Monday. The special session has a singular purpose to address property tax in an effort for lawmakers to avoid citizen-led Prop. 108 and Constitutional Amendment 50 from reaching the ballot.

Following is a glance at the Republican bills set to be introduced:

Senate Bill 24B-0009, by Republican Sens. Mark Baisley and Kevin Van Winkle, would require the property tax levy of a special taxing district to be calculated by dividing the actual value of the property by the total actual value of all property in the special district and multiplying it by the special district’s budget. Presently, the actual value is multiplied by the assessment rate and multiplying that value by the mill levy. The bill is sponsored in the House by Republican Rep. Brandi Bradley.

House Bill 24B-0003, a bipartisan bill by Republican Rep. Rose Pugliese and Democrat Rep. Julie McCluskie, addresses property tax revenue limits and valuation reductions. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Democrat Sen. Chris Hansen and Republican Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer.

House Bill 24B-0005, a bipartisan bill by Republican Rep. Matt Soper and Democrat Rep. Junie Joseph, seeks to modify the tax exemption for certain agricultural equipment and business personal property. The bill did not have a Senate sponsor as of Monday morning.

House Bill 24B-0017, by Republican Rep. Stephanie Luck, would create a tax code legislative task force comprised of elected legislative lawmakers and the general public to recommend restructuring the tax burden, specifically to eliminate taxes and fees in the state other than sales and use tax. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Baisley.

House Bill 24B-0022, by Republican Rep. Ken DeGraff, relates to homeowner exemptions of seniors, veterans with disabilities and surviving spouses of certain military veterans. The bill did not have a Senate sponsor as of Monday morning.

The other bills pre-released include:
House Bill 24B-0001
House Bill 24B-0002
House Bill 24B-0004
House Bill 24B-0015
House Bill 24B-0020
Senate Bill 24B-0007

Note: The context of the bill may change in advance or after introduction. The form is as it appeared textually in pre-introduced manner.