House Bill 1005 gives authority to counties and municipalities to cap fees that third-party food delivery companies charge to restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation also prevents those companies from cutting the compensation or tips of employees to recover lost revenue and requires that customers be made aware of any fees imposed on restaurants.
House Bill 1006 insurance premium tax payments in order to make estimated tax payments more accurate.
Senate Bill 1 provides $37 million to support small businesses with revenue of less than $2.5 million, $7.5 million to arts and cultural organizations, and $4 million to minority-owned businesses. Grants for small businesses are capped at $7,000. Counties must disburse funds by Feb. 12.
Senate Bill 2 provides $54 million in emergency housing assistance, $1 million in legal eviction aid, and $5 million to individuals who are ineligible for other forms of relief, such as unemployment insurance, food assistance or the onetime $1,200 payment from the federal government.
Senate Bill 3 provides $5 million to Energy Outreach Colorado to help low income households pay energy bills. This money must be spent by June 30.
Senate Bill 4 transfers $100 million to the Controlled Maintenance Trust Fund for the governor to use for the Disaster Emergency Fund. The bill is intended to fill the gap left by the slow reimbursement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for costs the state has incurred.
Additional information on the bills that were passed, including legislator vote tallies, can be accessed here.
Information on bills that were considered but postponed indefinitely can be accessed here.
The LWVCO Legislative Action Committee will begin virtual meetings on a bi-weekly basis starting January 8, 2021. The 2021 Session will convene on Wednesday, January 13.
If you're interested in joining the Legislative Action Committee, LWVCO's corps of trained volunteer lobbyists, please contact the LWVCO office at info@lwvcolorado.org.