Legislation 2011-Removing Barriers and Building Opportunity

We can spend time, money and energy creating new barriers for Colorado's struggling families or we can find ways to encourage movement towards economic security. From task force member Representative Kagan comes a bill to remove barriers.

BILL HB11-1127

Short Title: Fair Use Of Consumer Credit Information
Sponsors: KAGAN / CARROLL

The bill specifies the purposes for which consumer credit information (i.e., consumer credit reports and credit scores) can be used in certain situations. Section 1 of the bill restricts an employer's use of consumer credit information for employment purposes and requires an employer to disclose to an employee or applicant for employment when the employer uses the employee's or applicant's consumer credit information to take adverse action against the employee or applicant and the particular credit information upon which the employer relied. Section 2 amends the current law regarding the permissible use of credit information by an insurer offering personal lines of property and casualty insurance (insurer) as follows:
* Makes the filing of actuarial justification mandatory for insurers that use insurance scores to underwrite and rate risk; and
* Clarifies that "adverse action", with regard to insurance, includes denying a consumer a discount or placing a consumer in a higher tier. Section 3 removes a separate statutory section pertaining to the use of credit information in automobile underwriting or rating, and instead requires automobile insurers to comply with the same provisions governing use of credit information as property and casualty insurers. Current law requires a consumer reporting agency (agency) to notify a consumer when the agency receives information that would add negative information to the consumer's file. Section 4 adds to the notification requirement consumers who are cosigners to a debt. Section 5 allows landlords to use consumer credit information of a potential tenant (applicant) only to evaluate the applicant's payment history for prior tenancies. When an applicant's consumer credit information adversely impacts the landlord's decision, section 4 also requires landlords to disclose this fact to the applicant.

Status
01/21/2011 Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs

Mini Task Force Meeting at HousingNOW Conference

Join

• Randle Loeb, Social Justice Advocate, Poverty and Homelessness
• Representative John Kefalas (Fort Collins), Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction (EOPR) Task Force Chair
• Meg Costello, Public Policy Analyst, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

and,

• Tracey Stewart, Economic Self-Sufficiency Project Coordinator, The Colorado Center on Law and Policy

as we host a mini-task force housing workgroup meeting to explore disconnects between poverty reduction, economic development and affordable housing. Click on the Live Chat event below at 2:30 Thursday, October 14 to participate.

Consumer Protection

Chair: T. A. Taylor-Hunt
This group encompasses issues in Housing, Employment, Education, Health, Auto Insurance and lending. The perspective is legislative enforcement. Broad scope--intervention and education. Solutions proposed. The common thread is the importance of consumer education, which affects insurance, health care, employment, credit, etc.
Stay in touch for future meeting dates of this workgroup.

EOPR Task Force Constitutional Amendments Wokgroup Minutes

Chair--Annmarie Jensen

The newly formed workgroup on the ballot initiatives 60, 61 and proposition 101 of the taskforce met to discuss what this group could do specifically related to low income persons and these three initiatives. The group decided to focus on amendment 61 because that measure is showing it is most likely to pass. The group decided that they would work on getting some written materials put together about amendment 61 and its affects on low income persons. They divided the impacts of the amendment up into several topic areas, and solicited volunteers to try and get further in formation on each one of those topic areas. Assignments are as follows. If your name is not listed here, please feel free to bring any information on any of these topics to the meeting.

Health Care – Corinne Fowler will contact CCHN and see what they may have already done
Education – Senator Guzman will discuss with Senator Hudak, and also see what CEA may already have.
Families and Children – Kenny Smith and Chaer Roberts will work on providing info on this
Housing and Libraries – Heidi Baker will contact CHFA and also the library association
Community Colleges/Universities – Annmarie Jensen will contact those folks.

Private Sector jobs--open

The 2009 Community Report

During the 2009 Interim Committee Session, the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force created it's first year's report on the scope of poverty and initial policy solutions. You can download the 2009 Community Report by clicking here.