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DENVER, CO - The House Transportation, Housing and Local Government Committee today passed legislation, sponsored by Representatives Chad Clifford and Yara Zokaie, to protect equal opportunity to housing for Coloradans with disabilities.
“We’re ensuring Colorado law protects housing accessibility for Coloradans with disabilities,” said Rep. Chad Clifford, D-Centennial. “People with service animals, like a seeing eye dog, are at risk of losing out on housing opportunities because the Trump Administration removed crucial guidelines around housing protections for people with disabilities. This bill would provide some much-needed clarity to both renters and landlords and ensure that Coloradans can find a safe, affordable place to live with their service animals.”
“While the Trump Administration rolls back housing protections for people with disabilities, Colorado Democrats are stepping up and ensuring our law keeps people with disabilities safely housed,” said Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins. “Our bill would strengthen protections under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by clearly outlining housing protections for Coloradans with disabilities. Service animals provide life-saving care for people with disabilities, and no one should have to choose between their service animal and a place to live.”
HB26-1045 would establish that it is an unfair or discriminatory housing practice to deny housing to Coloradans due to their live-in service animals. The bill would also create definitions for “assistance animal” and “emotional support animal” to provide clarity to housing providers and Coloradans with disabilities and reduce litigation. The bill passed by a vote of 9-3.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rescinded federal guidelines that outlined the rights that people with disabilities have regarding service animals under the Fair Housing Act. These guidelines also helped landlords, property managers and tenants understand how to distinguish between service animals and Emotional Support Animals. Without these federal guidelines, it is unclear what rights Coloradans with disabilities have and what reasonable accommodations housing providers must provide to these tenants.
In recent years, Colorado Democrats have passed laws to bolster housing protections for Coloradans with disabilities. Colorado Democrats passed laws that save Coloradans money on accessibility modifications to rental housing and prevent unjust evictions for Coloradans who rely on safety net programs, like disability insurance. Last year, Rep. Zokaie passed a law to expand protections under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act to protect vulnerable communities, especially Coloradans with disabilities, by allowing victims of discrimination to receive monetary compensation for unfair housing practices.