Govt Affairs Update from CAHB

Gov. Polis launches Dial 2.0; NAHB requests experience on lumber; General Assembly returns next week

Last Friday, Governor Polis announced the state’s new COVID-19 Dial 2.0. The Dial 2.0 is an update that changes the incidence metrics for each level, significantly lowering the threshold of cases that must be met in order to restore personal freedoms and business activities. The change moved most of Colorado’s populous counties—including Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson, El Paso and Larimer—from Orange to Yellow level, allowing capacity levels of 50 percent or a maximum of 100 people indoors. Restaurants did receive a bump, with a capacity increase to 150 people when using the social distancing calculator. Dial 2.0 also moved 22 counties to Blue Level, allowing 175 people indoors.

The governor said that as more Coloradans receive the vaccine, the state could revisit the dial to further ease restrictions. The governor also noted that Colorado could return to nightclubs and sports stadiums as soon as May, and by fall, we may be able to gather indoors like before the pandemic.

Despite the changes to the state’s dial, indoor meetings and events must still use social distancing practices. Those include:

• Wearing facial coverings that fully cover both nose and mouth;
• Not attending meetings and events if you are feeling sick or have been in contact with a person who is COVID positive;
• Avoiding shaking hands and other close contacts.
• Providing hand sanitizing stations at entrances and in high-traffic areas;
• Sanitizing meeting areas before and after, including high-touch zones; and
• Serving individually packaged food and beverages.

For a list of capacities and guidance for different types of gathers, please follow CDPHE’s Office and Indoor Events protocols at https://covid19.colorado.gov/data/covid-19-dial-dashboard#restrictions.

NAHB asks members to share their “lumber story”

NAHB would like to hear how rising lumber prices and the limited availability of lumber is affecting your business. If you have a story of missed closing opportunities, increased costs or buyers being priced out of the market due to lumber prices, please use the following link to document this concern. This will help NAHB further illustrate to the Biden Administration and Congress why a plan to address the lumber crisis is urgently needed. Click here to share your lumber story.

General Assembly to reconvene next week

After recessing in January, the General Assembly is expected to return to work on Tuesday, Feb. 16. We expect as many as 150 bills to be introduced that day, and the Government Affairs Committee will be meeting on Friday, Feb. 19, to review new legislation. The GAC will then meet weekly to review bills and provide updates to our members.