Wolverines, protecting homeowners from construction flaws, teen anti-overdose activists and more from the Colorado legislature this week

Colorado lawmakers target another $5 million for Denver Health amid fears of hospital’s “death spiral”

A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers is again moving to direct a special $5 million infusion to Denver Health amid rising concerns about the hospital’s financial security and fears of a potential descent into a “death spiral.”

Members of the powerful Joint Budget Committee, which gave initial approval to the allocation Wednesday night, acknowledged that $5 million isn’t enough to solve Denver Health’s long-term challenges, which include a growing amount of uncompensated health care and a patient base that’s increasingly dominated by lower-paying, government-based insurance coverage.
Read more

Step aside, wolves: The next Colorado wildlife reintroduction could be the elusive wolverine

Colorado could return another native carnivore to its mountains if state lawmakers pass a bill allowing for the reintroduction of wolverines.

The bipartisan bill — if passed — would allow Colorado Parks and Wildlife to accomplish a decades-old goal to restore the elusive and wide-roaming weasel to the state.

“Colorado is the right state to take on this work,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis said in a news release. “The North American wolverine requires a high-elevation habitat with persistent, deep snowpack, and Colorado has some of the best remaining unoccupied wolverine habitat in the lower 48 states.”
Read more

How a friend’s death turned Colorado teens into anti-overdose activists

Gavinn McKinney loved Nike shoes, fireworks and sushi. He was studying Potawatomi, one of the languages of his Native American heritage. He loved holding his niece and smelling her baby smell. On his 15th birthday, the Durango teen spent a cold December afternoon chopping wood to help neighbors who couldn’t afford to heat their homes.

McKinney almost made it to his 16th birthday. He died of fentanyl poisoning at a friend’s house in December 2021. His friends say it was the first time he tried hard drugs. The memorial service was so packed people had to stand outside the funeral home.

Now, his peers are trying to cement their friend’s legacy in state law.
Read more

Colorado lawmakers weigh rules to spur more building without stripping homeowner protections

The studs of Jennifer Miller’s Erie dream home carry in them her family’s hopes for the future, with messages literally inked with permanent marker onto the bedroom beams while the two-story house was under construction in 2019.

But the dream home turned into a money pit for the family of four as they tapped savings and equity from their down payment to fix problems she said were caused by rushed construction. The soil under the foundation wasn’t properly prepared, Miller said, causing the house to twist and stretch as the dirt settled under its weight. Drywall and floor tiles cracked. Doors stopped shutting all the way. The basement heaved and strained against itself. All after the warranty had expired, she said.

Three years and some $45,000 later, Miller now finds herself taking sides in the latest legislative fight over an otherwise esoteric area of law: construction defects, and how to find the balance between encouraging new builds and protecting people who’ve poured their savings into what’s often the biggest asset people will own.
Read more