CO Senate kills eviction protections, a blow to progressive housing goals

A bill to cut down on renter displacement died a procedural death in the Colorado Senate late Sunday night, with a log-jammed calendar and uncertain support dooming a key piece of progressive Democrats’ housing agenda.

HB23-1171 would’ve enacted “just-cause” eviction protections in Colorado, essentially giving renters a first right of refusal on whether to re-new their leases. Supporters said the bill would’ve cut down on displacement and insulated renters from discriminatory or arbitrary — as well as costly — removal by landlords. Several renters had testified at earlier committee meetings that their leases weren’t renewed after they asked for repairs. Amid a broader increase in both rents and evictions statewide, the bill represented a central piece of some Democratic…