Even if politics isn’t your thing, the bills being debated at the State Capitol this session could affect your budget in a big way.
Lawmakers say affordability is at the top of their agenda for the next 120 days.
“We want to save Coloradans money,” House Majority Leader Monica Duran said at this week’s Democratic leadership press conference, outlining priorities from housing and health care to energy bills.
Banning “surveillance pricing”
Consumer advocate Zach Neumann with the Community Economic Defense Project said one urgent issue is “surveillance pricing” — when companies use your personal data to decide what price you’ll pay.
“If I'm booking a flight to go to a funeral, the airline may know that… and charge more because they know I have to travel,” said Neumann. "On average, that means that you're getting less for your money, and you're working harder to buy the things you need."
Neumann is working with lawmakers on a bill to ban the practice in Colorado, arguing, “From our perspective and the perspective of a lot of consumer advocates, the state needs to take action.”
Cracking down on predatory medical debt collections
State Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, is leading a push to protect patients from extreme debt-collection practices.
“If you get medical debt, that should not lead to a seizure of your bank account… that should not lead to a potential that you go to jail… that should not lead to your house getting taken away,” Mabrey told Denver7 Investigates. “We want to make sure that these extreme debt collection practices are banned in Colorado.”
His legislation would also require clearer notices before collections and create more opportunities for affordable payment plans.
Stopping “kill switch” car disabling
Neumann also warns about a growing trend in auto lending: vehicle disablement devices — electronic “kill switches” that lenders can activate after missed payments.
“You have your vehicle, you're trying to get to work or take your kids to school… " You get behind on the payment, and that kill switch gets hit,” he said. “If you can't get to work, you can't earn money.”
Advocates say the technology is being used to unbalance the playing field between lenders and consumers, leaving some Coloradans stranded with no way to get to work or school.
Ensuring fair competition for small businesses
State Sen. Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, is introducing legislation to make sure big distributors’ special pricing deals with large retailers don’t unfairly disadvantage small businesses — a situation that can drive prices higher for all consumers over time.
“If a small number of actors can collude and squeeze out competition… that’s not going to be good for consumers in the long run,” Weissman said. “That leads to prices going up because competition has been eliminated.”
Weissman’s bill would update a 1937 Colorado law to give the attorney general more power to investigate and address suspect wholesale pricing practices.
Filling the federal gap
All three advocates say state action is more important than ever. “We need to be doing so much more to step up and protect consumers,” Mabrey said.
Neumann added that with the federal government stepping back in many areas of consumer protection, Colorado’s legislature is stepping forward — from banning surveillance pricing to protecting residents from unfair debt collection and repossession tactics.
Denver7 Investigates will continue tracking these bills as they move through the legislature this session.
