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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Greetings all:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our friends at the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC) are asking for folks who can to attend a hearing next week regarding a technical fix (contained in HB23-1032) to the Colorado Antidiscrimination Act. This bill is scheduled to be heard before the House Judiciary Committee during its hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 7, starting at 1:30 p.m. Inasmuch as some business folks have expressed concern about this issue, we are told that it is important to have people with disabilities visibly present at this hearing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>What does HB23-1032 do?<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Among other things, this bill provides that while people with disabilities can file discrimination complaints with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, they are not required to exhaust the administrative process before going to court. Current law technically requires disability discrimination complaints to be handled through an administrative process before any legal action. No other protected class in Colorado is subject to such a requirement. HB23-1032 corrects what is understood to be a drafting error.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Time And Place For The Hearing<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Judiciary Committee hearing starts at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7 in Room HCR 0112 (basement level) of the State Capitol. As of this writing, we do not know in what order bills will be considered.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am attaching for your convenience a one-page fact sheet from CCDC. If you are having trouble with this PDF file, please reach out to me at <a href="chong.curtis@gmail.com">chong.curtis@gmail.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please attend the hearing next Tuesday if you can.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Curtis Chong, Legislative Cochair<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Colorado<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>