Okay – so it has really felt like the 2011 legislative session in Colorado for HOAs has been pretty darn busy. We have battled over the assignment of junior lien rights, engaged in lengthy and sometimes intense negotiations on the superlien, reworked legislation affecting the governance of associations and the session is only half over. However, recent drama in Nevada has put our 2011 legislative session into perspective.

In addition to the federal investigation in Nevada of an alleged conspiracy targeting HOAs that we reported on in our March 7th blog posting, Senator Michael Schneider has introduced an omnibus bill in the Nevada Legislature he has dubbed “Sex, drugs and money: Why HOAs don’t work.” The bill is a whopping 43 pages long and addresses everything from regulating transfer fees to prohibiting HOAs from using radar guns to regulating the composition of HOA boards.

 CanadianBusiness.com reported that Senator Schneider actually compared HOAs to organized crime when he described death threats to his family over previous HOA bills he sponsored. 

One has to wonder what exactly precipitated this drama in Nevada. Have personality conflicts led to problems? Are there anecdotal situations which have been blown out of proportion? Are there underlying issues that aren’t readily apparent?

 

All I can say is we should be thankful for our experience in Colorado. While advocates and legislators are passionate about issues – everyone involved has maintained civility and a sense of decorum. So far, this legislative session has been highlighted by a desire by most to understand each others concerns and attempt to find common ground.