The measure passed by a 45-18 vote and awaits action in the Senate, where it is sponsored by Sens. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, and Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County.

Among area lawmakers, Reps. Rick Taggart, R-Grand Junction, and Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, voted for the measure in the House, and Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, voted against it.

“When Coloradans are properly informed about fire mitigation, they can be more strategic about the steps they take to protect their property from fire damage and correct any errors in their insurers’ records,” Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, a sponsor of the bill in the House along with Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, said in the news release. “Insurance companies are increasingly using wildfire risk scoring and models to determine policy coverage and pricing, but the lack of transparency has left property owners confused about the policy decisions their insurers make. This bill promotes transparency and accountability in property insurance so Coloradans can take effective mitigation efforts that help bring down their insurance costs.”

Mitigation efforts can entail things such as thinning or eliminating vegetation near homes, removing dead leaves and debris from roofs and gutters, and installing screens in attic vents to keep embers out.

The bill would require insurers to provide a written notice to each policyholder at the time of policy application, renewal or nonrenewal. It would have to provide plain-language explanations of the wildfire risk score or other classifications, a range of possible scores a property could be assigned, and the impact each mitigation action could have on a risk score or classification.

Policyholders and applicants could appeal their wildfire risk model score, wildfire risk classification or applicable mitigation discount if they think it is inaccurate and can provide evidence of the mitigation efforts that should be considered. If an appeal is denied, the state insurance commissioner could request a copy of the appeal and the insurer’s response.

The measure would require insurers to consider both property-level and community-wide mitigation efforts in their models, and to ensure such efforts are accounted for in underwriting and pricing. Insurers that don’t incorporate such mitigation measures into their models would have to provide discounts to policyholders who demonstrate property- or community-level mitigation has taken place.

State lawmakers and the state Division of Insurance have been working on legislative options to address rising home insurance costs in the state and instances of companies not renewing homeowners’ policies and refusing to cover homes in some areas or even statewide. Some homeowners in Mesa County are among those that have been facing nonrenewals and increased costs.

Insurers in the state have lost money in eight out of the past 11 years in the state. Damage claims related to hailstorms are the chief reason but some homeowners living in areas particularly prone to wildfire have been facing challenges accessing insurance, and at an affordable rate.

In a House committee hearing on the bill, Brown said the measure will not only provide transparency and consumer protection, but it also will encourage people to do the right thing by implementing wildfire mitigation measures at their homes.

Titone said at the hearing, “This bill creates a real collaboration between the state, communities, the homeowners and the insurance providers. We’re all in this together and this bill will put us all on the same page toward a safer and less costly home ownership in the state of Colorado.”