Oppose Senate Bill 123-SB 123 Don't regulate Residential Accessibility - Save our seniors and persons with disabilities

Oppose Senate Bill 123-SB 123 Save our seniors and persons with disabilities

We, the Undersigned citizens of the State of Colorado, oppose Senate Bill 123.

Senate Bill 123 sets standards for elevator and mobility equipment safety for all commercial and residential uses. It not only includes elevators but all residential devices like stairway lifts, personal lifts, disability lifts. These devices help our community get up and down their stairs and in and out of their bathrooms and bedrooms.

Because of the broad scope of Senate Bill 123 in its current form, we oppose it for the following reasons.

This bill will greatly impact the safety and quality of life for the elderly and disabled. It will limit their ability to live independently and dramatically increase the cost of making their homes accessible. The result: They will be unable to live in their homes and forced into alternatives such as nursing homes. This will drive up long term health care costs. This rapidly growing part of our community needs options at this crucial time and not more barriers to their already challenging lives.

This bill would require persons needing residential access lifts such as the elderly and disabled to meet the same regulations and inspections as that of skyscrapers like the Colorado World Trade Center, in downtown Denver. Also, as written, this bill will eliminate small businesses within the residential accessibility/lift sector because it doesnt recognize the existing certifications and licenses, and only recognizes commercial licenses.

In the rural areas of our state, the impact will be even more severe due to the potential lack of providers. Rural health disparities that already exist will be exacerbated further.

Many of these residential means of conveyances are provided for by the State of Colorados Medicaid Program, Vocational Rehabilitation, Veterans Administration, Community Center Boards, Foundations and non profit agencies around the state to deserving families. These families cannot afford to pay for ongoing certification and inspections. These public funding sources do not provide ongoing payments. According to the Colorado Department of regulatory agencies it will be difficult to precisely determine the cost of establishing any new licensing programs.

We oppose the unintended consequences of this bill, and will act to protect our community that is at risk from this bill.