Hickenlooper signs disaster relief legislation

The state will pay the property taxes of individuals who lost their homes in Colorado floods or wildfires last year with legislation that Gov. John Hickenlooper has signed into law.

The Democratic governor signed the proposal Saturday in Lyons, one of the places hardest hit by flooding. He also signed four other bills dealing with last year’s disasters.

The property-tax forgiveness bill will cost the state about $2.2 million.

Hickenlooper also signed a proposal to distribute $5 million in grants to remove flood debris from watersheds, and a bill to exempt out-of-state disaster workers from Colorado income taxes. Two other measures signed into law earmark construction funding for flood-damaged schools, and budget $17 million in grants for repairs to damaged wastewater and drinking water systems.