Wildfire Payment Agreement Reached In Colorado
DENVER (CBS4/AP) -- A plan to help victims of a deadly wildfire seek compensation from the state has emerged from Colorado officials who appeared headed for a political standoff over the prickly question.
Democrats and Republicans made a joint announcement Thursday that state liability limits would be waived for victims of state-controlled fires. The change will be retroactive, meaning that the change will help victims of the Lower North Fork Fire in March. The fire killed three people and was caused by a prescribed burn on state forest land.
"I think we do have a duty to determine, you know, exactly what happened and how it happened. To make sure we look at finding out how is the proper resolution and if restitution is needed what is the appropriate restitution," said Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Republican Attorney General John Suthers says retroactive laws are illegal only when they burden citizens, but not the state itself.
"The legal issue that we had was to make sure that we frame in some legislation that has general application going forward and doesn't constitute special legislation," said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
The retroactive liability change heads off a political showdown over how to help fire victims recover damages beyond the state's $600,000 liability cap.
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