Brownstein Podcast Series

In today's episode of Brownstein's Podcast Series on master-planned communities, Shareholder Greg Vallin talks to two industry experts—Brock Smethills, president of the Sterling Ranch Development Company, and Kyle Harris, senior vice president of community development and general manager for the Baseline project at McWhinney—about their projects’ successes and challenges as well as current trends in the market.

The 2024 election is upon us. Colorado’s ballots are in the mail and the Colorado Blue Book is already in voters’ hands. Join Brownstein’s Sarah Mercer, David Meschke and Rosa Baum as they dive into the labyrinth of 14 measures on the statewide ballot this year, seven referred by the legislature and seven brought by citizen initiatives, and their potential impact.

It's no secret that attainable housing is becoming difficult to find. In this episode, members of Brownstein's Condominium and Planned Community practice talk through the complex tangle of legal and regulatory barriers facing the industry and consider solutions and innovative approaches to the problem.

As part of their continuing podcast series looking into tax policy in 2025, Russ Sullivan and Rosemary Becchi dive into changes to 199-A regulations. Joined by former Sen. Mark Pryor, they discuss how this provision’s expiration could lead to material harm for small business and pass-through businesses across the country. They also cover methods concerned industry members can utilize to protect 199-A rates, including joining the Protect Coalition, an organization solely focused on this issue.

The Democratic Party convened in Chicago to officially nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. The convention not only showcased a diverse array of speakers—including some from across the aisle—but also told the Democratic party’s story of America’s journey and its vision for the future. Our Washington, D.C. team who attended the DNC breaks down how the convention's narrative and vision for the 2024 election reflects the broader political and policy challenges facing the nation.

The 2024 election cycle has seen a lot of twists and turns. With so much uncertainty, our Tax Policy team invites bipartisan members of our Government Relations team to discuss how tax policy might look if either party sweeps the elections or if there is split control of government after November. Current cuts and credits that will affect individuals and companies are on the line as we count down to Election Day.

The Republican party held their convention to nominate Donald Trump for president of the United States from July 15 – 18. The Milwaukee-based event featured the publishing of a party platform, a plethora of speakers and the announcement of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as the vice presidential candidate. Now, two weeks later, the political world has shifted and our policy professionals who attended the RNC dissect the policy and political developments since they left Fiserv Forum.

As the dust settles, the results of the 2024 Colorado Legislative session will impact the real estate industry. Tune in for a panel discussion with Brownstein Shareholders Blair Lichtenfels, Sarah Mercer, Caitlin Quander and Kevin Walsh, who cover what passed and what the possible short- and long-term impacts will be.

Summer is approaching and, right on time, the 2024 election is starting to heat up. Races for the House, Senate and the presidency are all kicking into gear as we reach the second half of primary season, and many campaigns are pivoting toward the general election. Today, Brownstein’s policy professionals will discuss if any party has an edge going into November, the issues that will dominate the campaign trail and how you can be prepared for policy changes in 2025 and beyond.

On May 16, the Department of Justice proposed regulations to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. The rule would significantly loosen federal restrictions on cannabis, opening new opportunities to industry members, researchers and cannabis users. Still, major questions loom. Join Shareholders Melissa Kuipers Blake and Josh Weiss as they discuss how the rescheduling process will play out, tax implications, what this means for the SAFER Banking bill and many other questions created by this announcement.

Well-meaning businesses that utilize independent contractors face a host of challenges in today’s evolving legal landscape. Join Brownstein employment Shareholders Kayla Dreyer and Luke Glisan, and Associate Russell Kalvelage, for a fresh look at employee classification and learn the risks of misclassification in an increasingly hostile environment. This discussion provides employers, HR professionals and in-house counsel with the knowledge they need to accurately classify independent contractors.

A pending loan maturity date can raise many issues, including hurdles with loan modification negotiations, the need for additional equity, and the potential for rescue or alternative capital as a loan exit strategy. Tune in for a discussion with industry and legal professionals on these topics and the current lending and refinancing market to learn how to best position yourself for a positive outcome.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has released new rules, through the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) (pronounced sa-brief-a) process, that would drastically change the landscape of credit reporting. The regulations would heavily restrict credit reporting agencies’ ability to use medical debt in determining credit scores of borrowers, as well as expand the definition of credit reporters which will likely have measurable effects on internet content providers. Shareholders Leah Dempsey and Sarah Auchterlonie are joined by Ph.D. economist Andrew Nigrinis to discuss the background of these guardrails, how they may affect different industries and what legal and political challenges these rules face.

‘Tis the season for office holiday parties! These events present a once-a-year opportunity to boost employee morale and reward workers for another great year, but they can also open employers to a number of litigation risks and liability headaches. Take a listen as employment shareholders Kayla Dreyer and Luke Glisan discuss the most important questions for employers—from serving alcohol and time of day to mandatory attendance and inclusivity concerns—and the best strategies to avoid the biggest risks when planning end-of-year festivities.

Colorado voters have a choice this November: trade relief from increasing property tax rates in exchange for smaller refunds for all taxpayers. If approved, Proposition HH would reduce assessed property valuations for the next 10 years and backfill lost revenues to local governments by allowing the state to retain more tax revenue from TABOR refunds. Before you vote your ballot, take a listen as Brownstein’s Caitlin Quander and Andi Stader go over the particulars of the ballot question, impacts on commercial real estate, how it implicates TABOR and how it would effect education funding and rent relief.

On Sept. 31, 2023, a collection of federal subsidies for childcare expired. The loss of this funding has sent state and local governments, along with operators and patrons of childcare businesses, scrambling for answers on how this will affect organizations focused on early childhood development. Today members of Brownstein and the Early Care & Education Consortium teams will discuss the status of programs affected by the subsidies cliff, how it may impact stakeholders and possible solutions for policymakers.

When Biden announced moves last year to reform cannabis, most thought it was just virtue signaling. Then, late last month, the Department of Health and Human Services surprised the entire industry with a recommendation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 under the Controlled Substances Act. A few weeks later, the Congressional Research Service predicted the DEA would follow that recommendation “if past is prologue." And most recently, a perennially debated bipartisan bill that would open up banking options to the cannabis industry passed a key Senate committee for the first time. How long will the DEA process take? Will they follow HHS’s recommendation or go for a middle-of-the-road option? Will the SAFER Banking Act survive further votes in the full Senate and Republican-controlled House? How will this impact the nation’s $33 billion cannabis industry? Tune in as shareholder Joshua Weiss and policy advisor Osiris Morel discuss recent developments and predict where we go from here.

Our 2023 Health Care Business Panel looked at the top threats and opportunities in health care right now. The panelists covered the business outlook and dealmaking recalibration that is taking place in the health care industry, the regulatory power of the Biden administration and how they are looking to change health care, as well as antitrust issues, drug imports, telemedicine, generative AI and learnings from COVID-19. Moderator: Mike King, shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Panelists: Nadeam Elshami, policy director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Alex Geier, managing director at GLC Advisors & Co. Deema Tarazi, senior policy advisor and counsel at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Brownstein’s Tax team discusses how to read the topography of the tax landscape as we come out of Congress’s summer recess and approach the final months of 2023. Bipartisan support for renewing or extending various tax provisions has shown promise for new legislation, yet there is little movement on Capitol Hill since the midterms. Our team talks through which provisions have received the most attention, their path to adoption and the timeline to watch through the end of the year.

Tenants’ rights were certainly on the minds of Colorado lawmakers this legislative session. The state passed several bills that will significantly impact multifamily properties and how landlords can write their leases and interact with tenants. Tune in as Blair Lichtenfels and Zach Siegel go over the new legislation covering everything from newly banned provisions in rental agreements and changes to what landlords can consider when vetting tenants to how much landlords can charge for pets.