Freda Poundstone, a lobbyist and activist who resides in CPN’s Hidden Pointe, has successfully petitioned onto the state’s Nov. 2 general election ballot.

The initiative, Amendment 34 to the Colorado State Constitution, is popularly known as the “construction defects” bill.  It would prohibit laws that limit or impair a property owner’s right to recover damages caused by a failure of a builder or contractor to improve a property.

The initiative fights the state law signed by Gov. Bill Owens last year that gave builders and contractors an opportunity to fix problems before a homeowner pursues a lawsuit.

The petitions carried 103,298 signatures. Out of a sample of 5,165 names, 3,819 were declared valid. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson said the sampling indicated the total number of valid signatures would be 76,379.  The required number of signatures is 67,829.

Opponents to the initiative say the state law was needed to stop the increase of lawsuits seeking triple damages against builders, which in turn drove home costs higher because of rising insurance premiums.