Capitol Conversation: Housing Affordability

With only a few days left in the state’s legislative session lawmakers in both parties are trying to get something across the finish line that will help with the state’s high cost of housing, while lots of other bills are failing.

Highlights of Capitol Conversation with Bente Birkeland:

On Affordable Housing Proposals and Construction Defects

Ed Sealover- Denver Business Journal:

“[Republicans] say the ability to file those lawsuits so easily is one of the major reasons there are no condos being built in Colorado at affordable rates at this point. They talked for months about that, about how to do that, how to compromise with Democrats who have opposed it and those talks fell apart.”

“Meanwhile Democrats have a three-bill package that goes toward helping people with rental assistance, giving tax credits for low-income housing builders, and even allowing people to save minor amounts for first time homebuyers.”

Joey Bunch- Denver Post:

“Those bills are just window dressing. It gets at what Democrats want, but it doesn’t get at all what Republicans want. You know, this is a grand poker game that I’ll think we’ll continue to play in 2017.”

On Bill Failing To Permanently attach the Name Mile High to the Broncos Stadium.

Joey Bunch- Denver Post:

“This strikes at the heart at what Republicans believe. You know, it’s a feel good bill. They’re not willing to meddle in private business to pass some feel good foolishness.”

Ed Sealover- Denver Business Journal:

“Here’s a bill that everybody agrees on the principles, in fact everybody agrees you may not even need a bill to keep [the] mile high name in the stadium. But it was a Democratic bill, so Republicans are going to kill it, and if Republicans ran it the Democrats probably would have killed it too. Welcome to the 2016 legislative session.”