Capitol Close Up - Summer 2018
Government Affairs Update; HBA Policy Survey; Legislative Incombent Support
Government Affairs Update
The Colorado Association of Homebuilders and the HBA of Metro Denver contingent traveled to Grand Junction this July for its quarterly board and committee meetings. The Government Affairs Committee met to receive updates on several ballot initiatives and to continue its preparation for the impending 2019 legislative session.
The GAC received a presentation on Initiative 108, the Just Compensation for Reduction in Fair Market Value, by Chad Vorthman of the Colorado Farm Bureau. Initiative 108 is a Constitutional measure and requires a super-majority of signatures and votes since the passage of the Raise the Bar initiative in 2016. Signatures are due to the Secretary of State on August 6, and the campaign is circulating petitions across the state right now.
Proponents of 108 say the measure will strengthen private property rights by amending the state Constitution to require state and local governments to provide compensation for property owners when government action negatively impacts the value of their property. The GAC decided it needed to learn more about the measure and to receive information from the opposition, which is led by the Colorado Municipal League, before making a final decision on the measure.
The GAC also heard a presentation by former Secretary of State Bernie Buescher, representing the Fair Maps Colorado campaign, on Amendments Y and Z. This pair of Constitutional amendments was referred to the ballot by the General Assembly and do not require signature collection. The bipartisan measures were spearheaded in the legislature by Republican Senate President Grantham and Democratic House Speaker Duran. A campaign of business leaders, statewide elected officials and Governor Hickenlooper will work toward passage.
After years of highly partisan and politicized redistricting processes for both Congressional and legislative districts, legislators and statewide community leaders came together to create a less partisan structure to draw and approve maps, as required every 10 years in Colorado just after the U.S. Census.
Amendment Y will address Colorado’s Congressional districts, while Amendment Z will address state House and Senate districts. Both measures set criteria for map-drawing and prohibitions on gerrymandering by creating commissions made up evenly of Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters who rely on maps made by professional staff, rather than continuing to allow majority parties and governors to hold sway over that job. Each measure directs the map-drawing staff and appointed commissions to maximize competitive districts.
The GAC voted to support and endorse both Amendment Y and Z, and encourages CAHB members to vote for both measures this November. It is incumbent upon our industry to help facilitate an environment which promotes better governance. Having more competitive districts will require candidates that need to represent and be responsive to a broader constituency, which means they should be more willing to compromise for the greater good of all Coloradans. Amendments Y and Z are vehicles to such an environment.
HBA Policy Survey
Don’t forget to take 5 minutes this week to complete your HBA’s short policy survey. The survey can be accessed by clicking here: https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/pGB3K9
The survey is part of HBA’s research about issues impacting the industry. The information will help GAC committee members, CAHB staff and the lobbying team prepare for the 2019 legislative session. Many voices and perspectives from within our industry and member companies are valuable. When taking the survey, please provide as much information as needed about government and political issues that might impact your business. You know best what those issues are, but we can then turn those concerns into action items.
Remember, Colorado will have a new governor and administration, attorney general, treasurer, state Senate and House members, and county commissioners, as well as dozens of new regulators who will make up that new administration. We need to be as prepared as possible to educate these new officials and to advocate on your behalf.
Legislative Incumbent Support:
The CAHB’s Political Funding Committee also met in Grand Junction and decided the association’s slate of endorsed legislative incumbents. These sitting legislators who are up for re-election are rated on several criteria, including actions taken on behalf of CAHB, sponsorship or co-sponsorship of CAHB legislation, General Assembly leadership and committee assignments, past CAHB Support, race competiveness and other factors. The CAHB’s endorsed incumbents for 2018 include:
State Senate:
- Senate District 1: Jerry Sonnenberg, President Pro Tempore and possibly next Senate President
- Senate District 3: Leroy Garcia, Minority Leader
- Senate District 6: Don Coram, member of Ag, Natural Resources & Energy
- Senate District 7: Ray Scott, Assistant Majority Leader
- Senate District 9: Paul Lundeen, current HD 19 Representative
- Senate District 13: John Cooke, Majority Whip and chair of Transportation Committee
- Senate District 16: Tim Neville, Chair of Finance Committee
- Senate District 30: Chris Holbert, Majority Leader
Colorado House:
- House District 2: Alec Garnett, Assistant Majority Leader and possible future House Speaker
- House District 6: Chris Hansen, likely Joint Budget Committee member
- House District 8: Leslie Herod, member of Judiciary and Finance committees
- House District 11: Jonathan Singer, chair of Local Government Committee and chair of Public Health & Human Services committee, sponsored construction litigation reform legislation
- House District 13: KC Becker, Majority Leader and possible future House Speaker
- House District 16: Larry Liston, member of Business Affairs & Labor and Local Government committees
- House District 20: Terri Carver, member of Judiciary and Transportation & Energy committees
- House District 21: Lois Landgraf, member of Health, Insurance, & Environment and Public Health Care & Human Services committees
- House District 29: Tracy Kraft-Tharp, chair of Business Affairs & Labor committee
- House District 33: Matt Gray, member of Business Affairs & Labor, Local Government, Finance committees
- House District 38: Susan Beckman, member of Appropriations; Finance; Health, Insurance & Environment; Public Health Care & Human Services committees
- House District 43: Kevin Van Winkle, member of Finance and Business Affairs & Labor committees
- House District 44: Kim Ransom, member of Health, Insurance & Environment; Local Government and Public Health Care & Human Services committees
- House District 45: Patrick Neville, Minority Leader
- House District 49: Perry Buck, Minority Whip
- House District 51: Hugh McKean, member of Agriculture, Livestock & Natural Resources and Local Government committees
- House District 53: Jeni Arndt, Assistant Majority Caucus Chair and chair of Agriculture, Livestock & Natural Resources committee
- House District 57: Bob Rankin, member of Appropriations and Joint Budget Committee
- House District 58: Marc Catlin, member of Agriculture, Livestock & Natural Resources and Public Heath Care & Human Services committees
- House District 60: Jim Wilson, member of Local Government and Education, Health, Insurance & Environment committees
- House District 63: Lori Saine, Minority Caucus Chair
If you live in any of these legislative districts, please consider supporting these elected officials with your vote. If you have any questions about these endorsements or any parts of CAHB’s Political and Government Affairs processes, please contact CAHB at 303-691-2242 or cahb@hbacolorado.com.
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