Lawmakers Promise Compromise On The Issues Important To Colorado Businesses

If the Colorado legislature fails yet again to pass construction defect reform and a transportation funding measure, it won’t be for lack of trying. At an annual legislative preview sponsored by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Competitive Council, the top leaders in each party on Thursday said they’re optimistic lawmakers will strike a compromise this year on many of the business community’s top priorities. But what exactly those compromises will look like? “The devil,” said House Speaker-designate Crisanta Duran, D-Denver, “is in the details.” Hundreds of business leaders braved a snowy morning commute to attend the annual gathering at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Denver, moderated by the Denver Business Journal. The topics were primarily the unfinished business from last session: transportation funding, construction defects, regulatory reform and the hospital provider fee, all of which have drawn various levels of support from the business community. Both sides largely played their cards close to the vest, frequently demurring when asked for specifics. On transportation, Senate President-designate Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City, appeared to give the most ground, suggesting he would entertain proposals for a new revenue source, something Democrats have long said is needed to pay for a major infrastructure bond. But if that happens, he wants to look at tax relief elsewhere — perhaps a cut to the state gas tax, which has been providing diminishing returns, anyway, with rising fuel efficiency. “The need (for transportation funding) is something that both sides are aware of — are painfully aware of,” Grantham said. Even as he opened the door to raising revenue, Grantham quickly ruled out one potential funding mechanism that Democrats have long clamored for: a change to the hospital provider fee that would move it out from under the taxation limits established by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, freeing up money for other services. On construction defects — a proposed package of tort reforms that the builders says is needed to spur the state’s dormant condominium market — Duran drew a line in the sand of her own. “I stand strong against taking away consumer rights,” she said. But even as both sides staked out some positions they said they wouldn’t budge on, they also said they were talking more than in years past, giving them hope something would get done in a bipartisan manner. “The election mattered, but actually in some ways it didn’t, if we’re going to be able to achieve results for all Coloradans,” Duran said.