CREJ

Page 2 — Development, Construction & Design — June 2018 www.crej.com A ccording to the latest report from the Down- town Denver Partnership, “State of Downtown Denver 2018,” as of mid-2018, there are 27 proj- ects under construction and 8 planned for development in downtown Denver, totaling $2.26 billion of investment. This adds 4,525 residential units, 772 hotel rooms, and 2.7 million square feet of office just in downtown Den- ver alone. With the state, as a whole, expe- riencing monumental growth as well, legislative support is needed to responsibly sustain this growth in the development and construc- tion industry. The Associated General Con- tractors of Colorado (AGC/C) took action to lead several legisla- tive efforts that resulted in ben- eficial outcomes for the construc- tion industry during the Second regular session of the 71st assem- bly that adjourned May 9. The following bills that were passed demonstrate the advocacy efforts of AGC/C and our partners. • H.B.18-1070 Additional Pub- lic-School Capital Construction Funding was heavily supported by AGC/C and will provide an additional $34 million a year in funding frommarijuanaexcise tax revenue to the state’s BEST Grant Program. The Building Excel- lent Schools Today Act (BEST) provides an annual amount of funding in the form of com- petitive grants to school dis- tricts, char- ter schools, institute char- ter schools, boards of cooperative educational services, and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. BEST funds can be used for the construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facility systems and structures. BEST already currently receives $40 million from the excise tax revenue, so this bill increased the total up to $74 million a year. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/ hb18-1070 • H.B.18-1316 Extend WORK Act is a bill supported by both the AGC/C and the Colorado Contractors Association (CCA) that extends the WORK Act. It will provide $7.6 million in addi- tional outreach and recruitment grants over three years and pro- vide funding to the AGC/CCA Construction Careers Now pre- apprenticeship program hosted by the Emily Griffith Technical College. http://leg.colorado. gov/bills/hb18-1316 • Long Bill Budget Increas- es. Some $368.5 million in capi- tal construction and controlled maintenance projects ($151 mil- lion in general funds and $217 million in cash or federal funds) were included in the state’s Long Bill budget. AGC/C’s lob- byist team worked extensively throughout the year to help gain approval of this package. http:// leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/ files/18cdc_2018_long_bill_mem- orandum.pdf Additional construction indus- try related bills that stand to ben- efit the industry include the fol- lowing. • S.B.18-001 Transportation Infrastructure Funding will pro- vide $495 million from the state’s general fund to transportation in Fiscal Year 2018-19 (which starts July 2018) and $150 million in Fis- cal Year 2019-20. The bill also pro- vides an on-going commitment of $125 million to $150 million in funding after FY 2019-20, and may allow $2.3 million in bonding depending on the outcome of the November 2018 ballot measure on transportation funding. https:// leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb18-001 • S.B.18-002 Rural Broad- band Deployment will pro- vide $100 million for rural broadband projects in Colo- rado. https://leg.colorado.gov/ bills/sb18-002 • S.B. 18-007 Affordable Housing Tax Credit changes the name of the program (formerly the Low-Income Housing Cred- it or LITHC) to the Affordable Housing Tax Credit and extends the tax credit program through 2024. It provides up to $40million a year in tax credits to builders/ developers of affordable housing. AGC Legislative Committee Now Turns to November Election The AGC Legislative Com- mittee met twice a month from January through May to address all the bills that would affect the construction industry and lead the effort on several important bills like BEST Grant funding and the Work Act. Now that the legislation is in recess, the committee focuses our efforts to the November 2018 election to address election topics like interviewing candidates for the 2019 Legislature, approv- ing AGC PAC contributions to construction industry friendly candidates, and addressing ballot issues on the November ballot. To join the Legislative Commit- tee or attend as a guest, contact Polly Mize at AGC at 303-388- 2422 or polly@agccolorado.org. V AGC Leads Legislative Effort on Several Industry Wins Michael Gifford, MPA, IOM President, Associated General Contractors of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signs H.B.18-1316 that extends the WORK Act, providing $7.6 million in additional outreach and recruitment grants over three years for programs like Construction Careers Now.