Tomorrow (Thursday May 5) beginning around 10:00 am (after the main session)the Senate Veteran’s Committee will decide whether or not to pass the industry lobby’s amendment to guarantee conflict of interest abuse in self dealing developer bonds.
The amendment introduced by the industry’s cheerleader in the House, Republican minority leader McKean, passed in the house with the help of Democrats like Kerry Tipper (well funded by the developer industry).
And here’s the truly strange part.
- Rep. Weissman proposed a bill to ban self dealing developer bonds where the developer “sells” bonds to himself setting the amount and the interest rate for the residents – who have no say – to pay
- The bill passed the house committee
- When the bill came for a vote by the whole House, Rep. McKean (Republican Minority Leader and favorite of the metro district abusers) proposed an amendment to allow self dealing developer bonds IF a “municipal advisor” hired by the developer to say its ok, says its ok.
- Even though its still a conflict of interest and the residents still have no say. It cancels the point of the bill and guarantees developer abuse.
- The vote on the industry amendment was a “stand up” vote where members stand up and someone counts who’s standing. its a neat little maneuver so someone can vote but the residents won’t know how their representative voted because the names of “who” voted “how” is not recorded – they just count warm bodies standing up.
- Rep. Weissman then asked for an actual roll call vote by name.
- But because they first counted warm bodies and there was a majority of warm bodies standing to pass the industry amendment, the tables are now turned and Rep. Weissman had to get a majority of roll call votes by name to “overturn” the vote by warm bodies.
- And the roll call vote of representatives by actual name was 31 – 31. So the actual roll call name vote did not overturn the finger count of standing warm bodies vote.
- Of course if they had done a roll call actual name vote to begin with, instead of anonymous warm bodies, the vote to pass the amendment would have been, you got it, 31 – 31 and the industry amendment would have failed.
- Cute trick. Two vote difference in favor of the Republican sponsored industry amendment. Democrat Kerry Tipper was one of them.
So thats an idea of how the “game” is played and if you are an average resident, not an industry lobbyist, you don’t really have a seat at the table where this game is being played.
In fact, one of the industry lobbyists, Ann Terry of the Special District Association made clear at the hearing before the house committee that residents are not one of the “stakeholders” who should be invited to the table to talk about metro district issues – just members of the industry. Just like metro district government – residents aren’t included, just their taxes.
Here are the senate committee members.
https://leg.colorado.gov/committees/state-veterans-military-affairs/2022-regular-session
Tomorrow May 5, after the Senate meets as a whole (probably around 10:00 am. Here is how to speak:
https://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2022A/commsumm.nsf/signIn.xsp
The Senate Committee can reject the Republican Amendment and change the bill back to what it was before the House vote.
The Senate will vote on it and then the two houses will “work” it out. So we still have a few more steps.
And even this bill doesn’t get to the real substantive abuses. But its a “baby step” and we’ll try again next year for an “adult step”.
John Henderson