City restrictions limit resell options for low-income housing program

Good morning. Here's a look at news reports from around the state on issues of interest to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy for Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Listing does not imply endorsement of the content.

ECONOMIC SELF SUFFICIENCY
The Denver Post: Low-income housing restrictions limiting owners' options to resell
Denver's affordable-housing program seemed like the perfect solution to help Kevin Kate Albizu and her husband, Ryan, buy a home three years ago. Now the Albizus, like scores of others in the program, say they find it nearly impossible to resell their homes because of city restrictions.


GENERAL
Denver Post editorial: Who is behind Colorado ballot issues?
Officials have unsuccessfully tried to contact Douglas Bruce 29 times about state Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101.


FISCAL POLICY
Denver Daily News: Fee for non-residents?
The City and County of Denver is procedurally moving forward with a plan that would charge a fee to non-residents of the city when the fire department or other emergency responders are dispatched to any traffic accident on a state highway within the city limits. According to Denver’s 2010 Final Budget Summary, the city projects that by charging such a fee, $1.13 million would be collected in a year.

Denver Business Journal: Business Pulse: Half say Colorado taxes are too high
What may be more surprising is that about a third of participating readers answered either that state and local taxes are "about right" or even that they should be higher.

Sterling Journal-Advocate: Prop 101 worries local officials
3 ballot measures would slash funds for local governments, schools.


HEALTH POLICY
Huffington Post Denver: How Democrats Killed Medical Privacy in Colorado
This year, Kefalas and other Democratic legislators tried a different approach. HB 1330, the All-Payer Health Care Cost Database was signed into law by Governor Ritter on May 26. The bill grants unlimited power to the Executive Director of Health Care Policy and Financing to mandate the collection of any and all health care data, to conduct audits, to give the data to third parties without seeking permission, and to impose unlimited fines for refusing to provide data to the database.

Denver Business Journal: Colorado Hospital Association sues state over regulations
The Colorado Hospital Association filed a lawsuit against the state on Friday, claiming that new regulations put forth by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) unreasonably raise hospital costs and threaten access to care for many Coloradans.
Also: Colorado Springs Business Journal: Hospital association files suit against state health department