House committee rewrites Prop 123 eligibility formula to use permits and job growth; sends bill to Committee of the Whole

Sponsors Representative Basenecker and Representative Stewart told the committee HB 13‑13 addresses problems with the original Prop. 123 baseline calculation and retools eligibility toward a permit‑based, job‑growth‑adjusted approach designed to be more administrable for local governments.

DOLA and many housing stakeholders testified in support or an amend position, describing the proposed formula as more realistic and data driven. Ashley Wiesner of the Department of Local Affairs said the law as written used outdated census baselines and that the bill "uses a layering of new residential building permits and local job growth" to reflect real building activity. Zach Martinez, who worked on stakeholder engagement, told the committee "This new process will create additional incentives for homeownership, permanent supportive housing, and deeply affordable housing units." Housing advocates and nonprofit developers welcomed incentives for hardest‑to‑build units and land donations; Habitat for Humanity's Karen Kallenberg said the law had ``helped us double production statewide'' and that the proposed adjustments would keep communities eligible for funding.

Representatives from Pueblo urged the committee to adopt the bill; Pueblo's Melissa Cook said the current 3% requirement produced an unrealistic target for that city (12,06 units under the prior formula) and that the bill's new formula reduces Pueblo's three‑year target to roughly 120 deed‑restricted units — a far more attainable figure.

Sponsors offered and the committee adopted technical amendments (including L2 and L3) clarifying how preservation counts toward targets, aligning AMI thresholds for homeownership credits, and restoring a local partnership multiplier. After debate and amendment adoption the committee voted to advance HB 13‑13 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation, 10 yes to 3 no.

Next steps: the bill moves to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration and possible floor action.