Jeff Crank: “Mr. Speaker, the pursuit of the American Dream, the dream of one day owning a home, is quickly becoming increasingly…”

“Mr. Speaker, the pursuit of the American Dream, the dream of one day owning a home, is quickly becoming increasingly unattainable for so many Americans, thanks in part, to costly regulations and market factors. With housing prices surging, evidence shows that we have a supply problem, but let's look more into why this might be. In my home State of Colorado, regulations account for 39 percent of the cost of building a new home. Thirty-nine percent of the cost is government imposed regulation. For those who might be wondering what that means, that means if you pay $5, $2 of that, Mr. Speaker, is just because of regulation. That is what is causing the problem. Government should exist to provide order and protection for its citizens. It shouldn't be there with overbearing mandates that make life more difficult and expensive, especially for something as fundamental as property and homeownership. One of the contributing factors to these regulatory costs is the agenda informed energy codes that States like Colorado are mandating. They ignore science, and they even push aside stakeholders, the builders, the people who actually build the homes and make this American Dream.”