Beltran -
I fully support a ban on rent controls. However, I must object to the fiscal impact of this bill. I represent a suburban district. My constituents live in the suburbs to obtain sufficient housing at an affordable price. My constituents should not pay taxes to subsidize urban areas. This legislation greatly expands a program that was started as a generous benefit to government employees earning modest salaries. However, this legislation creates an entitlement program for middle-class citizens who can afford housing. Government subsidies increase housing prices for everybody, they do not decrease them. Every dollar of subsidy is first collected in taxes. Persons ineligible for this program, or who do not avail themselves of it, will pay higher taxes to fund this program without any corresponding benefit. Administration of this program will consume resources and allow the waste, fraud, and abuse that is inevitable for any government program. Housing should be left to market forces, which are proven to result in the best quality and price without government subsidy. I support other pending legislation, such as HB 1417, which adequately preempts rent controls. Rent controls create inefficiencies in the market, and limit the quality and availability of housing.