Date: 01/29/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-002

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved that Senate Bill 09-002 be referred to the C
Moved that the fee increase in Senate Bill 09-002 		PASS
FAIL


09:44 AM

Senator Gibbs, Chairman, called the meeting to order.

09:44 AM -- Senate Bill 09-002

Senator Morse, prime sponsor, commented on Senate Bill 09-002, concerning an increase in the motor vehicle registration fee to fund the Emergency Medical Services Account within the Highway Users Tax Fund. He said that Senate Bill 09-002 is important to people across the state. He spoke of the importance of the provision of rural ambulance service. He said that delays in ambulance service can result in suffering or death. Senator Renfroe said that he lives in an area that is relatively remote and that he is willing to pay the resulting additional costs for ambulance service. Senator Morse said that the problem of lack of payment for service should be addressed, and added that Senate Bill 09-002 will ensure that a safety net is in place.

The following persons testified in regard to Senate Bill 0-002:

10:08 AM -- Dr. Ned Calonge, representing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said that ambulance service has not been supported by an increase in fees in decades. He said that 90 percent of ambulance calls for service are unrelated to automobile accidents. He noted that emergency technicians provide first responder service that can save lives. He said that much of the state's emergency service is provided by volunteers. He added that emergency services cannot be denied in cases where a victim does not have the ability to pay for the service.

10:14 AM -- Randy Kuykendall, representing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, supported Senate Bill 09-002. Senator Renfroe said that these services should be paid for with general funds.

10:22 AM -- Dr. Calonge noted that fees have been assessed to support emergency services in Colorado since 1979. Senator Renfroe expressed concern with the proposed funding mechanism.

10:25 AM -- Scott Bourn, Chairman, State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council, spoke of the role of the council and said that the council distributes funding raised by the assessed fee. He noted that these funds are used for emergency medical care training.

10:35 AM -- Dan Noonan, Durango Fire Chief, asked that the committee support Senate Bill 09-002. He commented on the extent of the region served by his bureau. He noted that 62 percent of Colorado's fire service operations are staffed by volunteers.

10:34 AM -- Eric Schmidt, representing the Northwest Region EMT and Trauma Council, commented on the work of the Meeker Fire and Rescue Service.

10:42 AM -- Ken Schallenberger, representing Cheyenne County Ambulance, commented on the level of service that would be available with the additional funding available under Senate Bill 09-002.

10:44 AM -- Thomas Candlin, representing the Clear Creek County Commission, said that he has been a paramedic in Colorado for 20 years. He spoke of his training as a paramedic and commented on training operations that would become available under the Senate Bill 09-002.

10:47 AM -- Ben Dengerink, representing the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado, supported Senate Bill 09-002 and spoke of the expense of obtaining emergency medical services training.
BILL:SB09-002
TIME: 11:08:08 AM
MOVED:Spence
MOTION:Moved that the fee increase in Senate Bill 09-002 be repealed on July 1, 2014. The motion failed on a 3-4-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
Yes
Renfroe
Yes
Romer
No
Spence
Yes
Veiga
No
Williams
No
Gibbs
No
Not Final YES: 3 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL
BILL:SB09-002
TIME: 11:10:24 AM
MOVED:Williams
MOTION:Moved that Senate Bill 09-002 be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 4-3-0 roll vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
No
Renfroe
No
Romer
Yes
Spence
No
Veiga
Yes
Williams
Yes
Gibbs
Yes
Final YES: 4 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS