Date: 04/28/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-297

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt Amendment L.001 (Attachment D). The motion
Adopt Amendment L.002 (Attachment E). The motion
Refer Senate Bill 09-297, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
PASS



05:10 PM -- Senate Bill 09-297

Senator Sandoval, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-297 which allows state officials in government departments to request a waiver of any provision of state procurement rules for any procurement being funded in whole or in part by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also referred to as the federal stimulus bill.) She distributed a copy of Amendment L. 001 (Attachment D) and Amendment L.002 (Attachment E). Senator Sandoval explained that the federal stimulus funds, in many instances, must be spent within a short period of time and the bill helps to expedite this process. She discussed several sections of the bill and discussed the waiver process for procurement. She said that all waivers will be made publicly available on the state's Recovery web page. Senator Sandoval discussed the approval process for the waiver. She also provided background about provisions in the bill related to public utilities and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

09SenateFin0428AttachD.pdf 09SenateFin0428AttachE.pdf

05:17 PM

Senator Sandoval responded to questions from the committee about the CDOT provisions in the bill and how many of the funds are in jeopardy of not being accessed.

The following persons testified:

05:18 PM -- Mr. Herman Stockinger, representing CDOT, testified in support of the bill. He explained that CDOT has a specific timeframe when it must obtain the stimulus funding. He shared his views about the rate recovery language in the bill. Mr. Stockinger stated that the provision in the bill is important for the agency because it is a safeguard in case it is needed.

05:20 PM -- Mr. Ron Binz, Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, testified in support of the bill. He provided his thoughts about the rate recovery language in the bill. He stated that the proposals funded by the stimulus dollars would be a high priority. Mr. Binz also explained how the funding in the stimulus will be spent.

05:25 PM -- Mr. Gene Camp, representing the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, was available for questions. He stated that the legislature would be endorsing an approach for rate recovery that is already moving forward.


05:25 PM

Senator Sandoval continued responding to questions from the committee about moving too quickly with the procurements without obtaining all the information. Mr. Binz responded that the PUC will move forward carefully. He stated that he does not foresee any unintended consequences.

05:30 PM -- Mr. Matt Futch, representing the Governor's Energy Office, testified in support of the bill. He explained the government revolving loan program for energy projects. Mr. Futch provided examples of the types of projects that would receive these funds.


05:32 PM

Senator Hudak closed public testimony.
BILL:SB09-297
TIME: 05:34:25 PM
MOVED:Sandoval
MOTION:Adopt Amendment L.001 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
Heath
Isgar
King K.
Scheffel
Hudak
Sandoval
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-297
TIME: 05:35:59 PM
MOVED:Sandoval
MOTION:Adopt Amendment L.002 (Attachment E). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
Heath
Isgar
King K.
Scheffel
Hudak
Sandoval
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-297
TIME: 05:36:27 PM
MOVED:Sandoval
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 09-297, as amended, to the Commitee on Appropriations. The motion passed 4-2, with one excused.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
No
Heath
Yes
Isgar
Yes
King K.
Excused
Scheffel
No
Hudak
Yes
Sandoval
Yes
Final YES: 4 NO: 2 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS



05:37 PM

The committee recessed.