Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Date:01/29/2009
ATTENDANCE
Time:09:44 AM to 12:07 PM
Kopp
X
Renfroe
X
Place:
Romer
X
Spence
X
This Meeting was called to order by
Veiga
X
Senator Gibbs
Williams
X
Gibbs
X
This Report was prepared by
Geoff Johnson
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
SB09-002
SB09-072
SB09-014		Referred to Appropriations
Postponed Indefinitely
Referred to the Committee of the Whole

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

11:12 AM -- Senate Bill 09-072

Senator Kester, prime sponsor, said that Senate Bill 09-072 will exempt routine road maintenance crews on nonpaved roads from the excavation notification statute in Colorado. He noted that this concept has been introduced in the past and that it will improve road safety in the state.

The following persons testified in regard to Senate Bill 09-072:

11:16 AM -- Margaret Christiansen, representing Source Gas and Marathon Oil, said that she opposes Senate Bill 09-072. She said that her primary concern is the safety of employees in the oil and gas industry and that employees must know of the location of utilities to perform their jobs safely. She spoke of situations in which natural gas lines have been accidentally ruptured.

11:24 AM -- Stan Dempsey, representing the Colorado Petroleum Association, opposed Senate Bill 09-072. He said that safety is paramount in his industry. He said that he believes that the current law works well, and that no exemption to the current law is warranted. He said that it is a simple matter for a person to call for identification of underground utilities. He commented on accidents that occur in Colorado with underground utilities.

11:30 AM -- Garin Vorthmann, representing the Weld County Commission, opposed Senate Bill 09-072, and said that the "call before you dig" procedure works well.

11:31 AM -- Jim Cole, representing the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, opposed Senate Bill 09-072, and said that the current procedure works well.

11:32 AM -- Mary Dechant, representing the Metro Waste Water Reclamation District, said that her district owns 3,800 manholes that are used to access its waste water facilities. She spoke of the risk of a vehicle striking a manhole cover while grading a road, and the resulting possibility of a sewer overflow.

11:36 AM -- Dale Miller, Larimer County Road and Bridge Director, representing Colorado Counties, Inc., said that Colorado has a good system for "utility locates." He spoke of the difficulty of a utility locator marking every utility line that is near a section of road to be graded in Colorado. He said that these location services should be directed specifically to excavation activities. He spoke of exemptions that are provided for road grading in other states. He commented on the administrative burden the utility location requirement places on county governments.

11:46 AM -- Chip Taylor, representing Colorado Counties Inc., commented on procedures by which utility locates are conducted. He said that he understands that the requirement to call in every time puts utility owners in a safer legal position.
BILL:SB09-072
TIME: 11:55:14 AM
MOVED:Williams
MOTION:Moved prepared amendment L.002 (Attachment A) to Senate Bill 09-072. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
Renfroe
Romer
Spence
Veiga
Williams
Gibbs
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

090129AttachA.pdf
BILL:SB09-072
TIME: 11:56:44 PM
MOVED:Williams
MOTION:Moved that Senate Bill 09-072 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. The motion failed on a 2-5-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
No
Renfroe
No
Romer
No
Spence
No
Veiga
No
Williams
Yes
Gibbs
Yes
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL
BILL:SB09-072
TIME: 11:57:01 PM
MOVED:Renfroe
MOTION:Moved that Senate Bill 09-072 be postponed indefinitely, and that the roll call of the prior motion be reversed. The motion passed without objection and the roll call was reversed.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
Yes
Renfroe
Yes
Romer
Yes
Spence
Yes
Veiga
Yes
Williams
No
Gibbs
No
Final YES: 5 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


12:02 PM -- Senate Bill 09-014

Senator Williams, prime sponsor, said that Senate Bill 09-014 was recommended by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee and will address situations in which trucks are stopped due to torn or damaged mud flaps. Senate Bill 09-014 will allow vehicles with deficient splash guards to remain in service until the first reasonable opportunity to replace the splash guards.
BILL:SB09-014
TIME: 12:06:57 PM
MOVED:Kopp
MOTION:Moved that Senate Bill 09-014 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a 5-0-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Kopp
Yes
Renfroe
Yes
Romer
Yes
Spence
Yes
Veiga
Excused
Williams
Yes
Gibbs
Excused
Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

12:07 PM

The committee meeting adjourned.