Date: 01/14/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1036

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 09-1036 to the Committee on ApproPASS



09:47 AM -- House Bill 09-1036 - Concerning Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Fees

Representative King, prime sponsor, explained that House Bill 09-1036 increases the registration fee charged on class A, B, and C motor vehicles that funds the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) board in the Department of Law. The fee is increased from $0.25 to $0.60 beginning with vehicles registered on or after July 1, 2009.

The following persons testified:

09:50 AM -- Chief Heather A Coogan, Colorado Board of Law, Police Officer Standards and Training (POST), testified in support of the bill. Chief Coogan discussed the history of the fee and its use as a funding source for training peace officers in Colorado. She noted that during economic downturns, training is one of the first expenditures cut by rural law enforcement agencies. Chief Coogan closed by saying that the fee increase in House Bill 09-1036 is critical to meeting the increasing training demands that the economy is placing on law enforcement agencies in the state.

10:10 AM -- Mr. Ted Tow, Colorado District Attorneys Council (CDAC), spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Tow pointed out that public safety is the primary function of government and noted that the POST fee in the bill is an important funding component for training officers to protect the public. There is a nexus between this fee and public safety. He closed by saying that rural law enforcement offices cannot afford to send their officers to metro training centers. POST fees enable these agencies meet their training needs when budgets do not allow for training costs.

10:34 AM -- Mr. Jim Beicker, Fremont County Sheriff's Office, testified in favor of the bill and noted that prior to 2004, the POST fee was the only funding source in our county for training officers. Mr. Beicker closed by saying that Colorado is ranked 48th in the nation for training our peace officers and training is a very important function of public safety agencies.

10:43 AM -- Officer Neal Tyler, Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, testified in support of the bill. Officer Tyler noted that training costs have been lowered to $2.12 per training hour as more law enforcement agencies have become more efficient.

10:48 AM -- Mr. John Kammerzell, Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, testified in support of the bill and talked about the impact of training on municipalities in Colorado. Mr. Kammerzell noted that the fees in this bill are directly related to public safety. Prior to 2003, Colorado was one of ten states that did not have training standards. He closed by saying that POST fees have made communities in Colorado more safe.


10:58 AM

The committee briefly discussed whether the fee increase in House Bill 09-1036 is sufficient to fund training needs described in testimony. The bill was placed on the table for action and no amendments were offered.
BILL:HB09-1036
TIME: 10:59:34 AM
MOVED:Benefield
MOTION:Refer House Bill 09-1036 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 6-5 vote.
SECONDED:Roberts
VOTE
Apuan
Yes
Benefield
Yes
Gerou
No
Kefalas
No
Kerr A.
Yes
Lambert
No
Roberts
Yes
Summers
No
Swalm
No
Frangas
Yes
Judd
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS