Senate Committee on State, Veterans & Military Affairs (04/15/2009)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Date:	04/15/2009	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:36 PM to 04:17 PM	Boyd	X
		Cadman	X
Place:	SCR 353	Schultheis	X
		Bacon	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Williams	X
	Senator Williams

This Report was prepared by
	Geoff Johnson
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB09-1205 Conf 09-Limited Gaming Control Commission HB09-1291 HB09-1307 HB09-1039		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Recommended Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Appropriations

01:36 PM

Senator Williams, Chair, called the meeting to order.

01:36 PM -- House Bill 09-1205

Senator Williams, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1205, concerning voting by members of the Armed Forces serving outside the United States. She noted that the bill requires the implementation of an internet-based pilot voting program for overseas military personnel for the General Election in 2012. She said that such a system must be secure and requires authentication of votes of soldiers voting overseas.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1205:

01:43 PM -- Scott Weidman, representing the U.S. Department of Defense, testified on House Bill 09-1205 by telephone. He said that his office disseminates information to soldiers regarding voting overseas and that his office coordinates with many state and local agencies in regard to overseas voting. He commented on faxing services that are available to facilitate the return of balloting materials to the states. He commented on measures to preserve the secrecy of overseas ballots. He said that the bill will facilitate voting by Colorado overseas soldiers and that the bill is supported by the Department of Defense.

02:00 PM -- Margit Johansson, representing Coloradans for Voting Integrity, said that protections are insufficient to guarantee the security of votes by soldiers overseas. She said that the votes by overseas soldiers will not be secret under the bill and that the bill will subject soldiers to identity theft. She stated her opinion that voting under the bill will not be secure.

02:07 PM

Mr. Weidman said that security is important to the Department of Defense and that the department now offers secure servers for requesting and receiving balloting materials. He said that the department has ongoing risk analysis of potential threats to the integrity of the voting process.

02:16 PM -- Margit Johansson expressed concerns regarding the cost of gathering and counting overseas votes and commented on the potential for the use of international shipping companies to collect the ballots. Senator Schultheis emphasized the importance of cyber-security in overseas voting by internet. She said that her preference is that completed ballots be returned in the form of a paper copy.

02:20 PM -- Harvie Branscomb, Carbondale, representing himself, opposed House Bill 09-1205, and expressed concerns with definitions in the bill.

02:25 PM -- Richard Coolidge, representing the Colorado Secretary of State, supported House Bill 09-1205, and said that about 20 percent of absentee ballots that are sent overseas are not returned. He said that the state will benefit from the pilot program. He said that soldiers in the field without access to a fax machine will benefit from the program. He noted that these soldiers usually do have access to e-mail. He spoke of potential difficulties with the adjustment of time frames in the bill.

02:30 PM -- Pam Anderson, representing the Colorado County Clerks Association, supported House Bill 09-1205, and said that election judges will add security to the proposed voting process under the bill. She supported provisions of House Bill 09-1205 that accommodate time constraints for overseas voters in returning their ballots. She commented on means of preventing the casting of duplicate ballots.


BILL:	HB09-1205
TIME:	02:51:45 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1205 be referred to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 4-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Excused
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:54 PM -- Confirmations - Limited Gaming Control Commission

Florence Hunt, Pueblo, commented on her appointment to the Limited Gaming Control Commission. She said that she has enjoyed her service on the commission.

02:58 PM -- Larry Gaddis, Colorado Springs, commented on his involvement with liquor licensing in his career and his service on the Limited Gaming Control Commission.


BILL:	Confirmations - Limited Gaming Control Commission
TIME:	03:03:28 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved to recommend the nominees to the Limited Gaming Control Commission to full Senate. The motion passed on a 4-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Excused
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:05 PM -- House Bill 09-1291

Senator Shaffer, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1291, concerning providing information regarding resources available to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. He said that the bill creates a veterans service resource clearing house, and that there are approximately 426,000 veterans in Colorado.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1291:

03:07 PM -- Walter Paul, Legislative Liaison, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said that the department supports House Bill 09-1291, and said that there has been a proliferation of agencies to assist veterans in recent years. However, he noted that there is not a single location at which these available services are coordinated.

03:16 PM -- George Thomas, Chairman, Colorado Board of Veterans Affairs, said that the number of organizations available to support the troops has mushroomed. He commented on a situation in which services were provided to a person who is a former prisoner of war.

03:20 PM -- Bernie Rogoff, representing the Colorado National Guard Association, supported House Bill 09-1291. He commented on a veteran he is currently working with who has significant financial problems. He noted that this person would benefit under the bill. He said that many veterans suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome and are unable to help themselves. He noted that a clearing house will assist these veterans.


BILL:	HB09-1291
TIME:	03:27:47 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1291 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 4-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Excused
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:28 PM -- House Bill 09-1307

Senator Shaffer, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1307, concerning the televising of proceedings of state government, and in connection therewith, creating the Colorado Channel Authority. He noted that the General Assembly already budgets for the cost of operating the Colorado Channel.

The following person testified in regard to House Bill 09-1307:

03:32 PM -- Scott Nachtrieb, representing the Legislative Council Staff, was present to respond to committee questions. He said that creation of the authority will ensure the independence of the Colorado Channel and maintain its nonpartisan status. Senator Shaffer said that the channel benefits the public, and noted that similar legislative broadcasting is in place at the federal and local levels. Mr. Nachtrieb pointed out that the prior Speaker directed the Legislative Council Staff to pursue development of the Colorado Channel, but that the House of Representatives has not voted on the question. He commented on the development of the system and noted that the content is archived and indexed. He said that the Colorado Channel provides access to the deliberations of the General Assembly to educational institutions.


BILL:	HB09-1307
TIME:	03:47:34 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1307 be referred to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 3-2-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	No
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	No


Final YES: 3 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:48 PM -- House Bill 09-1039

Senator Kopp, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1039, concerning in-state tuition classification for honorably discharged military veterans, and making an appropriation therefor. He noted that the bill also provides in-state tuition to dependents of honorably discharged military veterans. He pointed out that the bill is permissive for institutions of higher education.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1039:

04:00 PM -- George Thomas, representing the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, supported House Bill 09-1039. He said that Colorado is in the lower quarter of the states in terms of benefits provided to veterans.

04:09 PM -- Kirsten Castleman, representing the University of Colorado, commented on veterans that are ineligible for in-state tuition status in Colorado, and said that the proposed amendment, L.012 (Attachment A) will address this problem.


BILL:	HB09-1039
TIME:	04:15:43 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to House Bill 09-1039, L.012 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd
	Cadman
	Schultheis
	Bacon
	Williams

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB09-1039
TIME:	04:16:28 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1039 be referred to the Committee on Appropriations, as amended. The motion passed on a 5-0-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:17 PM

The committee meeting adjourned.

01:16 PM -- Presentation on Colorado School Finance