House Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources (04/07/2010)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Date:	04/07/2010	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:36 PM to 04:31 PM	Baumgardner	X
		Curry	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Gardner C.	X
		Hullinghorst	*
This Meeting was called to order by		Looper	*
	Representative Fischer	McKinley	X
		Ryden	X
This Report was prepared by		Solano	X
	Lauren Ris	Sonnenberg	X
		Tipton	X
		Vigil	X
		Pace	X
		Fischer	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB10-1051 SB10-139 SB10-106		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Appropriations

01:37 PM -- House Bill 10-1051

Representative Pommer, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 1051. This bill creates a new annual reporting requirement for water providers and expands the elements required in a water efficiency plan. He also discussed amendment L.002 (Attachment A), which strikes everything below Section 1 of the bill and would require the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to adopt guidelines regarding the reporting of water use and conservation data and provide a report to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees by February 1, 2019.

The following individuals testified on the bill:

01:41 PM -- Chris Piper, Denver Water, spoke in support of Amendment L.002. He explained why water conservation is important for water providers. He also discussed some of Denver Water's conservation efforts. He explained the water reporting requirements in L.002 and discussed the data reporting requirement, what stakeholders should be included, and the data that could be collected over a 2 year period that would be useful and cost effective to report back to the General Assembly. Mr. Piper answered questions from the committee.

01:49 PM

Representative Pommer answered questions from the committee concerning the provision in the bill about public participation and outreach. He also discussed what "covered entities" are on page 1 line 15 of the bill. The committee discussed whether any studies have been done to determine the water storage needs in the state.

01:58 PM -- Jennifer Gimbel, Director of the CWCB, indicated that the Department of Natural Resources supports the bill. She explained what "covered entities" are and how many have approved water conservation plans. She explained that the CWCB would come to the Joint Agriculture Committee and present the guidelines created by the CWCB, as required in amendment L.002. She explained that to be eligible for funding from the CWCB, entities currently are currently required to have approved water conservation plans.

02:07 PM -- Tracy Bouvette, Director of the Great Western Institute, explained the mission of the organization and some of the work he has done on water conservation with the CWCB. He spoke in support of the bill.

02:09 PM -- Shanna Koenig, Northwest Council of Governments Water Quality Committee, discussed some of her concerns with the bill as introduced. She explained that her organization supports amendment L.002 and discussed the need for consistency in comparing water use and conservation.

02:13 PM -- Becky Long, Colorado Environmental Coalition, spoke in support of the bill.

02:14 PM -- Kevin Bommer, Colorado Municipal League, spoke against the bill without amendment L.002. He discussed what he believes is the unfair burden on municipal water users to conserve water. He indicated that his organization supports amendment L.002.


BILL:	HB10-1051
TIME:	02:21:50 PM
MOVED:	Looper
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Pace
		VOTE
	Baumgardner
	Curry
	Gardner C.
	Hullinghorst
	Looper
	McKinley
	Ryden
	Solano
	Sonnenberg
	Tipton
	Vigil
	Pace
	Fischer
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB10-1051
TIME:	02:22:50 PM
MOVED:	Solano
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 10-1051, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-1.
SECONDED:	Hullinghorst
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Curry	Yes
	Gardner C.	Yes
	Hullinghorst	Yes
	Looper	Yes
	McKinley	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Sonnenberg	No
	Tipton	Yes
	Vigil	Excused
	Pace	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 1 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:23 PM -- Senate Bill 10-139

Representative Sonnenberg, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 139. This bill creates a new income tax return checkoff to collect donations for the Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance, a registered Colorado nonprofit organization. For income tax years 2010 through 2012, the checkoff would be added to the Colorado individual income tax form as a voluntary contribution. After subtracting the Department of Revenue's costs to administer contributions, the remaining moneys would be transferred to the Unwanted Horse Alliance.

02:31 PM

Troy Bratton, Legislative Legal Services, explained that typically tax checkoff bills do not specify a percentage of funding to be used for administrative costs in response to questions from the committee.

02:32 PM -- Chris Whitney, Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance, spoke in support of the bill and described the mission of his organization. He clarified what is meant by the term "unwanted horse"and explained some of the options for unwanted horses. He explained that there are more unwanted horses than can be accommodated with existing resources. He discussed some of the studies his organization has conducted and listed a number of other groups that support the bill. He answered questions from the committee concerning the organization's annual budget, euthinasia of horses, and slaughter.

02:49 PM -- Dr. Bill Fredregill, Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, spoke in support of the bill. He explained that euthanasia of unwanted horses is increasing. He answered questions from the committee concerning the costs associated with euthanization and other means of disposing of horses. He distributed a written copy of his testimony to the committee (Attachment B).


BILL:	SB10-139
TIME:	02:59:38 PM
MOVED:	Sonnenberg
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-139 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 9-1.
SECONDED:	Pace
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Curry	Yes
	Gardner C.	Yes
	Hullinghorst	Excused
	Looper	Yes
	McKinley	No
	Ryden	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Sonnenberg	Yes
	Tipton	Excused
	Vigil	Excused
	Pace	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
Final YES: 9 NO: 1 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:14 PM -- Senate Bill 10-106

Representative Looper, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 106 concerning the creation of a Food Systems Advisory Council. She showed a video from the Denver Post on childhood poverty available at http://photos.denverpost.com/photoprojects/specialprojects/childhoodpoverty/. She explained that the reengrossed bill creates a 13-member Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council comprised of stakeholders and representatives from state agencies. The purpose of the council is to foster a healthy food supply, expand the viability of agriculture, and improve the health of Coloradans. The council has the following duties:

• identify best practices in the food system;
• develop recommendations for local food economies;
• develop recommendations for food access;
• collaborate with local and regional food councils; and
• promote the "Colorado Proud" marketing program.

The council is required to meet at least four times a year and prepare an annual report for the General Assembly. Any costs for staffing the council and reimbursing members for travel costs is to be paid from gifts, grants, and donations or in-kind donations. The bill creates the Food Systems Advisory Council Cash Fund for this purpose. If sufficient moneys are not received, the council will not meet or prepare the annual report. The council will have a sunset review prior to being repealed on July 1, 2013. Representative Looper answered questions from the committee and distributed two handouts (Attachments C and D).

The following individuals testified on the bill:

03:28 PM -- Lonna Lindsay, Live Well Colorado, spoke in support of the bill and described the mission of her organization and discussed some of the work that they have done on childhood poverty. She distributed a letter in support of the bill from Jim Dyer (Attachment E).

03:35 PM -- Mina Liebert, Livewell Colorado Springs, spoke in support of the bill and described the mission of her organization and some of its efforts to bring healthier food options to children. She answered questions from the committee.

03:45 PM

The committee discussed some of the obstacles in obtaining local food, including the costs of USDA inspections. Representative Curry discussed the need for food processing representation on the advisory council.

03:58 PM

The committee discussed a local food initiative in Colorado Springs school district number 11.

03:59 PM -- Jim Miller, Colorado Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner, spoke in support of the bill and described his involvement in the creation of the bill. He explained how the bill is consistent with the programs and mission of the Colorado Department of Agriculture. He answered questions from the committee regarding the fiscal impact the bill would have on the department.

04:09 PM -- Margy Christinsen, Colorado Cattlweomen, spoke in support of the bill. She discussed the availability of local food in the state and the percent of income Colorado residents annually spend on food. She answered questions from the committee concerning the composition of the advisory council.

04:19 PM -- Mary Lou Chapman, Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, answered questions from the committee regarding the availability of local products in chain grocery stores. She explained that because chain stores use the same advertisements across the state, local producers would need to be able to provide the same products to all of the stores in the state, which is difficult for local producers to do.


BILL:	SB10-106
TIME:	04:26:29 PM
MOVED:	Looper
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.006 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Baumgardner
		VOTE
	Baumgardner
	Curry
	Gardner C.
	Hullinghorst
	Looper
	McKinley
	Ryden
	Solano
	Sonnenberg
	Tipton
	Vigil
	Pace
	Fischer
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB10-106
TIME:	04:30:28 PM
MOVED:	Looper
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-106, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 9-1.
SECONDED:	Baumgardner
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Curry	Yes
	Gardner C.	Excused
	Hullinghorst	Yes
	Looper	Yes
	McKinley	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Sonnenberg	No
	Tipton	Excused
	Vigil	Excused
	Pace	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
Final YES: 9 NO: 1 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:31 PM

The committee adjourned.