Date: 02/02/2010

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB10-1157

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved to postpone House Bill 10-1157 indefinitely.PASS



01:32 PM

The committee chair, Representative Peniston, called the meeting to order.


01:33 PM -- House Bill 10-1157

Representative Summers, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 10-1157, concerning the authorization for county governments to obtain voter approval to levy specified taxes for the purpose of providing financial assistance to specified institutions of higher education that are not universities within their territorial boundaries. Representative Summers discussed funding challenges for higher education in Colorado and the need to assist state colleges. He explained that the bill allows a board of a state college and a board of county commissioners to impose either an ad valorem tax upon taxable property within the county or a sales tax to support the state college. The question of levying a tax would be placed before the electors of the county to support state colleges located within the territorial boundaries of a county. The bill precludes counties from imposing the tax in order to raise moneys on behalf of a university. Representative Summers addressed questions from the committee concerning language in the bill, and whether county voters would be willing to support state colleges within the county. He also discussed the process required of a state college and a board of county commissioners to refer a question to voters to approve a levy.


01:38 PM

Travis Berry, representing Western State College, testified in support of the bill and discussed the need to create other methods for funding state colleges.


01:51 PM

Jason Hopfer, Colorado Community College System, testified in support of the bill and discussed the need for additional funding options for state colleges.


01:52 PM

John Karakoulakis, Director of Legislative Affairs, Department of Higher Education, testified in support of the bill and explained that the Governor's Commission on Higher Education would be considering legislation similar to House Bill 10-1157 during the 2010 legislative session. He addressed questions from the committee and recommended that House Bill 10-1157 be postponed indefinitely due to ongoing discussions with the commission's subcommittee on sustainability.


01:57 PM

Representative Summers talked about the progress of the Governor's Higher Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and the need to include the ideas of House Bill 10-1157 in upcoming recommendations from the steering committee's subcommittee on sustainability.


01:58 PM

Committee discussion ensued concerning a letter supporting the ideas of House Bill 10-1157 from the House Committee on Local Government to the Higher Education Strategic Planning Subcommittee on Sustainability. The committee chair, Representative Peniston, decided that a letter would be drafted to the subcommittee for committee members to sign.
BILL:HB10-1157
TIME: 01:59:32 PM
MOVED:Massey
MOTION:Moved to postpone House Bill 10-1157 indefinitely. The motion passed on a 10-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Schafer S.
VOTE
Acree
Yes
Apuan
Yes
Bradford
Yes
Liston
Yes
Massey
Yes
McKinley
Yes
Priola
Excused
Schafer S.
Yes
Vigil
Yes
Soper
Yes
Peniston
Yes
Final YES: 10 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS