House Committee on Education (05/01/2013)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	05/01/2013	ATTENDANCE

Time:	11:23 AM to 12:55 PM	Buckner	X
		Court	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Everett	X
		Fields	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Holbert	X
	Representative Hamner	Landgraf	*
		Murray	X
This Report was prepared by		Pettersen	X
	Kristen Johnson	Priola	X
		Wilson	X
		Young	*
		Peniston	X
		Hamner	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB13-279		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

11:24 AM -- Senate Bill 13-279

Representative Hamner, Chair, called the meeting to order and welcomed the committee and audience. Representative Gerou, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-279 which concerns increasing energy resource efficiency in public schools. Beginning January 1, 2014, the bill requires new construction, or substantial renovation, of public school facilities, including district charter schools, to be designed and constructed to the highest practicable energy efficiency standards. The bill directs school districts to follow guidelines designated by the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board (assistance board) within the Department of Education regarding the energy efficiency standards it should meet during the design and construction of a new, or substantially renovated, facility. The design must receive third-party verification that it meets national standards for high performance schools. Representative Gerou responded to questions from the committee.

The following persons testified:

11:40 AM -- Vinny Badolato, representing the Colorado League of Charter Schools (CLCS), testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Badolato stated that CLCS views the bill as a mandate from the state that charter schools be built to a certain standard, and that the verification and certification requirements in the bill make it even more challenging for charter schools. He stated that charter schools are already built to the highest energy standards. He discussed the costs to charter schools that are associated with the bill and the expense to maintain highly efficient buildings. Mr. Badolato responded to questions from the committee.

11:54 AM -- Dr. Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), testified in opposition to the bill. Dr. Urschel stated that CASB opposes the bill because it is a mandate. She stated that CASB questions the need for and cost of having third-party certification. She stated that the bill has been presented for the last few years. She stated that most districts already build to meet these standards and do not see the need for certification. Dr. Urschel responded to questions from the committee.

12:00 PM

Jane Ritter, Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS), came to the table to respond to committee questions on the bill.

12:05 PM -- Mark Bissell, representing the Pikes Peak Area School District Alliance (alliance), testified on the bill. He stated that the alliance is in an amend position on the bill. He stated that issues such as the one proposed by the bill should be decided by local school districts, who have the expertise and incentive to make the best decisions for the local community. He stated that the bill requires third-party verification that is not needed, redundant, and only helps to add more costs and additional levels of bureaucracy. Mr. Bissell responded to questions from the committee.

12:12 PM -- Janna Six, representing the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Six gave background information on her organization and described her experience with her organization's purchase and renovation of a 100 year old building. She discussed the benefits of third-party verification, and stated that it cost her organization about $20,000 to have the verification conducted. She responded to questions from the committee.

12:21 PM -- Patti Mason, representing the U.S. Green Building Council, testified in support of the bill. She stated that the members of her organization are very supportive of standards that require higher levels of energy efficiency. She stated that investing in energy efficient school buildings shows students that where they learn matters. She stated that Energy Star schools cost 8 percent, on average, less to operate than non-Energy Star school buildings. She stated that good air quality and a clean environment is important to kids with asthma and to teachers who are required to speak eight hours per day. She stated that student achievement is impacted by the school environment, and that access to natural light improves student performance.

Representative Wilson distributed amendment L.012 (Attachment A) and amendment L.011 (Attachment B) explained the amendments' impacts on the bill.

13HseEd0501AttachA.pdf

13HseEd0501AttachB.pdf


BILL:	SB13-279
TIME:	12:25:11 PM
MOVED:	Wilson
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.012 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Everett
		VOTE
	Buckner
	Court
	Everett
	Fields
	Holbert
	Landgraf
	Murray
	Pettersen
	Priola
	Wilson
	Young
	Peniston
	Hamner

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB13-279
TIME:	12:31:53 PM
MOVED:	Wilson
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.011 (Attachment B). The motion failed on a vote of 6-7.
SECONDED:	Priola
		VOTE
	Buckner	No
	Court	No
	Everett	Yes
	Fields	No
	Holbert	Yes
	Landgraf	Yes
	Murray	Yes
	Pettersen	No
	Priola	Yes
	Wilson	Yes
	Young	No
	Peniston	No
	Hamner	No

YES: 6 NO: 7 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

12:32 PM

Representative Priola distributed amendment L.013 (Attachment C) and explained its impact on the bill.

13HseEd0501AttachC.pdf


BILL:	SB13-279
TIME:	12:41:31 PM
MOVED:	Priola
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.013 (Attachment C). The motion failed on a vote of 6-7.
SECONDED:	Murray
		VOTE
	Buckner	No
	Court	No
	Everett	Yes
	Fields	No
	Holbert	Yes
	Landgraf	Yes
	Murray	Yes
	Pettersen	No
	Priola	Yes
	Wilson	Yes
	Young	No
	Peniston	No
	Hamner	No

YES: 6 NO: 7 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	SB13-279
TIME:	12:46:59 PM
MOVED:	Court
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-279, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 7-6.
SECONDED:	Peniston
		VOTE
	Buckner	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Everett	No
	Fields	Yes
	Holbert	No
	Landgraf	No
	Murray	No
	Pettersen	Yes
	Priola	No
	Wilson	No
	Young	Yes
	Peniston	Yes
	Hamner	Yes

Final YES: 7 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

12:55 PM

The committee adjourned.