House Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources (04/10/2013)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Date:	04/10/2013	ATTENDANCE

Time:	11:52 AM to 01:08 PM	Buck	X
		Coram	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Garcia	X
		Lebsock	X
This Meeting was called to order by		McNulty	X
	Representative Fischer	Mitsch Bush	X
		Rankin	X
This Report was prepared by		Rosenthal	X
	Brooke Maddaford	Saine	E
		Sonnenberg	X
		Tyler	X
		Vigil	X
		Fischer	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB13-188		Referred to Appropriations

11:53 AM -- Senate Bill 13-188

Representative Vigil and Rankin, sponsors, presented Senate Bill 13-188. This bill replaces the current landowner preference programs for allocating hunting licenses with a single program that establishes requirements for the land, including minimum size and wildlife carrying capacity; allocates the number of licenses based on the size of the land, from 1 license for the first 160 acres to a maximum of 19 licenses for 11,440 acres; limits the percentage of hunting licenses in a restricted game management unit (a geographical area identified by the Department of Natural Resources) that is allocated to the program to between 10 and 25 percent; makes unused licenses available to landowners prior to the general public; authorizes an owner to transfer vouchers for the licenses to hunters but prohibits brokering and restrictions on the vouchers; and authorizes Parks and Wildlife to disqualify a landowner or hunter from the program for up to five years if he or she does not comply with the provisions of the program. Land in the existing programs remains eligible until July 1, 2016. The Parks and Wildlife Commission will promulgate rules implementing the new program by July 1, 2014.

The following persons testified on bill:

11:55 AM -- Mike King, Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR), spoke in support of the bill. Director King discussed the process, including the task force, that was involved in crafting the bill. He requested that the bill not be amended and said discussed the importance of hunting tags. Director King answered questions from the committee regarding the Senate amendment that appears in the reengrossed version of the bill and the number of deer and elk hunting applications that were submitted this year versus in past years.

12:04 PM -- Steve Hilde, representing himself, spoke in opposition to the bill. Mr. Hilde expressed concern that the bill will privatize hunting and that it favors large landowners, which will cause division amongst sportsmen. He also discussed how he thinks the bill will negatively impact real estate prices. Mr. Hilde answered questions from the committee regarding his attendance and input at DNR meetings where this bill was discussed before being introduced, his position on vouchers, and voucher programs in neighboring states.

12:11 PM -- Tim Brass, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, spoke in opposition to the bill. Mr. Brass outlined his concerns that the bill violates the tenants of the North American Wildlife Conservation model, contributes to the privatization of public resources, and will potentially harm hunter recruitment efforts. Mr. Brass explained that the bill favors those with more money and said people are giving up hunting because quality units are not as accessible to the average hunter. Mr. Brass answered questions from the committee regarding the licenses that he has held in the past and the potential resale of tags.

12:16 PM -- Ivan James, Landowner Voucher Committee, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. James discussed the current landowner preference programs that are in statute, complaints regarding this current program, the activities and foci of the committee, and the posting of committee recommendations on the Parks & Wildlife website. He also talked about current policies regarding the use of vouchers on public versus private lands, the subdivision of properties to allow for more vouchers to be granted, and the ratio of applications to property size. Mr. James answered questions from the committee regarding whether the bill favors large landowners and wealthy people.

12:31 PM -- John Smeltzer, Landowner Voucher Committee, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Smeltzer discussed his involvement over the past decade in modifying the landowner preference programs, the commercial component of the landowner preference programs, and how landowner preference programs affect nonresidents. He talked about the legacy component included in the bill, the North American Wildlife Conservation model, private property ownership rights, landowners as sportsmen, and the value added for sportsmen per the provisions of the bill.
12:40 PM -- Robert Bray, Landowner Voucher Committee and Colorado Cattlemen's Association, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Bray talked about the Senate amendment that appears in the reengrossed bill, the North American Wildlife Conservation model, and resident versus nonresident hunters. Mr. Bray explained that the program does not guarantee licenses but governs hunting application processes and discussed landowners as sportsmen and supporters of wildlife, the need to compensate landowners who support wildlife, and why the current program should be changed. He talked about the potential positive outcomes if the bill is passed including, but not limited to: improved communication, information collection, benefits to sportsmen, a strong youth component, keeping land in agriculture and open space, the accessibility of animals to the general public, and benefits to landowners. Mr. Bray answered questions from the committee regarding who makes habitat decision and the related appeal process.

12:48 PM -- Hugh Sanbarg, representing Colorado Farm Bureau, Landowner Voucher Committee, and himself, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Sanbarg discussed the process of stakeholder meetings involved in crafting this bill, the agricultural costs involved in co-existing with wildlife, and the role that private lands play in providing hunting opportunities and habitat. He explained his desire to not see amendments since each part of the bill depends upon other parts and said that the bill is a compromise for all stakeholders and that the program was modeled after a successful pilot program.

12:53 PM -- John Singletary, Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Singletary discussed the commissions commitment to protecting Colorado's wildlife and habitat and discussed the process involved in crafting the bill. Mr. Singletary said that the commission feels obligated to protect the North American Wildlife Conservation model and discussed fragmentation of subdivisions, and Colorado's wildlife herds as compared to other states' herds.

12:56 PM

Mr. King returned to the table to address a question regarding if the bill has a sunset date. Representative Rankin explained why the bill does not have a sunset date. Committee discussion ensued on this topic and on the number of landowner preference licenses that have been granted in recent years.

01:05 PM

Representative Rankin and Representative Vigil closed their remarks on the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.


BILL:	SB13-188
TIME:	01:07:10 PM
MOVED:	Vigil
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-188 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 12-0 with one excused.
SECONDED:	Rankin
		VOTE
	Buck	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Garcia	Yes
	Lebsock	Yes
	McNulty	Yes
	Mitsch Bush	Yes
	Rankin	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Saine	Excused
	Sonnenberg	Yes
	Tyler	Yes
	Vigil	Yes
	Fischer	Yes

Final YES: 12 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

01:08 PM

The committee adjourned.