Date: 05/01/2013

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB13-245

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion p
Refer Senate Bill 13-245, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



11:46 AM -- Senate Bill 13-245

Representative Gardner, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-245. This bill establishes the Colorado Firefighting Air Corps (CFAC) within the Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC). The CFAC is comprised of aircraft, personnel, facilities, and equipment necessary to conduct aerial firefighting. The bill directs the DFPC to purchase and retrofit firefighting aircraft or to contract for such aircraft and supporting services. If the CFAC acquires aircraft, the director of DFPC must establish reimbursement rates for CFAC assets made available to assist the aerial firefighting efforts of other jurisdictions. The Colorado Firefighting Air Corps Fund is created to receive grants, reimbursements, and funding from other sources, as well as state appropriations. The fund is continuously appropriated and may be used for CFAC operational expenditures. Committee discussion on the bill ensued.

The following persons testified on the bill:

11:55 AM -- Senator Mike King spoke in support of the bill and discussed the wildfires that his district has recently experienced. Staff distributed two documents about the bill from Senator King (Attachments B and C) to the committee. Senator King talked about the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's (CAL FIRE) aviation management unit, the impacts on water supply of catastrophic wildfires, the need to allow the CFAC to fight wildfires in surrounding states in order to protect the water supply, and language in the reengrossed version of the bill. Senator King answered questions from the committee regarding the proposed aircraft, the CAL FIRE program, if CFAC aircraft would be leased or owned by the state of Colorado, and the cost of the aircraft.

130501 AttachB.pdf130501 AttachB.pdf130501 AttachC.pdf130501 AttachC.pdf

12:19 PM -- Paul Cooke, DFPC, did not state a position on the bill and answered questions from the committee regarding Colorado's fire aviation needs, the CAL FIRE model, CFACs ability to fly in other states besides Colorado, reimbursement if CFAC aircraft did cross the state border, the types of land that CFAC would fight fires on, aircraft contracts, how the fiscal impact might be reduced, and wildfire containment.

12:45 PM -- Chris Olson, County Sheriffs of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.

12:46 PM -- Mike Morgan, Colorado State Fire Chiefs, spoke in support of the bill. Chief Morgan discussed the decreased numbers of federal air tankers, sequestration impacts, the importance of fire prevention, and different types of firefighting aircraft.

12:51 PM

Representative Gardner distributed Amendment L.003 to the committee (Attachment D).

130501 AttachD.pdf130501 AttachD.pdf
BILL:SB13-245
TIME: 12:51:26 PM
MOVED:Fischer
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Lebsock
VOTE
Buck
Coram
Garcia
Lebsock
McLachlan
McNulty
Mitsch Bush
Rankin
Rosenthal
Saine
Sonnenberg
Vigil
Fischer
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection



12:54 PM
BILL:SB13-245
TIME: 12:54:57 PM
MOVED:Sonnenberg
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 13-245, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 11-1 with one excused.
SECONDED:McLachlan
VOTE
Buck
Yes
Coram
Excused
Garcia
Yes
Lebsock
Yes
McLachlan
Yes
McNulty
Yes
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Rankin
Yes
Rosenthal
Yes
Saine
No
Sonnenberg
Yes
Vigil
Yes
Fischer
Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 1 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS