House Committee on Business, Labor, Economic, & Workforce Development (04/23/2013)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, LABOR, ECONOMIC, & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Date:	04/23/2013	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:34 PM to 02:51 PM	DelGrosso	X
		Exum	X
Place:	LSB A	Hamner	X
		Holbert	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Navarro	X
	Representative Williams	Nordberg	X
		Rosenthal	*
This Report was prepared by		Ryden	X
	Erin Vanderberg	Szabo	X
		Kraft-Tharp	X
		Williams	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB13-249 SB13-248 SB13-162 SB13-240 SB13-125		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to Appropriations Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Appropriations

01:37 PM -- Senate Bill 13-249

Representative Williams, chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was present. Representative Kraft-Tharp assumed the role of chair in order for Representative Williams to present a bill. Representative Williams presented Senate Bill 13-249 to the committee. The bill requires the Division of Workers' Compensation (division) in the Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) to review an independent medical examiner's (IME) report within 5 days of its receipt and either notify all parties that the report has been received or notify the IME of any deficiencies in the IME report with copies to all parties. Representative Williams stated that the bill is a procedural change designed to streamline the worker's compensation system. She stated that this bill had stakeholder support. Representative DelGrosso asked a question on the bill's 30-day time period.

The following individuals testified on the bill:

01:43 PM -- Paul Tauriello, Director of the Division of Worker's Compensation in CDLE, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Tauriello stated that this bill would provide support and relief for the workers compensation system as a whole by eliminating confusion and minimizing litigation. He responded to a question on what group represented the injured workers in stakeholder meetings. He discussed the work of the Worker's Compensation Education Association (WCEA).

01:47 PM

Representative Williams distributed and discussed Amendment L.002 (Attachment A).

130423 AttachA.pdf

01:48 PM -- Mr. Tauriello returned to the table to respond to a question on the amendment.


BILL:	SB13-249
TIME:	01:50:33 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Holbert
		VOTE
	DelGrosso
	Exum
	Hamner
	Holbert
	Navarro
	Nordberg
	Rosenthal
	Ryden
	Szabo
	Kraft-Tharp
	Williams

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

01:52 PM

Representative Williams made closing comments.


BILL:	SB13-249
TIME:	01:52:23 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-249, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Hamner
		VOTE
	DelGrosso	Yes
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

01:53 PM -- Senate Bill 13-248

Representative Priola, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-248. The bill clarifies the authority of the Attorney General (AG) or a district attorney (DA) to issue subpoenas to persons outside the State of Colorado who have engaged in, or are engaging in, violations of the following consumer protection acts: Colorado Consumer Protection Act (CCPA); Refund Anticipation Loans Act; Colorado Rental Purchase Agreement Act; Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; or Colorado Credit Services Organization Act. Representative Holbert made a supermotion.


BILL:	SB13-248
TIME:	01:57:44 PM
MOVED:	Holbert
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-248 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 10-0.
SECONDED:	Szabo
		VOTE
	DelGrosso	Yes
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Excused
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

Final YES: 10 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

01:58 PM -- Senate Bill 13-162

Representative Kraft-Tharp, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-162 to the committee. The bill continues the regulation of plumbers until September 1, 2024, and implements the recommendations of the sunset review on the plumbers licensing program. Representative Kraft-Tharp stated that it was a health and public safety bill. Representative DelGrosso and Nordberg asked technical questions that Representative Kraft-Tharp referred to the expert witnesses.

The following individuals testified to the committee:

02:02 PM -- Bob Croft, representing himself as a master plumber, spoke neutrally on the bill. Mr. Croft stated his concern with punitive language in the bill. He also discussed his concerns about state regulations extending over local jurisdictions. He discussed instances where code variances takes place.

02:10 PM -- Steve Callahan, representing himself as the chair of the Examining Board of Plumbers and a coalition of the bill's stakeholders, spoke in favor of the bill. He stated that the coalition he represented includes the Colorado Municipal League (CML), Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), the Plumbers Union, the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), and mechanical contractors. Mr. Callahan discussed a recent meeting of the coalition, where all members were in agreement with the current bill. He discussed the bill in detail. He discussed testimony from previous witness related to variance requests. Representative Hamner asked a question on the history of the plumbing code in the state.

02:15 PM -- Brian Pritchard, representing DORA, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Pritchard discussed background on the plumbing board and their work on an annual basis. He responded to prior committee questions and clarified the bill's legislative intent.

02:20 PM

Representative Kraft-Tharp made closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	SB13-162
TIME:	02:21:18 PM
MOVED:	Kraft-Tharp
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-162 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Hamner
		VOTE
	DelGrosso	No
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	No
	Navarro	No
	Nordberg	No
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	No
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:22 PM -- Senate Bill 13-240

Representative Exum, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-240 to the committee. The bill modifies voting requirements for the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) to modify benefits, age and service requirements, and member contribution rates under the statewide defined benefit plan.

The following individuals testified to the committee:

02:25 PM -- Kevin Lindahl, representing the FPPA, Mike Rogers, representing the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters, and Todd Bower, representing FPPA, came to the table together to speak in favor of the bill. They discussed the utility of the bill.

02:29 PM -- Kevin Bommer, representing the Colorado Municipal League, spoke in opposition to the bill unless amended. He stated the opposition was a matter of process.


BILL:	SB13-240
TIME:	02:33:05 PM
MOVED:	DelGrosso
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-240 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Rosenthal
		VOTE
	DelGrosso	Yes
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:38 PM -- Senate Bill 13-125

Representative DelGrosso, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-125 to the committee. The bill modifies the regulation of preneed funeral contracts by the Commissioner of Insurance in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Representative DelGrosso responded to questions from the committee.

The following person testified to the committee:

02:42 PM -- Chuck Bowman, Colorado Funeral Directors Association, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Bowman stated that the bill would close the loop on tracking funds. He responded to questions from the committee.

02:46 PM

Representative DelGrosso distributed and discussed Amendments L.006 and L.007 (Attachments B and C).

130423 AttachB.pdf

130423 AttachC.pdf


BILL:	SB13-125
TIME:	02:47:11 PM
MOVED:	DelGrosso
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.007 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Holbert
		VOTE
	DelGrosso
	Exum
	Hamner
	Holbert
	Navarro
	Nordberg
	Rosenthal
	Ryden
	Szabo
	Kraft-Tharp
	Williams

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


BILL:	SB13-125
TIME:	02:49:27 PM
MOVED:	DelGrosso
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.006 (Attachment B), as amended. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Holbert
		VOTE
	DelGrosso
	Exum
	Hamner
	Holbert
	Navarro
	Nordberg
	Rosenthal
	Ryden
	Szabo
	Kraft-Tharp
	Williams

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

02:50 PM

Representative DelGrosso made closing comments.


BILL:	SB13-125
TIME:	02:50:47 PM
MOVED:	DelGrosso
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-125, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Holbert
		VOTE
	DelGrosso	Yes
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:51 PM

The committee adjourned.