Date: 05/01/2013

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB13-269

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer Senate Bill 13-269 to the Committee on ApproPASS



12:59 PM -- Senate Bill 13-269

Representative McLachlan, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 13-269. This bill creates the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program (WRRGP), including a new cash fund established to provide funding for grants, the Wildfire Risk Reduction Fund (WRRF). The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers the WRRGP with a focus on reducing hazardous forest fuels in the wildland-urban interface. The DNR's duties include establishing application requirements, making periodic reports, and monitoring projects funded by WRRGP grants. Within the scope allowed by existing funding, the bill requires the Colorado State Forest Service to collaborate with the DNR and provide technical assistance to grant applicants. The bill creates the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program Advisory Committee, consisting of 8 members appointed by the executive director of the DNR to represent various interests involved in, or concerned with, the mitigation of catastrophic wildfires, such as federal land management, local government, and the forest products industry. The advisory committee prepares a request for grant proposals, reviews applications, and awards grants. Grant applicants must provide matching funds and include a plan for utilizing any woody material generated by a project proposed for grant funding. In addition, the advisory committee must prioritize grant applications with a project in high-risk wildland-urban interface areas. The bill directs the state treasurer to transfer $10,300,000 from the General Fund to the Wildfire Risk Reduction Fund on July 1, 2013. Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated for the purposes of the WRRGP, and up to 5 percent of moneys available in the WRRF may be used for monitoring and measurement of effectiveness of grants. The DNR makes annual reports to the General Assembly while the bill is in effect. The WRRGP is repealed July 1, 2018.

The following persons testified on the bill:

01:02 PM -- Lisa Dale, DNR, spoke in support of the bill and discussed the wildfire risk assessment from 2012. Ms. Dale discussed the accountability and monitoring program that will be associated with the grants.

01:06 PM -- Rick Schwergert, Colorado State University, spoke in support of the bill.

01:07 PM -- Ms. Dale returned to the witness table to respond to a question regarding the expected impacts and return of investment of the WRRGP and WRRF.

01:10 PM

Committee discussion ensued.

01:14 PM -- Ms. Dale answered questions regarding wildfire preparedness methods and the application process for the WRRGP.

01:16 PM -- Andy Karsian, Colorado Counties Inc., spoke in support of the bill.

01:19 PM -- Chief Chris Olson, County Sheriffs of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.


01:20 PM

Representative Coram closed his remarks on the bill.

BILL:SB13-269
TIME: 01:21:38 PM
MOVED:Coram
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 13-269 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 12-1.
SECONDED:McNulty
VOTE
Buck
Yes
Coram
Yes
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: 12 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS