Date: 04/01/2013

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB13-1283

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK, & NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 13-1283 to the Committee on ApproPASS



01:31 PM -- House Bill 13-1283

Representative Fischer, sponsor, presented House Bill 13-1283. The bill reduces from $6.6 million to $4 million the FY 2013-14 transfer of money from the Operational Account of the Severance Tax Trust Fund to the Capital Account of the Species Conservation Trust Fund (SCTF) to fund programs submitted by the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources. These programs are intended to conserve native species that are listed as threatened or endangered under state or federal law, are candidate species, or are likely to become candidate species as determined by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The bill also appropriates $4 million from SCTF. Representative Fischer answered questions from the committee regarding severance tax.

The following persons testified on the bill:

01:38 PM -- Jeffrey Ver Steeg, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Ver Steeg discussed various funds outlined in the bill that were proposed by the department. Mr. Ver Steeg answered questions from the committee regarding the involvement of the department in decisions related to candidate species found on federal lands, how the department plans funding that will be utilized over multiple years, the Native Terrestrial Wildlife Species Program, the Native Aquatic Wildlife Species Program, and how projects are prioritized.

01:46 PM -- Linda Bassi, Colorado Water Conservation Board, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Bassi described the four programs outlined in the bill that involve the Colorado Water Conservation Board including the Selenium Management Program, the White River Management Plan, the Instream Flow Water Acquisition, and the Fountain Creek Fish Passage Project. Ms. Bassi answered questions from the committee regarding the Selenium Management Program, grants for irrigation, and the Instream Flow Water Acquisition program.

01:59 PM -- Bill Levine, Department of Natural Resources, offered to answer questions from the committee. There was a question regarding the removal of selenium from rivers and streams; Mr. Levine said he would get back to the committee with the answer to that question.

02:01 PM

Representative Fischer wrapped up his presentation of the bill.

BILL:HB13-1283
TIME: 02:01:35 PM
MOVED:Fischer
MOTION:Refer House Bill 13-1283 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 12-0 with one excused.
SECONDED:Lebsock
VOTE
Buck
Yes
Coram
Yes
Garcia
Yes
Lebsock
Yes
McLachlan
Yes
McNulty
Excused
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Rankin
Yes
Rosenthal
Yes
Saine
Yes
Sonnenberg
Yes
Vigil
Yes
Fischer
Yes
Final YES: 12 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS