House Committee on Local Government (05/01/2014)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Date:	05/01/2014	ATTENDANCE

Time:	11:30 AM to 12:47 PM	Dore	X
		Exum	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Garcia	X
		Gardner	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Landgraf	X
	Representative Fields	Lebsock	X
		Navarro	X
This Report was prepared by		Rankin	X
	Jeanette Chapman	Rosenthal	X
		Vigil	X
		Wright	*
		Singer	*
		Fields	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB14-172		Referred to Appropriations

11:30 AM -- SB14-172

Representative Kraft Tharp presented Senate Bill 14-172, concerning employer paid benefits to a firefighter for cardiac illnesses resulting from a strenuous work event. The bill requires any municipality, special district, fire authority, or county improvement district employing one or more firefighters to provide benefits for heart and circulatory malfunctions for full-time firefighters, as long as the state provides sufficient funding to cover the costs. The employer may purchase accident insurance, self-insure, or participate in a self-insurance pool, or multi-employer health trust. Employers may also provide similar insurance for volunteer firefighters. The bill establishes the amounts of minimum benefits payments, which must increase proportionally and concurrently with any benefit increases provided by the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA).

The maximum amount that can be paid to a firefighter as a result of a heart and circulatory malfunction is $250,000. Eligible firefighters who smoked a tobacco product within the five years preceding the work event will have their overall benefits reduced by 25 percent.

In order to receive benefits a firefighter must:

have had a recent medical examination that found no heart or circulatory malfunction present;

be employed for at least five continuous years as a firefighter, except for a volunteer firefighter that must have five years of continuous service with the same employer; and

have experienced the heart and circulatory malfunction within 48 hours of a stressful or strenuous work event.

The bill does not prohibit a firefighter from receiving other benefits; however, benefits for heart and circulatory malfunction must be offset by any payments made under:

workers' compensation;

FPPA;

social security or other qualified retirement plans; or

as part of any other employer-paid income benefit made as a result of heart and circulatory malfunction.

The bill also creates the Firefighter Benefits Cash Fund. The fund receives annual appropriations from the General Fund to the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). The DOLA will use moneys from this cash fund to reimburse employers for the direct costs of maintaining accident insurance under the bill. If funding for the benefits required under the bill is insufficient to cover the costs of the benefits, then maintaining benefits becomes optional for employers.

11:34 AM -- Mike Rogers, Colorado Professional Firefighters, and Donald Lombardi, West Metro Fire Rescue, Colorado State Fire Chiefs, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Rogers described the impetus for the bill. Chief Lombardi described the costs for premiums for workers' compensation for first responders. Mr. Rogers and Chief Lombardi responded to questions from the committee.

11:45 AM

Mr. Rogers and Chief Lombardi continued to address questions raised by the committee concerning coverage for volunteer firefighters and language in the bill to ensure that otherwise healthy firefighters will receive coverage. Chief Lombardi described fitness and health awareness that firefighters are exposed to in order to ensure good health care to minimize the need for health claims.

12:02 PM

Committee questions continued to Mr. Rogers and Chief Lombardi. Mr. Rogers discussed the limitations on coverage for volunteer firefighters.

12:16 PM

Committee questions continued to Mr. Rogers and Chief Lombardi.

12:23 PM -- Dan Qualman, South Metro Fire Rescue, came to the table to assist in addressing questions from the committee.

12:37 PM

Representative Kraft Tharp made closing comments on the merits of the bill. She responded to questions from the committee. The committee members discussed their issues with the bill.


BILL:	SB14-172
TIME:	12:45:41 PM
MOVED:	Singer
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 14-172 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 7-5.
SECONDED:	Lebsock
		VOTE
	Dore	No
	Exum	Yes
	Garcia	Yes
	Gardner	Excused
	Landgraf	No
	Lebsock	Yes
	Navarro	No
	Rankin	No
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Vigil	Yes
	Wright	No
	Singer	Yes
	Fields	Yes

Final YES: 7 NO: 5 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

12:47 PM

The committee adjourned.