House Committee on Business, Labor, Economic, & Workforce Development (01/21/2014)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

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

Date:	01/21/2014	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:32 PM to 02:58 PM	Exum	X
		Hamner	X
Place:	LSB A	Holbert	X
		Navarro	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Nordberg	X
	Representative Williams	Rosenthal	X
		Ryden	X
This Report was prepared by		Szabo	X
	Erin Vanderberg	Wright	X
		Kraft-Tharp	X
		Williams	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Briefing by Fiscal Notes Staff Briefing by Legal Services Staff HB14-1038 HB14-1015 HB14-1016 HB14-1034		Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Postponed Indefinitely Amended, Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Finance Referred to Finance

01:33 PM -- Briefing by Fiscal Notes Staff

Representative Williams, chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was present. Mr. Alex Schatz, Legislative Council Staff, briefed the committee on the fiscal notes process.

01:38 PM -- Briefing by Legal Services Staff

Ms. Christy Chase, Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS), briefed the committee on the bill drafting process. She distributed a handout, "Legislative Legal Services: 'Services' For You That Go Beyond Bill and Amendment Drafting" (Attachment A), and discussed the OLLS' Colorado LegiSource blog available at www.legisource.net.

140121 AttachA.pdf

01:40 PM -- House Bill 14-1038

Representative Wilson, sponsor, presented House Bill 14-1038, concerning the authority of a licensed alcohol beverage manufacturer to offer to its customers alcohol beverages manufactured by other licensed manufacturers. Under current law, a licensed manufacturer of spiritous liquors (spirits) can conduct tastings and sell only the spirits it manufactures on its licensed premises and at one additional sales room location. This bill allows a licensed manufacturer to conduct tastings and sell spirits of other Colorado manufacturers, and to offer tastings of raw ingredients used to manufacture its products. The sponsor requested that the committee postpone his bill indefinitely.


BILL:	HB14-1038
TIME:	01:41:45 PM
MOVED:	Holbert
MOTION:	Postpone House Bill 14-1038 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 10-1.
SECONDED:	Nordberg
		VOTE
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	No
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Wright	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

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

01:43 PM -- House Bill 14-1015

Representative Kraft-Tharp, sponsor, presented House Bill 14-1015, concerning an extension of the transitional jobs program. The bill extends the Transitional Jobs Program (known as ReHire Colorado) administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS) through December 30, 2016. The program is currently scheduled for repeal on December 30, 2014. The sponsor discussed the bill and responded to questions from the committee on the specifics of the program.

01:51 PM -- Jessica Valand, DHS, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Valand stated that she is the employment and training manager for the ReHire Colorado program. Ms. Valand discussed specific successes of the ReHire Colorado program and responded to questions previously asked of the sponsor. The witness responded to questions from the committee on per person costs of the program, the reason for the deadline extension, and how the program compares to other employment programs in the state.

02:01 PM -- Andi Leopoldus, representing Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. The witness discussed how her agency worked with the ReHire Colorado program.

02:05 PM

Representative Kraft-Tharp introduced Amendment L.001 (Attachment B). The amendment extended the program's deadline through June 30, 2017, to conform with the fiscal year. Representative Kraft-Tharp stated that the amendment would not change the bill's fiscal impact.

140121 AttachB.pdf


BILL:	HB14-1015
TIME:	02:06:10 PM
MOVED:	Kraft-Tharp
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Hamner
		VOTE
	Exum
	Hamner
	Holbert
	Navarro
	Nordberg
	Rosenthal
	Ryden
	Szabo
	Wright
	Kraft-Tharp
	Williams

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

02:07 PM

Representative Kraft-Tharp delivered final comments on the bill.


BILL:	HB14-1015
TIME:	02:08:49 PM
MOVED:	Kraft-Tharp
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1015, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Hamner
		VOTE
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	No
	Navarro	No
	Nordberg	No
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	No
	Wright	No
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

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

02:09 PM -- House Bill 14-1016

Representative Ryden and Representative Gardner, sponsors, presented House Bill 14-1016, concerning the delivery of procurement technical assistance services. This bill establishes the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), allowing Colorado to participate in federal procurement technical assistance, with federal funds that match state contributions to a program that follows federal guidelines. The state participates by entering into a contractual partnership between the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and at least one nonprofit entity that is designated by the federal Defense Logistics Agency to provide technical assistance in Colorado. The state may contract with its contract partner for up to six years. The sponsors distributed a handout (Attachment C) and Amendment L.001 (Attachment D) to committee members.

140121 AttachC.pdf

140121 AttachD.pdf

02:15 PM -- Jeff Kraft, representing OEDIT, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Kraft stated that he is the director of business funding and incentives at OEDIT. He discussed the recent work of the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Task Force and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).

02:20 PM -- Kevin Hougen, representing the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, testified in support of the bill. He discussed the impact of procurement technical assistance on the City of Aurora.

02:23 PM -- Andy Merritt, representing the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, testified in support of the bill. He discussed the importance of procurement technical assistance to his region of the state.

02:25 PM -- Gary Henry, representing PTAC, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Henry stated that he is the executive director of PTAC. Mr. Henry discussed his job, the purpose of the program, and the credentials of program employees. He stated that the funding provided in the bill will help PTAC to be viewed as a sustainable entity, which he said will increase private contributions. Mr. Henry responded to questions from the committee.

02:29 PM

Representative Ryden discussed Amendment L.001, which strikes language from the bill that would make procurement contracts exempt from the state procurement code.


BILL:	HB14-1016
TIME:	02:30:32 PM
MOVED:	Ryden
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Exum
		VOTE
	Exum
	Hamner
	Holbert
	Navarro
	Nordberg
	Rosenthal
	Ryden
	Szabo
	Wright
	Kraft-Tharp
	Williams

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

02:31 PM

Representative Gardner and Representative Ryden delivered closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	HB14-1016
TIME:	02:32:53 PM
MOVED:	Ryden
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1016, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 10-1.
SECONDED:	Hamner
		VOTE
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	No
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Wright	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

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

02:34 PM -- House Bill 14-1034

Representative Williams, sponsor, presented House Bill 14-1034, concerning the creation of a wine packaging permit to allow certain alcohol beverage licensees to package wine produced by another wine manufacturer. Under current law, only licensed wineries are permitted to bottle the wine they produce. This bill creates the wine packaging permit to be issued by the Department of Revenue (DOR) that allows a licensed winery to package wine manufactured by another winery. The permit also allows a wine wholesaler to package wine. Prior to packaging, federal excise taxes on the wine must be paid. After packaging, the wine must be returned to the original winery, or to the original winery's licensed wholesaler. The packaging winery cannot sell or distribute the packaged wine to a licensed retailer or directly to a consumer. The bill sets the annual fee for the wine packaging permit at $200.

02:39 PM -- Ben Parsons, representing the Infinite Monkey Theorem, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Parsons discussed his experiences in wine academia and the wine industry. He discussed the impetus behind alternative packaging for wine; the can is recyclable, will not break on wilderness trips, and, therefore, appeals to the outdoor consumer. In addition, cans suits concert and sporting venues where glass is prohibited. Mr. Parsons discussed the machinations of kegged wine. Mr. Parsons discussed the bill's impact on his business and on the state's wine industry. Mr. Parsons responded to questions from the committee on how the wine industry will be aware of the bill, what types of wine are authorized to be packaged in the state under the bill, and on the process of quality assurance for canned and kegged wine.

02:51 PM -- Jay Christianson, representing Canyon Wind Cellars and the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), testified in support of the bill. He stated that he currently serves as the president of the CWIDB. Mr. Christianson discussed how having the ability to have another winery package his wine would help his and other small wineries. He stated that the CWIDB supports the bill.

02:53 PM -- Megan Jorgensen, representing Snooze AM Eateries, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Jorgensen stated that she serves as the sustainability coordinator for the restaurant chain. Ms. Jorgensen said that Snooze started using wine kegs two years ago. In her experience, kegs save time, preserve the wine product, are novel to people, and, above all, lessen the environmental impact of wine. Prior to using the keg system, Snooze restaurants were importing 450 champagne bottles per week and hoping the hauler would recycle; now, they call it "zero waste" champagne.

02:55 PM -- David Reitz, director of the Tavern League, spoke in favor of the bill.

02:56 PM

Representative Williams delivered closing comments.


BILL:	HB14-1034
TIME:	02:56:35 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1034 to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Szabo
		VOTE
	Exum	Yes
	Hamner	Yes
	Holbert	Yes
	Navarro	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Rosenthal	Yes
	Ryden	Yes
	Szabo	Yes
	Wright	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Williams	Yes

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

02:58 PM

The committee adjourned.