Date: 03/20/2014

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB14-020

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Postpone Senate Bill 14-020 indefinitely. The moti
Refer Senate Bill 14-020 to the Committee of the W		PASS
FAIL



10:51 AM -- SB 14-020

Representative Tyler, chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was present. Representative Saine, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 14-020. The bill directs the Office of Transportation Safety within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to cap spending on administration of the Motorcycle Operator Training Safety (MOST) program at no more than 20 percent of the total cost of the program, and no more than 10 percent may be spent for the promotion of motorcycle safety. It requires CDOT to use 70 percent of the total cost of the program to subsidize tuition for MOST-approved courses. Additionally, the bill requires the MOST program to include "share the road" and impaired riding programs. Representative Saine discussed the intent of the bill and said that training should be more accessible to motorcyclists. Representative Lee asked how the bill accomplishes the intent of the bill.

The following people testified on the bill:

10:57 AM -- Kurt Morrison and Glenn Davis, representing CDOT, testified in opposition to the bill. A handout on the MOST program was distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Mr. Morrison commented on the audit of the MOST program. Mr. Davis gave a brief overview of CDOT's role with the MOST Advisory Board and explained the board's responsibilities and duties. He said that the monies from MOST come in from motorcycle registrations and motorcycle endorsements. He commented on the distribution of MOST money in the last year. Representative Ginal asked if CDOT needs more money to run the program. Mr. Davis said that the department has returned money to vendors in the last few years and that additional money is not needed to run the program. Representative Ginal asked for more information concerning recent meetings of the MOST Advisory Board. Mr. Davis said that CDOT has hosted every meeting and provided information of the history of the program. He said that there has been no shortage of communication between CDOT and members of the board. Mr. Morrison said that the increase in the administrative cap under the bill is not necessary and that they keep administrative costs at 10 to 14 of the program costs. He said that CDOT is currently evaluating whether the subsidy is worth having and whether its worth taxpayer dollars. He said that more than half of the MOST program customers do not know that there is a subsidy. He stated that the bill determines that there is value in the subsidy but that CDOT is currently still evaluating if there is a value in the subsidy to put it into statute. Representative Moreno asked about the audit of the program and asked for more information on why the audit recommended that the subsidy be discontinued. Mr. Davis commented on the recommendations of the audit committee. Discussion ensued concerning the subsidy and where the subsidy will be distributed. Discussion ensued concerning how the subsidy would be distributed. Mr. Morrison commented on CDOT's implementation of House Bill 13-1083 and said that the department is now in phase 2 of determining how this program should operate.

140320 AttachA.pdf140320 AttachA.pdf

11:14 AM

Representative Moreno asked for information about the composition of the MOST Advisory Board. Representative Ginal asked for more information about tuition for the program.

11:16 AM

Representative Saine asked Mr. Davis about quality assurance for training vendors. Discussion ensued concerning the student tuition subsidy.

11:19 AM -- Dave Hall, representing the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), testified in opposition to the bill. He said that the advisory committee has only had a few chances to meet and discuss the issues they are tasked to do. He said that the CSP does not have a monetary interest in the program and that its concern is the function it has in educating operators in safely operating motorcycles on state roads. He responded to questions from the committee concerning the program and the CSP's position on the bill.

11:23 AM -- Jason Curdy, representing Full Throttle Riding Academy, testified in opposition to the bill. He gave an overview of his company and said that the subsidy is not what his program is all about.

11:25 AM -- Jennifer Tolbert, representing Motorcycle Training Academy, testified in opposition to the bill. She said that her company was not consulted on this bill and only found out about it three days before the bill was introduced. She said that she informs students about the subsidy on the academy's website and that they offer financial aid if riders can't afford classes. She said that they support MOST but that the bill does not give a chance for the board to prove that the program can be bettered. She said that the subsidy should be for motorcycle safety. Representative Ginal asked about when Ms. Tolbert found out about this bill. Ms. Tolbert responded to questions from the committee concerning her role on the advisory board.

11:34 AM -- Terry Howard, representing A Brotherhood Active Towards Education (ABATE) of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. She said that the intent of the bill is to bring the program back to the original intent of the program when it was developed. She said that the current MOST coordinator is overworked and needs assistance. She said that quality assurance visits are being made but at a bare minimum. She commented on the stakeholder process on the bill. Discussion ensued concerning the intent of the bill and the role of the advisory board.

11:48 AM -- Colleen Boyle, representing T3RG Motorcycle Schools, testified in support of the bill. She commented on discounts that schools issue to students for tuition costs. She said that the increase in the amount for administration could be used as a way to increase quality assurance visits. She said that the effectiveness of the advisory board is still in question. She responded to questions from the committee concerning the subsidy.

11:56 AM -- Danny Barton, representing US Defenders, and Deb 'Tiger" Chandler, representing the Coalition of Independent Riders, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Barton said that the money is not going where it was intended to go. Ms. Chandler commented on the cut in the subsidy from $70 to $35. Mr. Barton and Ms. Chandler responded to questions from the committee concerning the tuition subsidy.

12:09 PM

Mr. Davis responded to questions concerning how the money from the subsidy is allocated. He said that CDOT has been doing an annual report on MOST since 2008 and that these reports are available online. Representative Moreno asked if there is a statutory mandate that CDOT spend the funds collected from these revenues on the MOST program.

12:11 PM

Representative Saine presented closing comments on the bill.
BILL:SB14-020
TIME: 12:13:04 PM
MOVED:Kraft-Tharp
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 14-020 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a vote of 2-11.
SECONDED:Coram
VOTE
Buck
Yes
Coram
No
Fischer
No
Ginal
No
Kraft-Tharp
No
Lawrence
No
Lee
No
Mitsch Bush
No
Peniston
No
Scott
No
Sonnenberg
No
Moreno
Yes
Tyler
No
YES: 2 NO: 11 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:SB14-020
TIME: 12:15:35 PM
MOVED:Fischer
MOTION:Postpone Senate Bill 14-020 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 8-4, with one member excused.
SECONDED:Lawrence
VOTE
Buck
No
Coram
No
Fischer
Yes
Ginal
Yes
Kraft-Tharp
Yes
Lawrence
Yes
Lee
Yes
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Peniston
Yes
Scott
No
Sonnenberg
Excused
Moreno
No
Tyler
Yes
Final YES: 8 NO: 4 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS