House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs (04/23/2014)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Date:	04/23/2014	ATTENDANCE

Time:	12:02 PM to 02:16 PM	Conti	X
		Foote	X
Place:	LSB A	Gerou	X
		Humphrey	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Labuda	X
	Representative Ryden	Melton	X
		Moreno	X
This Report was prepared by		Nordberg	X
	Jessika Shipley	Williams	X
		Salazar	X
		Ryden	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB14-1387 HB14-1343 SB14-157 HB14-1385		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Legislative Council Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

12:02 PM -- HB14-1387

Representatives Szabo and Fischer, co-sponsors, presented House Bill 14-1387. The bill, recommended by the Capital Development Committee (CDC), updates definitions and codifies existing practice associated with the categorization and review of capital construction budget requests. It also removes obsolete statutory provisions and makes conforming amendments. In addition, the bill makes the following changes to existing practice:

amends the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Act in order to permit an additional grant award for FY 2013-14;

changes the period of time that the CDC is required to forecast the amount of available revenue for capital projects to conform with the forecast period used in the economic forecasts published by Legislative Council Staff;

modifies existing thresholds governing notice requirements and the procurement of various services associated with construction projects;

requires the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) to establish and maintain a separate inventory of information technology equipment valued in excess of $100,000 for all state agencies;

eliminates the sunset of the CDC; and

changes deadlines for capital budget submissions by the Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB).

Amendments L.001, L.002, and L.003 were distributed (Attachments A, B, and C). Representatives Fischer and Szabo explained the effects of amendments L.001 and L.002. They responded to questions from the committee.

14HseState0423AttachA.pdf

14HseState0423AttachB.pdf

14HseState0423AttachC.pdf

12:12 PM -- Esther van Mourik, representing the Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions about L.002. Ms. van Mourik also discussed substantive changes to the bill.

12:20 PM -- Kori Donaldson, representing Legislative Council Staff, responded to questions about the bill and, specifically, the Art in Public Places Program. Ms. van Mourik weighed in as well.

12:25 PM

Representative Ryden explained the purpose of amendment L.003. She responded to questions from the committee.

12:27 PM -- Greg Romberg, representing the Colorado Press Association, testified in favor of the adoption of L.003. Mr. Romberg spoke about legal notices published in the newspaper. He explained how legal notices are also required to be published on a website maintained by the press association pursuant to House Bill 14-1086. He discussed limitations on fees for such notices. The committee continued to discuss the amendment. Representative Ryden announced that she would not offer the amendment in committee, but would work on it further and offer it on second reading.


BILL:	HB14-1387
TIME:	12:38:10 PM
MOVED:	Gerou
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Humphrey
		VOTE
	Conti
	Foote
	Gerou
	Humphrey
	Labuda
	Melton
	Moreno
	Nordberg
	Williams
	Salazar
	Ryden

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


BILL:	HB14-1387
TIME:	12:38:38 PM
MOVED:	Labuda
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Melton
		VOTE
	Conti
	Foote
	Gerou
	Humphrey
	Labuda
	Melton
	Moreno
	Nordberg
	Williams
	Salazar
	Ryden

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

12:39 PM

Representatives Fischer and Szabo wrapped up their presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.


BILL:	HB14-1387
TIME:	12:40:57 PM
MOVED:	Salazar
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1387, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Gerou
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Foote	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Humphrey	Yes
	Labuda	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Williams	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	Yes

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

12:42 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

12:44 PM -- HB14-1343

The committee returned to order.

Representatives Singer and Wright, co-sponsors, presented House Bill 14-1343. The bill was referred from the House Local Government Committee on April 16, 2014. Testimony on the bill was heard in that committee on April 2, 2014. The bill concerns post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) coverage under workers' compensation claims for peace officers. Representative Singer explained amendment L.014 (Attachment D), which strikes everything below the enacting clause. Representative Wright weighed in with his perspective as a peace officer.

14HseState0423AttachD.pdf

12:56 PM

In response to questions from the committee, Representative Singer discussed the reason the strike-below amendment was drafted. A lengthy discussion ensued about severing the amendment into two sections, which was ultimately done. Severed section A encompasses page 1, line 1 through page 2, line 17. Severed section B includes page 1, lines 1 and 2 and then begins again on page 2, line 18 and ends on page 4, line 30. Committee members commented extensively about their positions on the two sections.


BILL:	HB14-1343
TIME:	01:15:01 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Adopt severed section B of amendment L014 (Attachment D), which includes the first two lines of the amendment and then begins again on page 2, line 18 and ends on page 4, line 30. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Gerou
		VOTE
	Conti
	Foote
	Gerou
	Humphrey
	Labuda
	Melton
	Moreno
	Nordberg
	Williams
	Salazar
	Ryden

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


BILL:	HB14-1343
TIME:	01:37:45 PM
MOVED:	Salazar
MOTION:	Adopt severed section A of amendment L.014 (Attachment D), which begins on page 1, line 1 and ends on page 2, line 17. The motion failed on a vote of 3-8.
SECONDED:	Melton
		VOTE
	Conti	No
	Foote	Yes
	Gerou	No
	Humphrey	No
	Labuda	No
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	No
	Nordberg	No
	Williams	No
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	No

YES: 3 NO: 8 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	HB14-1343
TIME:	01:39:31 PM
MOVED:	Gerou
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1343, as amended, to the Committee on Legislative Council. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Williams
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Foote	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Humphrey	Yes
	Labuda	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Williams	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	Yes

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

01:40 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

01:41 PM -- SB14-157

The committee returned to order.

Representatives Ryden and Nordberg, co-sponsors, presented Senate Bill 14-157. The bill requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for an outside contractor to prepare a report demonstrating to policymakers in the federal Department of Defense (DOD) the strategic and economic advantages of maintaining and expanding military missions, defense spending, and defense-related investment in Colorado. The DMVA may consult with the Governor's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) to prepare the RFP and select a contractor.

No later than August 1, 2014, the DMVA must solicit proposals from prospective contractors. The bill identifies the minimum qualifications the DMVA must consider when selecting a contractor, and the specific subjects the contractor must address in the final report. The DMVA must award the contract no later than October 1, 2014, and the contractor must complete the report no later than April 15, 2015.

The bill creates the Comprehensive Report on the Value of United States Military Activities Fund in the State Treasury to finance the report. The fund consists of any moneys the General Assembly appropriates to it, as well as any money collected by the DMVA from federal grants or from private donations. The bill is repealed July 1, 2016.

01:46 PM

Representative Ryden responded to questions from the committee about the cost of the bill.

01:46 PM -- Kevin Hougen, representing the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Hougen discussed the importance of the United States military to Colorado communities.

01:50 PM -- Andy Merritt, representing the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Merritt spoke about proposed cuts to the federal Department of Defense budget. He spoke about what those cuts may mean to Colorado communities.

01:54 PM -- Greg Dorman, representing the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, testified in support of the bill.


BILL:	SB14-157
TIME:	01:56:59 PM
MOVED:	Ryden
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 14-157 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 11-0.
SECONDED:	Gerou
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Foote	Yes
	Gerou	Yes
	Humphrey	Yes
	Labuda	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Williams	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	Yes

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

01:58 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

01:59 PM -- HB14-1385

The committee returned to order.

Representatives Priola and Peniston, co-sponsors, presented House Bill 14-1385. The bill creates an academic growth award to recognize public high schools that achieve high levels of student academic growth. The awards must be in the form of trophies that resemble the trophies presented for athletic accomplishments, and are awarded to the public high school achieving the highest growth in each of the school groupings established by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) for the sport of football.

Representative Priola explained amendment L.001 and the Legislative Council memorandum about the amendment (Attachment E). He responded to questions from the committee about the bill.

14HseState0423AttachE.pdf

02:10 PM

The committee continued to discuss the bill.


BILL:	HB14-1385
TIME:	02:13:12 PM
MOVED:	Salazar
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment E). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Williams
		VOTE
	Conti
	Foote
	Gerou
	Humphrey
	Labuda
	Melton
	Moreno
	Nordberg
	Williams
	Salazar
	Ryden

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


BILL:	HB14-1385
TIME:	02:14:01 PM
MOVED:	Salazar
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 14-1385, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 10-0, with 1 excused.
SECONDED:	Conti
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Foote	Excused
	Gerou	Yes
	Humphrey	Yes
	Labuda	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Williams	Yes
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	Yes

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

02:16 PM

The committee adjourned.