Date: 04/14/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1226

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC HEALTH CARE & HUMAN SERVICES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion p
Refer House Bill 15-1226, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



01:52 PM -- HB 15-1226

The committee reconvened. Representative K.C. Becker introduced House Bill 15-1226 and distributed amendment L.002, a strike-below amendment to the bill (Attachment A). As introduced, the bill repealed the statutory licensing fees for restaurant inspections and allowed the fees to be set by the State Board of Health. The amendment creates a stakeholder group to study retail food establishments, license fees, and inspection programs. She explained that counties are picking up a large share of the costs of restaurant inspections due to the current licensing scheme. She discussed the stakeholder process that led to the development of amendment L.002. Representative Becker responded to questions from the committee regarding inspections of school food programs and the fees charged for those inspections.

150414 AttachA.pdf150414 AttachA.pdf

01:58 PM -- Tom Gonzales, Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials and El Paso Public Health, testified in support of amendment L.002. He explained that current fees for inspections are set in statute and have not been increased since 2009. He noted that the fees support unannounced restaurant inspections and follow-up inspections, relayed statistics regarding the frequency of inspections, and stated that the fees are too low to support the current level of inspections. He stated that El Paso County General Funds pay for 50 percent of the cost of inspections in the county and discussed the inspection program and the training and experience of restaurant inspectors.

02:04 PM -- Mary Lou Chapman, Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, testified in support of amendment L.002.

02:07 PM -- Grier Baily, Colorado and Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association, testified in support of amendment L.002.

02:09 PM -- Chris Howes, Colorado Retail Council, testified in support of amendment L.002.

02:10 PM -- Tom Butts, Tri-county Health Department and Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials, testified in support of amendment L.002 and distributed two handouts to the committee (Attachments B and C). He noted that counties provide 50 percent of the funding for Tri-County Health Department's inspection program. He responded to questions from the committee.

150414 AttachB.pdf150414 AttachB.pdf150414 AttachC.pdf150414 AttachC.pdf

02:15 PM -- Bill Artist, Colorado Restaurant Association, stated that there is value in setting up a process to examine restaurant licensing fees. He stated his support for the process created by amendment L.002, and testified in a neutral position on the bill. He spoke regarding the importance of uniform inspection and licensing requirements across the state.

02:18 PM -- Sundari Kraft, Mile High Business Alliance, testified in support of amendment L.002.

BILL:HB15-1226
TIME: 02:19:56 PM
MOVED:Becker K.
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Danielson
VOTE
Becker K.
Conti
Danielson
Everett
Joshi
Landgraf
Melton
Moreno
Sias
Tyler
Windholz
Singer
Primavera
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection



02:20 PM

Representative Becker gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.

BILL:HB15-1226
TIME: 02:22:37 PM
MOVED:Becker K.
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1226, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 11-2.
SECONDED:Conti
VOTE
Becker K.
Yes
Conti
Yes
Danielson
Yes
Everett
No
Joshi
No
Landgraf
Yes
Melton
Yes
Moreno
Yes
Sias
Yes
Tyler
Yes
Windholz
Yes
Singer
Yes
Primavera
Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS