Date: 04/27/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB15-045

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Postpone Senate Bill 15-045 indefinitely. The moti
Refer Senate Bill 15-045 to the Committee on Finan		PASS
FAIL



05:49 PM -- SB15-045

Representative Ransom, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15-045, which provides tax credits to parents who enroll their children in nonpublic schools. She stated that the bill would not apply to children already in private schools, only to those who move from public schools to private schools or home education. She described the cost savings to Colorado taxpayers as children leave the public school system. Representative Ransom responded to questions from the committee.


05:59 PM

The following people testified:

05:59 PM -- Treon Goossen, representing parentalrights.org, spoke in support of the bill. She spoke about how the bill would assist families in transitioning out of the public school system. She spoke about the secular purpose of the bill, in addition to supporting both sectarian and nonsectarian nonpublic schools. Ms. Goossen said there is no violation of the establishment clause because the money goes from the state directly to the parents, and the parents spend it on whatever educational option they choose.

06:05 PM -- Bob Kaser, representing himself, spoke in opposition to the bill. He spoke about the impact on school districts and the state. Mr. Kaser responded to questions from the committee. He distributed his written testimony to the committee (Attachment E).

15HouseEd0427AttachE.pdf15HouseEd0427AttachE.pdf

06:16 PM -- Cindra Barnard, representing Taxpayers for Public Education, spoke in opposition to the bill. She told the committee that vouchers will destroy the free public school system and spoke about the fiscal note. She said that one or two students leaving each classroom do not reduce the costs of running a school, but reduce the amount of money provided to the school. She spoke about accountability and how vouchers will lead to segregation and discrimination.

06:20 PM -- Brian Tanner, representing Colorado Education Association, spoke in opposition to the bill. He described his organization, and the reasons it and other organizations oppose the bill. He spoke about static costs which do not decrease when enrollment declines and the state's school funding problems. Mr. Tanner responded to questions from the committee.

06:23 PM -- Stuart Pack, representing the Anti-Defamation League, spoke in opposition to the bill. He spoke about voucher programs in other states and constitutional principles of separation of church and state. He discussed the threat to the public school system if enrollment and funding decline. He spoke about the Blaine Amendment to the Colorado Constitution.


06:29 PM

No further witnesses being present, Representative Pettersen closed public testimony.
BILL:SB15-045
TIME: 06:29:45 PM
MOVED:Priola
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 15-045 to the Committee on Finance. The motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:Lundeen
VOTE
Everett
Yes
Fields
No
Garnett
No
Hamner
No
Lundeen
Yes
Moreno
No
Priola
Yes
Wilson
Yes
Windholz
Yes
Lee
No
Pettersen
No
YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL
BILL:SB15-045
TIME: 06:33:30 PM
MOVED:Hamner
MOTION:Postpone Senate Bill 15-045 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:Lee
VOTE
Everett
No
Fields
Yes
Garnett
Yes
Hamner
Yes
Lundeen
No
Moreno
Yes
Priola
No
Wilson
No
Windholz
No
Lee
Yes
Pettersen
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

06:34 PM

The committee adjourned.