Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:04/23/2015
ATTENDANCE
Time:01:33 PM to 03:29 PM
Holbert
X
Johnston
*
Place:SCR 354
Kerr
*
Merrifield
X
This Meeting was called to order by
Neville T.
X
Senator Hill
Todd
*
Woods
X
This Report was prepared by
Marble
X
Rachel Kurtz-Phelan
Hill
X
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
Conf 15-Adams State University Board Of Trustees
SB15-072
SJM15-001
HB15-1170 and HB15-1274
HB15-1275		Refer to the Full Senate
Postponed Indefinitely
Refer to the Full Senate
Referred to Appropriations
Amended, Referred to Appropriations


01:33 PM -- Confirmation of Adams State University Board Of Trustees

Senator Hill, chair, welcomed the committee members to the meeting. He invited the appointees to the Adams State University Board of Trustees to the table to introduce themselves. Copies of the Governor's appointment letter and the appointees' resumes and applications were distributed to the committee (Attachment A). John Singletary introduced himself to the committee and talked about his personal and professional background, and about why he would like to be appointed to the board. Cleave Simpson introduced himself to the committee and talked about his personal, educational, and professional background. He told the committee why he would like to be appointed to the board. The appointees answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0423AttachA.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachA.pdf
















BILL:Conf 15-Adams State University Board Of Trustees
TIME: 01:40:35 PM
MOVED:Marble
MOTION:Refer the appointments of John William Singletary and Cleave Alan Simpson to the Adams State University Board Of Trustees to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation and a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0, with one member excused.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
Yes
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
Yes
Todd
Excused
Woods
Yes
Marble
Yes
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 8 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


01:41 PM -- SB15-072

Senator Lambert, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15-072 which concerns changing admissions standards for Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU-Denver) from modified open to moderately selective. He distributed two handouts to the committee (Attachments B and C) and explained the handouts.

15SenateEd0423AttachB.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachB.pdf 15SenateEd0423AttachC.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachC.pdf

The following people testified on the bill:

01:48 PM -- Dawn Bookhardt, Vice-Chair of the MSU-Denver Board of Trustees, spoke in opposition to the bill. She discussed the demographic make-up of the students who attend MSU-Denver, and told the committee that the majority of students are non-traditional students. She discussed the availability of gateway classes in English and math and stated that changing the admissions standards flies in the face of the school's mission.

01:53 PM -- Dr. Stephen Jordan, President of MSU-Denver, spoke in opposition to the bill. He talked about the mission of the school, and stated that the changes made by the bill disrupt the school's mission. He spoke about the programs at the school that are aimed at increasing the success of students and increasing graduation rates. Dr. Jordan answered questions from the committee.








02:10 PM -- Brittany Bartges, representing herself as a student at MSU-Denver, spoke in opposition to the bill. She talked about her experiences in the military and as a student at MSU-Denver. She told the committee why she opposes the bill.

02:13 PM -- Kenn Bisio, representing himself, spoke in opposition to the bill. He spoke about his educational background, and about why he opposes the bill.

02:17 PM -- Austin Banks, representing himself as a student at MSU-Denver, spoke in opposition to the bill. He distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment D).

15SenateEd0423AttachD.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachD.pdf

02:19 PM -- Shiela Ruscki, representing MSU-Denver faculty, spoke in opposition to the bill. She distributed a handout (Attachment E).

15SenateEd0423AttachE.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachE.pdf

02:21 PM -- Chris Piper, representing Denver Water, spoke in opposition to the bill. He talked about hiring students from MSU-Denver and said that it fills a niche with non-traditional students, in particular with training and educating the type of workforce that Denver Water will need in the next ten years.


02:24 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Lambert distributed an additional handout to the committee (Attachment F) and provided closing comments to the bill. Senator Lambert answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0423AttachF.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachF.pdf


















BILL:SB15-072
TIME: 02:32:59 PM
MOVED:Neville T.
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 15-072 to the Committee on Finance. The motion failed on a vote of 2-7.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
No
Johnston
No
Kerr
No
Merrifield
No
Neville T.
Yes
Todd
No
Woods
Yes
Marble
No
Hill
No
YES: 2 NO: 7 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

BILL:SB15-072
TIME: 02:37:19 PM
MOVED:Marble
MOTION:Postpone Senate Bill 15-072 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 7-2.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
Yes
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
No
Todd
Yes
Woods
No
Marble
Yes
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 7 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS














02:37 PM -- SJM15-001

Senator Steadman presented Senate Joint Memorial 15-001 which concerns memorializing Congress to reimburse Colorado for the costs of federal mandates associated with the Fort Lewis College Native American Tuition Waiver program. He provided background information about Fort Lewis College (Fort Lewis), and talked about the school's mission and the cost to Colorado of providing the tuition waiver to Native American students. He told the committee that there are only two land grant universities in the country that provide tuition waivers. Senator Lambert came to the table to express his support for the memorial.

The following person testified on the bill:

02:41 PM -- Danny Tomlinson, representing Fort Lewis College, spoke in support of the joint memorial. He talked about the history of Fort Lewis and its mission to educate all Native American students tuition-free. He talked about the federal assistance recently requested by Dene Kay Thomas, President of Fort Lewis.


02:45 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony.
BILL:SJM15-001
TIME: 02:45:42 PM
MOVED:Todd
MOTION:Refer Senate Joint Memorial 15-001 to the full senate with a favorable recommendation and a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0, with one member excused.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
Excused
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
Yes
Todd
Yes
Woods
Yes
Marble
Yes
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 8 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS











02:47 PM -- HB15-1170, HB 15-1275, and HB 15-1274

Senator Hill told the committee that it would hear the next three bills as a package of bills and would hear public testimony on all three bills at the same time. Senator Heath, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1170 which concerns measures to raise the level of postsecondary and workforce readiness that Colorado students demonstrate upon graduation from high school. Senator Heath also presented House Bill 15-1275 which concerns measures to support enrollment in career and technical education programs. The committee discussed the importance of work force development. Senator Heath presented amendment L.002 to HB 15-1275 (Attachment G). Senator Kerr, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1274 which concerns the creation of career pathways for students for critical occupations in growing industries. Senator Woods distributed amendment L.005 (Attachment H) to HB 12-1274.

15SenateEd0423AttachG.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachG.pdf 15SenateEd0423AttachH.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachH.pdf

The following people testified on the bills:

02:55 PM -- Jerry Migler, representing the Colorado Community College System, spoke in support of all three bills. He told the committee how the bills will support students in community colleges. He talked about the positive benefits when students start school knowing what their career path will be.

02:59 PM -- Geri Anderson, representing Aims Community College, spoke in support of all three bills. She focused her testimony on HB 15-1170. She stated that whatever a student's pathway, it is a valuable pathway if it puts him or her into the workforce as a contributing member of Colorado's economy.

03:02 PM -- Frank Waterous, representing the Bell Policy Center, spoke in support of all three bills. He spoke about the positive message that the bills send and said that the bills are essential to helping Colorado become and remain a competitive economy.

03:04 PM -- Dave Davia, representing the Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors, spoke in support of all three bills. He explained that the construction industry is facing a shortage of trained and qualified workers. He said that college is a great pathway for some but not all, and the construction industry can be a great alternative.

03:06 PM -- Charles Dukes, representing Aurora Public Schools, spoke in support of the bills. He discussed the importance of ensuring that every student graduates having a plan, skills, and credentials for his or her future.

03:07 PM -- Jeff Barratt, representing Emily Griffith Technical College, spoke in support of the bills. He provided background information about his organization, and stated that the school has experienced a lot of growth in the past few years. He talked about the importance of public-private partnerships, and the importance of creating a pipeline.

03:09 PM -- Stephanie Steffens, representing the Colorado Workforce Development Council, spoke in support of the bills. She distributed a handout (Attachment I) and talked about why she supports the bills.

15SenateEd0423AttachI.pdf15SenateEd0423AttachI.pdf





03:15 PM -- Michael Gifford, representing the Associated General Contractors and Colorado Contractors Association, spoke in support of the bills. He talked about what's going on in the construction industry in Colorado and the current and future work force needs.

03:18 PM -- Phil Hayes, representing Colorado AFL-CIO, spoke in support of all three bills. He talked about why he supports the bills.


03:20 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Heath gave closing comments to HB 15-1170.
BILL:HB15-1170
TIME: 03:21:22 PM
MOVED:Hill
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1170 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 5-4.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
No
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
No
Todd
Yes
Woods
No
Marble
No
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS





















03:26 PM

Senator Woods gave closing comments to HB 15-1274 and discussed amendment L.005 (Attachment H).
BILL:HB15-1274
TIME: 03:27:08 PM
MOVED:Woods
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment H). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
Johnston
Kerr
Merrifield
Neville T.
Todd
Woods
Marble
Hill
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:HB15-1274
TIME: 03:28:02 PM
MOVED:Woods
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1274, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-3.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
No
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
No
Todd
Yes
Woods
Yes
Marble
No
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS








03:23 PM

Senator Heath gave closing comments to HB 15-1275.


03:24 PM

Julie Pelegrin, Office of Legislative Legal Services, came to table to explain amendment L.002 (Attachment G).
BILL:HB15-1275
TIME: 03:25:42 PM
MOVED:Marble
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment G). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
Johnston
Kerr
Merrifield
Neville T.
Todd
Woods
Marble
Hill
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection























BILL:HB15-1275
TIME: 03:26:19 PM
MOVED:Marble
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1275, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 7-2.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Holbert
No
Johnston
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Neville T.
No
Todd
Yes
Woods
Yes
Marble
Yes
Hill
Yes
Final YES: 7 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


03:27 PM

The committee adjourned.