Bill Summary for Bill Number HB15-1140

Date: 02/18/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1140

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Postpone House Bill 15-1140 indefinitely. The moti Refer House Bill 15-1140 to the Committee on Appro	PASS FAIL

10:35 AM -- HB15-1140

Representative Coram, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1140. The bill refers a question to voters at the 2016 general election to require that identification for same day voting election-related purposes include a photograph of the individual. The bill defines acceptable forms of identification to include a valid:

Colorado driver's license;

identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR);

United States passport;

employee identification card issued by a federal, state, or local government entity;

pilot's license issued by the federal Aviation Administration;

United States Military identification card;

student identification card; or

veteran health identification card.

10:40 AM -- Lizzy Stephan, representing New Era Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill.

10:43 AM -- Wayne Williams, Colorado Secretary of State, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Williams explained his interpretation of the bill and described his experience with voter fraud as a county clerk. He responded to questions from the committee.

10:48 AM -- Linda Olson, representing Colorado Legal Services, testified from a neutral position. Ms. Olson spoke about the difficulty some people have with obtaining identification. She responded to questions from the committee about the time frame for obtaining new identification.

10:53 AM -- Carol Tone, representing the League of Women Voters, testified in opposition to the bill.

10:55 AM -- Chuck Broerman, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Broerman spoke about areas in which Colorado is vulnerable to voter fraud. He described studies related to the impact of voter identification laws on voter turnout rates. He responded to questions from the committee.

11:01 AM -- Jennifer Levin, representing Disability Law Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Levin spoke about the work of her organization. She stressed the importance of equal access to elections and expressed her opinion that the bill represents an undue burden on individuals with disabilities.

11:03 AM -- Ricardo Rocha, representing the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO), testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Rocha discussed the burden the bill could have on Latino voters.

11:05 AM -- Elena Nunez, representing Colorado Common Cause, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Nunez expressed her opinion that it would be problematic to have different requirements to register to vote, depending on when a citizen registers. She discussed voter disenfranchisement and fraud.

11:08 AM -- Denise Maes, representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Maes spoke about the importance of free and open elections and broad participation in elections. She reiterated the testimony of prior witnesses.

11:11 AM

Representative Coram wrapped up his presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.


BILL:	HB15-1140
TIME:	11:14:05 AM
MOVED:	Thurlow
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1140 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:	Willett
		VOTE
	Foote	No
	Humphrey	Yes
	Lontine	No
	Neville P.	Yes
	Primavera	No
	Tate	Yes
	Thurlow	Yes
	Tyler	No
	Willett	Yes
	Salazar	No
	Ryden	No

YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	HB15-1140
TIME:	11:14:46 AM
MOVED:	Salazar
MOTION:	Postpone House Bill 15-1140 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Foote
		VOTE
	Foote	Yes
	Humphrey	No
	Lontine	Yes
	Neville P.	No
	Primavera	Yes
	Tate	No
	Thurlow	No
	Tyler	Yes
	Willett	No
	Salazar	Yes
	Ryden	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS