Date: 05/04/2015
Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1057
SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS
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04:29 PM -- HB15-1057
Senators Sonnenberg and Hodge, co-prime sponsors, presented House Bill 15-1057 to the committee. Under current law, the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) prepares fiscal impact statements for all citizen-initiated measures that are certified for the statewide ballot. This bill requires that the LCS prepare initial fiscal impact statements for all measures submitted to the title board. The initial fiscal impact statement must include an abstract describing the measure's effect on state and local government revenues, expenditures, taxes, and fiscal liabilities, as well as a two-sentence fiscal impact summary. The LCS must submit the statement to the proponents and the title board prior to the meeting at which the measure's ballot title will be set, and post it on the LCS website. The summary must appear on initiative petitions circulated for signature collection. The bill permits the LCS to later update the fiscal impact summary, if necessary, when preparing a fiscal impact statement for the Blue Book, the official voter guide for statewide ballot measures.
The bill also requires both designated representatives of the initiative proponents to appear at all review and comment meetings. If either of the two representatives fails to appear, the initiative will be automatically resubmitted. Further, the bill encourages proponents to submit their own estimate of the measure's fiscal impact to the LCS, and it allows them to submit an estimate to the title board along with the measure. The version submitted to the title board may be amended from the original version.
04:29 PM
The committee recessed.
04:39 PM
The committee reconvened.
04:40 PM -- Tamra Ward, representing Colorado Concern, testified in support of the bill.
04:42 PM -- Elena Nunez, representing Colorado Common Cause, testified against the bill.
04:46 PM -- Becky Long, representing Conservation Colorado, testified against the bill.
04:50 PM
Senator Scott laid bill the over until Tuesday, May 5, 2015. The committee took a short recess.