House Committee on Transportation & Energy (04/02/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY

Date:	04/02/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	10:04 AM to 11:02 AM	Becker J.	X
		Buck	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Carver	X
		Coram	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Esgar	X
	Representative Tyler	Kraft-Tharp	X
		Melton	X
This Report was prepared by		Moreno	*
	Matt Kiszka	Neville P.	X
		Nordberg	X
		Winter	X
		Mitsch Bush	X
		Tyler	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB15-1313 SB15-090		Referred to Finance Amended, Referred to Finance

10:04 AM

The committee was called to order. A quorum was present.

10:04 AM -- HB 15-1313

Representative KC Becker, prime sponsor, came to the table to present House Bill 15-1313. The bill creates the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) license plate to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the park. The license plate will be available to any applicant—provided he or she makes a donation to support RMNP, as well as paying the standard license plate taxes and fees and a one-time additional special license plate fee of $50—on November 15, 2015, or when the Department of Revenue (DOR) is able, whichever is later. The DOR may stop issuing RMNP license plates if 3,000 license plates are not issued by July 1, 2020. Anyone issued the RMNP license plate in advance of that date may continue to use the plate.

The DOR is required to designate a nonprofit organization working in RMNP, at least once every five years, to be the recipient of license plate donations based on a set of criteria outlined in the bill and DOR methodology. Under the bill, this organization will establish the minimum donation amount that a license plate applicant must make in order to receive a certification of donation.

Representative Becker responded to a question on why the elk was used in the design of the license plate.

10:07 AM -- Charles Money, representing the Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC), spoke in favor of the bill. He said that RMC has been a nonprofit organization since 1931. He spoke to why the elk was used in the design of the RMNP license plate. He said that visiting RMNP is a special experience for many people and that the license plate is a good way to commemorate Colorado's top attraction. He responded to questions on where funds from the license plate will be deposited, if a fund could be created that would help low-income individuals visit the park, and the selection criteria the DOR must use when designating a nonprofit organization working in RMNP that will be the recipient of license plate donations.

10:16 AM

The committee discussed license plate fees, nonprofit donations, and how an individual can obtain a RMNP license plate. Tony Anderson, Director of Titles and Registration for the DMV, came to the table to speak to the required nonprofit donation under the bill.

10:20 AM -- Barbara Scott, representing the RMNP, spoke in favor of the bill. She said that she thought the license plate was a good way of commemorating RMNP.

10:21 AM -- Tom Blickensderfer, representing himself, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Blickensderfer provided some personal stories surrounding RMNP and his family's history with the park.

10:34 AM

Representative Becker made her closing comments on the bill. The committee discussed the merits of the bill and the requirements under the bill for a donation to a specific organization of the DOR's choosing. Representative Becker said that this approach is not new, and is used for other special license plates.


BILL:	HB15-1313
TIME:	10:38:51 AM
MOVED:	Mitsch Bush
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1313 to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 8-5.
SECONDED:	Melton
		VOTE
	Becker J.	No
	Buck	Yes
	Carver	No
	Coram	No
	Esgar	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Neville P.	No
	Nordberg	No
	Winter	Yes
	Mitsch Bush	Yes
	Tyler	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:39 AM -- SB 15-090

Representative Tyler, prime sponsor, came to the table to present Senate Bill 15-090. The reengrossed bill requires that temporary motor vehicle registration plates and certificates meet the same statutory requirements regarding attachment, visibility, and readability as permanent plates, except that a temporary plate is only required to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle. The bill takes effect January 1, 2016, if the Department of Revenue (DOR) receives enough gifts, grants, or donations to cover the materials, start-up costs, and computer programming necessary to implement the legislation. If that condition is met, the new temporary tags will be issued effective July 1, 2016.

The DOR is also required to create an electronic issuance system for temporary plates and to promulgate rules for dealers printing temporary certificates. County clerk and recorder offices are no longer required to issue dealer blocks to dealers; rather, the blocks may be issued directly to the dealers from Colorado Correctional Industries (CCi) in the Department of Corrections (DOC). As a result, county clerk and recorder offices will no longer collect half of the $12.50 fee for each block of 25 temporary plates, and the fee is reduced to $6.25.

Representative Tyler showed the committee an example of the new temporary plate.

10:46 AM -- Dave Hall, representing Colorado State Patrol, spoke in favor of the bill. He said that the current temporary plate and its placement within a vehicle makes it difficult for state troopers to read them, that there is no requirement for consistent placement on a vehicle and troopers cannot run temporary plates, which is a concern for officer safety. He said that requiring the plate to be mounted in a consistent place would be beneficial for police officers.

10:49 AM -- Andy Karsian, representing the Colorado Department of Transportation, spoke in favor of the bill. He thanked the bill sponsors for bringing it forward and said that the bill had gone through a number of stakeholder groups, including one formed by CDOT. He discussed how the CDOT stakeholder group had determined the format and material that would be used for the temporary license plate.

10:51 AM -- David Kristick, representing the E-470 Public Highway Authority, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Kristick said that stakeholder involvement had been collaborative in the drafting of the bill and design of the new temporary license plate. He noted that the new design was crucial for toll collections on E-470 and would help the authority a great deal in collecting tolls. He responded to a question on the collection of tolls on E-470 from drivers with temporary plates.

10:54 AM -- Peg Ackerman, representing the County Sheriffs of Colorado, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Ackerman said the sheriffs were in very strong support of the bill and that it is something they have wanted for a long time. She detailed the information that will be displayed on the new temporary license plate.

10:56 AM -- Melissa Kuipers, representing the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Kuipers said that stakeholder discussion of updated temporary license plates had been going on for a number of years, and described how the new temporary plates will be produced or used by automobile dealerships.

10:59 AM

Representative Tyler distributed Amendment L.005 (Attachment A) and explained that it cleans up some language in the bill.

150402 AttachA.pdf


BILL:	SB15-090
TIME:	10:59:22 AM
MOVED:	Tyler
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Mitsch Bush
		VOTE
	Becker J.
	Buck
	Carver
	Coram
	Esgar
	Kraft-Tharp
	Melton
	Moreno
	Neville P.
	Nordberg
	Winter
	Mitsch Bush
	Tyler

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

10:59 AM

Representative Tyler made his closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	SB15-090
TIME:	11:00:21 AM
MOVED:	Tyler
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-090, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 13-0.
SECONDED:	Esgar
		VOTE
	Becker J.	Yes
	Buck	Yes
	Carver	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Esgar	Yes
	Kraft-Tharp	Yes
	Melton	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Neville P.	Yes
	Nordberg	Yes
	Winter	Yes
	Mitsch Bush	Yes
	Tyler	Yes

Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

11:02 AM

The committee adjourned.