Date: 04/15/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1003

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment G). The motion p
Refer House Bill 15-1003, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS


03:11 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

03:17 PM -- HB 15-1003

The committee came back to order. Representatives Tyler and Mitsch Bush, co-prime sponsors, came to the table to present House Bill 15-1003. This bill, recommended by the Transportation Legislation Review Committee, requires the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to continue its administration of the Safe Routes to School program (SRTS), which awards grants to state subdivisions for projects that improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists in school areas. The CDOT is required to award at least $3.0 million in SRTS grants during FY 2015-16 using state moneys. Should federal funding become available for SRTS, the $3.0 million in state moneys will be reduced by the amount of federal funding received. Under current law, the CDOT is required to award between 20 to 30 percent of state grant money for noninfrastructure projects.

Representative Tyler distributed a chart showing the historical funding of SRTS grants (Attachment F) and Amendment L.001 (Attachment G), which he said would amend the bill to reduce the appropriation to CDOT to $750,000 and only fund SRTS noninfrastructure programs.

150415 AttachF.pdf150415 AttachF.pdf150415 AttachG.pdf150415 AttachG.pdf

Representative Mitsch Bush said that having a program that encourages children to walk or bike to school would help their physical and cognitive development, make communities safer, and increase parental involvement in schools.

03:24 PM -- Leslie Feuerborn, representing CDOT, spoke in favor of the bill. She provided a history and overview of the SRTS program. She discussed how the program works and the historic federal and state funding of SRTS. She summarized how SRTS grants are administered by CDOT, CDOT's SRTS Grants Advisory Committee and its representation, and the types of projects that typically get funded. She said that CDOT has $700,000 dedicated for FY15-16 SRTS projects, discussed the number of applications that CDOT had received under the program, and said that there was a great need for additional funding. Representatives Tyler and Mitsch Bush responded to questions on how SRTS would be funded under the amended bill, if the funding must be spent on noninfrastructure projects, and if the funding that would be provided under the bill has already been appropriated.

03:55 PM -- Barb Parnell, representing Live Well Northwest Colorado, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Parnell said that physical activity increases kids' brain function, and provided three examples of successful SRTS programs funded and deployed in Colorado schools. She also highlighted the community benefits of SRTS programs.

04:01 PM -- Brad Evans, representing himself, spoke in favor of the bill. He said that SRTS programs are important.

04:03 PM -- Thad Wolfe, representing Mission Readiness, spoke in favor of the bill. He said that Mission Readiness is a nonprofit national readiness organization that is concerned about the physical and mental fitness of America's youth. He said the bill would address these issues. He also discussed the need for healthier school and community environments and how this fits into the bigger social picture.

04:10 PM -- Dan Grunig, representing Bicycle Colorado, spoke in favor of the bill. He provided the committee with two handouts detailing why the bill is beneficial and providing data on SRTS projects in Colorado (Attachments H and I).

150415 AttachH.pdf150415 AttachH.pdf150415 AttachI.pdf150415 AttachI.pdf

04:12 PM -- Ashley Frederick, representing the Colorado Public Health Association (CPHA), spoke in favor of the bill. She said the CPHA is a nonprofit association representing health care providers in the state. She discussed how the city of Denver does not have an annually funded program for encouraging walking and biking to school and the importance of such programs for the health of children.

04:18 PM -- Sarah Kurz, representing Live Well Colorado, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Kurz said that the mission of Live Well Colorado is to encourage healthy eating and active living in the state. She discussed specific SRTS grants received by communities in Colorado and the successes enjoyed from the implementation of SRTS projects.

04:21 PM -- Samantha Powell, representing herself, spoke in favor of the bill. She discussed the need for SRTS projects and funding in her community and the benefits that would be gained from this increased funding.
BILL:HB15-1003
TIME: 04:23:29 PM
MOVED:Tyler
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment G). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Moreno
VOTE
Becker J.
Buck
Carver
Coram
Esgar
Kraft-Tharp
Melton
Moreno
Neville P.
Nordberg
Winter
Mitsch Bush
Tyler
Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:HB15-1003
TIME: 04:24:37 PM
MOVED:Mitsch Bush
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1003, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5, with 2 members excused.
SECONDED:Tyler
VOTE
Becker J.
No
Buck
No
Carver
No
Coram
Excused
Esgar
Yes
Kraft-Tharp
Yes
Melton
Excused
Moreno
Yes
Neville P.
No
Nordberg
No
Winter
Yes
Mitsch Bush
Yes
Tyler
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:28 PM

The committee adjourned.