Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Date:02/18/2015
ATTENDANCE
Time:09:52 AM to 01:23 PM
Foote
X
Humphrey
X
Place:LSB A
Lontine
X
Neville P.
X
This Meeting was called to order by
Primavera
X
Representative Ryden
Tate
*
Thurlow
X
This Report was prepared by
Tyler
X
Jessika Shipley
Willett
X
Salazar
X
Ryden
X
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
HB15-1114
HB15-1140
HB15-1169
HB15-1118		Referred to the Committee of the Whole
Postponed Indefinitely
Postponed Indefinitely
Postponed Indefinitely


09:53 AM -- HB15-1114

Representative Saine, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1114. This bill prohibits state agencies, political subdivisions of the state, and their employees, as well as members of the Colorado National Guard, from assisting any of the armed forces of the United States in the enforcement of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA). Specifically, this prohibition applies to assistance in enforcing Sections 1021 and 1022 of the NDAA, pertaining to detention of members of, and those lending assistance to, certain international terrorist organizations, if such assistance would violate the United States Constitution, the Colorado Constitution, or any law of the state.

Representative Saine distributed a news article to the committee (Attachment A).

15HouseState0218AttachA.pdf15HouseState0218AttachA.pdf













10:01 AM -- Greg Dorman, representing the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Dorman expressed concern about the effect of the bill on the Colorado National Guard. He indicated that the bill would create legal ambiguity and jeopardy for members of the Guard who serve overseas or in counterterrorism activities. He stated that the bill would impact relationships and partnerships with the federal government. He responded to questions from the committee about his concerns with the broadness of the bill language.

10:09 AM -- Kevin Klein, representing the Department of Public Safety, testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Klein is the designated Homeland Security Officer for the state of Colorado. He discussed the Colorado Information Anaysis Center (CIAC), which involves a partnership with state, local, and federal agencies. He described counterterrorism efforts undertaken using CIAC resources and stated his opinion that the bill would prohibit these efforts. He expressed concerns about the broadness of the bill. He responded to questions from the committee about the effect of the bill on the work of the CIAC. Committee discussion ensued.


10:24 AM

Representative Saine wrapped up her presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.
BILL:HB15-1114
TIME: 10:34:43 AM
MOVED:Salazar
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1114 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:Neville P.
VOTE
Foote
No
Humphrey
Yes
Lontine
No
Neville P.
Yes
Primavera
No
Tate
Yes
Thurlow
Yes
Tyler
No
Willett
Yes
Salazar
Yes
Ryden
No
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS














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:

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


11:15 AM -- HB15-1169

Representative Ransom, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1169. In addition to meeting all other requirements for an elector to register to vote on or immediately prior to election day, the bill requires that an elector provide a valid form of identification that includes a photograph of the individual. Amendment L.001 (Attachment B) was distributed to the committee.

15HouseState0218AttachB.pdf15HouseState0218AttachB.pdf

11:22 AM -- Wayne Williams, Colorado Secretary of State, testified in support of the bill. Secretary Williams spoke about documented cases of election fraud. He responded to questions from the committee about verified cases of voter fraud.

11:32 AM -- Linda Olson, representing Colorado Legal Services, testified from a neutral position on the bill. Ms. Olson described the difficulties faced by some individuals in obtaining identification. She responded to questions from the committee.

11:35 AM -- Carol Tone, representing the League of Women Voters, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Tone discussed the importance of free and open elections.










11:36 AM -- Chuck Broerman, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Broerman commented about cases of fraud that his office turned over to the district attorney for prosecution. He responded to questions from the committee about the number of individuals who voted in El Paso County in the 2014 general election.

11:44 AM -- Lizzy Stephan, representing New Era Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Stephan spoke about the possible burden of the bill on young people. She responded to questions from the committee.

11:46 AM -- Sheryl Davis, Douglas County Elections Manager, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Davis provided data about voter registration in Douglas County in the past two elections. She expressed concerns about same-day voter registration. She responded to questions from the committee. Committee discussion ensued.

11:56 AM -- Merlin Klotz, Douglas County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Klotz expressed his opinion that district attorneys do not take the prosecution of voter fraud cases seriously. He responded to questions from the committee.

12:02 PM -- Elena Nunez, representing Colorado Common Cause, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Nunez provided information about individuals who registered to vote within 30 days of the last general election in Colorado. She responded to questions from the committee.

12:08 PM -- Matt Crane, Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Crane expressed his opinion that current law makes it too easy to commit fraud and that a photo identification requirement would mitigate that problem. He responded to questions from the committee.

12:14 PM -- Ricardo Rocha, representing the Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO), testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Rocha expressed his opinion that the bill would negatively and disproportionately affect communities of color. He responded to questions from the committee.

12:16 PM -- Denise Maes, representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Maes reiterated the testimony of prior witnesses. She discussed voter fraud at length. She responded to questions from the committee.

12:24 PM -- Jennifer Levin, representing Disability Law Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Levin spoke about the effect of the bill on individuals with disabilities.





















12:27 PM

The committee discussed amendment L.001.
BILL:HB15-1169
TIME: 12:30:11 PM
MOVED:Neville P.
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 The motion failed on a vote of 3-8.
SECONDED:Humphrey
VOTE
Foote
No
Humphrey
Yes
Lontine
No
Neville P.
Yes
Primavera
No
Tate
No
Thurlow
No
Tyler
No
Willett
Yes
Salazar
No
Ryden
No
YES: 3 NO: 8 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


12:31 PM

Representative Ransom wrapped up her presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.

BILL:HB15-1169
TIME: 12:33:13 PM
MOVED:Neville P.
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1169 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:Humphrey
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:HB15-1169
TIME: 12:34:03 PM
MOVED:Salazar
MOTION:Postpone House Bill 15-1169 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







12:34 PM -- HB15-1118

The committee took a brief recess.


12:37 PM

The committee returned to order. Representative Brown, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1118. This bill amends the definition of renewable energy resources that can be used to meet the state's renewable energy standard (RES) to include hydroelectricity and pumped hydroelectricity. The bill repeals the allowance in current law for new hydroelectricity with a generation capacity of 10 megawatts (MW) or less, and hydroelectricity in existence on January 1, 2005, with a generation capacity of 30 MW or less.


12:46 PM

Representative Brown spoke about the benefits of hydropower and responded to questions from the committee.

12:52 PM -- Jen Boulton, representing Colorado Trout Unlimited and the Audubon Society in Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Boulton discussed hydroelectric power generation and its environmental ramifications. She responded to questions from the committee about the current RES rules.

01:03 PM -- Ted Orf, representing the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Orf stated that he supports the bill because he believes it will lower electricity costs on the Western Slope. He responded to questions from the committee.

01:09 PM -- Frank Swain, representing Conservation Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Swain spoke about the success of the renewable energy economy in recent years. He discussed the current RES and what is included in the standard. He responded to questions about the committee.

01:14 PM -- Geoff Hier, representing the Colorado Rural Electric Association, testified from a neutral position on the bill. Mr. Hier responded to questions from the committee.























01:19 PM

Representative Brown wrapped up his presentation of the bill and asked for a favorable recommendation.
BILL:HB15-1118
TIME: 01:21:58 PM
MOVED:Thurlow
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1118 to the Committee of the Whole. 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:HB15-1118
TIME: 01:22:50 PM
MOVED:Salazar
MOTION:Postpone House Bill 15-1118 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:Tyler
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


01:23 PM

The committee adjourned.