Bill Summary for Bill Number HB06-1125

Date: 03/06/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB06-1125

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 06-1125 to the Committee of the W	PASS

01:36 PM -- House Bill 06-1125

Senator Groff, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 06-1125 concerning the enforcement of an offense involving failure to use an appropriate motor vehicle restraining device. The bill makes it a primary offense, punishable as a class B traffic infraction, for a driver to operate a motor vehicle without the driver, certain children , and all front-seat passengers

01:40 PM -- Lloyd Pearson, private citizen, spoke in opposition to the bill. Mr. Pearson stated that the bill does not contain language for exemptions for citizens with a medical condition that makes wearing a seatbelt medically complicated. He provided written testimony to the committee (Attachment A). He discussed his medical condition and the difficulty of wearing a seatbelt. He asked the committee to consider an exemption for individuals who have a medical reason for not wearing a seatbelt. The committee discussed an available waiver from the Department of Revenue for medical reasons.

01:50 PM -- Herman Stockinger, Colorado Department of Transportation, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. Stockinger stated that the bill is about saving lives. He talked about the federal incentives offered to states that pass this law. He offered to work with Mr. Pearson on an understanding of the current Department of Revenue waiver that would allow him to drive without a seatbelt for medical reasons.

01:53 PM -- Alexa Gromko, AAA Colorado and the Colorado Safety Belt Coalition, spoke in support of the bill. Ms. Gromko talked about safety belt usage being the major priority of AAA Colorado. She showed several responses from a survey of AAA members regarding seat belt usage. She provided statistics to the committee regarding traffic fatalities (Attachments B and C).

01:57 PM -- Dennis O'Malley, Craig Hospital, spoke in support of the bill. Mr. O'Malley gave several statistics regarding traffic fatalities and injuries where seatbelts were not worn. He stated that primary enforcement will lead to fewer injuries and fatalities. He talked about the financial savings realized by wearing seatbelts, including Medicare and Medicaid savings. Mr. O'Malley addressed the issue of personal freedom, but stated that an individual who is catastrophically injured infringes on the personal freedom of other citizens in terms of higher insurance premiums.

02:02 PM -- Major James Wolfenbarger, Colorado State Patrol, spoke in support of the bill. Major Wolfenbarger discussed statistics of fatal crashes in Colorado. He talked about wearing a seatbelt and how it more than doubles the chance that a person will survive an automobile crash. He stated that national statistics show that a law like this one will raise seatbelt compliance by 10 to 14 percent. He mentioned that the goal of laws like this one is voluntary compliance. Major Wolfenbarger responded to questions from the committee regarding the number of stops by the Colorado State Patrol for seatbelt violations. He also discussed the feasibility of enforcing such a law.

02:11 PM -- Jason Roosa and Anthony Foianini, Colorado Medical Society Student Section, spoke in favor of the bill. Mr. Roosa discussed the issue of seatbelts from the perspective of medical care providers. He provided a personal anecdote of an automobile accident that he witnessed. Mr. Foianini talked about what happens when an accident victim comes to a trauma room. He mentioned the large amount of resources that must be devoted to an unrestrained victim of an accident.

02:18 PM -- Sarah Holmes, private citizen, spoke in support of the seatbelts, but with the consideration for individuals who have medical conditions.

02:20 PM -- Emily Tompkins, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, spoke in favor of the bill. Ms. Tompkins stated that she supports the bill because it would likely decrease the number of victims of automobile accidents. She provided statistics of unrestrained children who were involved in accidents with drunk drivers.

02:23 PM

Senator Groff wrapped up his presentation of the bill.


BILL:	HB06-1125
TIME:	02:29:08 PM
MOVED:	Gordon
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 06-1125 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Bacon	Yes
	Dyer	Yes
	Gordon	Yes
	Mitchell	Excused
	Traylor	Yes
	Shaffer	Excused
	Grossman	Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS