Bill Summary for Bill Number SB06-166

Date: 02/27/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB06-166

SENATE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, LABOR AND TECHNOLOGY

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Amendment L.001. The motion passed without object Amendment L.002. The motion passed without object Refer SB 166 to the Committee of the Whole, as ame	Pass Without Objection Pass Without Objection TIE

01:44 PM -- Senate Bill 06-166

Senator Mitchell introduced his bill concerning creating reciprocal beneficiary agreements. He provided a handout and two amendments to the committee (Attachments A, B, and C). He described his decision to sponsor the legislation. He described the components of the bill. He responded to questions from the committee.

02:05 PM

Senator Veiga asked questions about rights of visitation and emergency and non-emergency medical care for reciprocal beneficiaries. Senator Evans explained what he thought the purpose of the language in the bill would be. Senator Veiga continued her questions for the bill sponsor. Committee discussion ensued regarding the parameters of the bill.

02:23 PM -- Paul Cameron, Chairman, Family Research Institute, spoke in opposition to the legislation. Senator Tochtrop asked about Centers for Disease Control (CDC) studies data used for the report. Mr. Cameron indicated that the information in the report is based on CDC data. Mr. Cameron provided a handout to the committee (Attachment D).

02:39 PM -- George Walker, representing himself, spoke in support of the legislation.

02:46 PM -- Michael Brewer, Equal Rights Colorado (ERC), indicated his appreciation to the sponsor for bringing the bill forward. He indicated that, while ERC does not oppose the legislation, they do not support the legislation as it does not go far enough to ensure benefits to partners.

02:52 PM -- Chris Rose, Colorado Catholic Conference, spoke in support of the legislation.

02:54 PM -- Jim Pfaff, Focus on the Family Action, spoke in support of the legislation. Mr. Pfaff believes reciprocal beneficiary agreements are less discriminatory than domestic partnerships since they do not exclude any individuals who might need these kinds of benefits. He stated that restricting the rights and benefits addressed by this bill to one group of people is exclusionary. Mr. Pfaff discussed the fact that this bill addresses needs that cannot be met by the marriage arrangement.

03:05 PM

Senator Mitchell made closing comments on the merits of the bill. He indicated that the bill is not intended to imitate marriage by not singling out gay couples for benefits. He responded to some of the testimony provided by witnesses.


BILL:	SB06-166
TIME:	03:10:51 PM
MOVED:	Evans
MOTION:	Amendment L.001. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Evans
	Hanna	Excused
	Kester
	Takis
	Wiens
	Tochtrop
	Veiga
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB06-166
TIME:	03:11:03 PM
MOVED:	Evans
MOTION:	Amendment L.002. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Evans
	Hanna	Excused
	Kester
	Takis
	Wiens
	Tochtrop
	Veiga
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB06-166
TIME:	03:11:12 PM
MOVED:	Evans
MOTION:	Refer SB 166 to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. The motion failed 3-3-1.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Evans	Yes
	Hanna	Excused
	Kester	Yes
	Takis	No
	Wiens	Yes
	Tochtrop	No
	Veiga	No
Final YES: 3 NO: 3 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: TIE