Date: 01/18/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB06-051

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer SB06-051 to the Committee of the Whole. ThePASS



01:34 PM -- Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by the chairman, Senator Tupa. He reviewed the calendar of the day. Senator Tupa welcomed Leslie Herod as the new staff person for the committee. He announced that the there would be a joint briefing on Friday with the Division of Veterans Affairs, the State Board of Veterans Affairs, and the Office of State Planning and Budgeting. Senator Tupa reviewed procedures for the committee and distributed a memorandum (Attachment A).





01:39 PM -- Senate Bill 06-051


Senator Tupa reviewed the provisions of Senate Bill 06-051, concerning benefits that may be accepted by certain public officials, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting certain public officials from accepting monetary gifts. Senator Tupa said that Colorado is one of only five states without limits on cash gifts. He discussed the elected officials covered under the bill, which are identical to those covered under other areas of campaign finance law. Senator Tupa distributed two fact sheets (Attachments B and C). He discussed the history of other measures he has proposed on this issue.


01:45 PM

Senator Tupa responded to questions from committee members about the prospects for funding expenses if the limits in the law were passed. Senator Tupa said that the General Assembly may need to consider whether the resources for office support are adequate. Senator Tupa said that he understood some of the expenses incurred by legislators that represent large, rural districts. Senator May expressed concern about provisions under the bill and legislators who do not have independent resources. Senator Tupa discussed the fact that he feels his bill is in the spirit of Amendment 27, passed by the voters.



01:50 PM

Senator Johnson asked Senator Tupa to explain his references to a loophole in current campaign finance law. Senator Tupa said that he believes that voters have spoken in regard to limits. He discussed the use of office accounts. Senator Johnson said the he believes voters passed Amendment 27 in order to get "big money" out of campaigns and asked whether there should be restrictions on the types of services for which money may be spent. Senator Tupa and Senator Johnson continued to discuss the prospects for reforming the current system as they pertained to the provisions in the bill. Senator Fitz-Gerald asked about the potential for adjusting a disclosure date and implementing a system similar to a flexible spending account.


02:00 PM

Senator Tupa discussed the distinctions that were being made between rural and urban districts. Senator Fitz-Gerald continued to discuss the challenges of covering a large, rural district. Senator Tupa said that he hoped to continue to address these issues. Senator May spoke about the importance of an office account in communicating with his constituents and meeting his commitments. Senator Lamborn asked Senator Tupa to clarify language in one of hand-outs describing the issue. Senator Tupa reiterated that he feels the bill tracks with Amendment 27.



02:07 PM

The following person testified:


02:07 PM -- Pete Maysmith, representing Colorado Common Cause, spoke in support of Senate Bill 06-051. He said that recent events seen across the country and in Congress have elevated issues of propriety, contributions, and lobbying. He testified that current disclosure requirements are not adequate. Mr. Maysmith responded to questions regarding the annual disclosure of honoraria and gifts. Senator Johnson said he also feels that accountability is an issue and asked Mr. Maysmith if he was satisfied that recent campaign finance reform has addressed the problems in the system. Mr. Maysmith said that he sees positive changes, even if recent reform has not completely solved the issues under discussion.


02:14 PM

Senator Tupa made final comments about the bill and acknowledged the issues that committee members had raised during the discussion on the bill. There was additional discussion of campaign finance reform. Senator Lamborn said that he feels the recent reform has made the system less transparent and less accountable. Senator Windels also made comments about the bill and the issues posed by committee members. She said that the mileage policy should be addressed. Senator May commented that office account moneys are reportable to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Senator Johnson said that he hoped to have reform of the office account system and that he and Senator Tupa could continue to work on the bill's provisions. Senator Tupa responded to Senator Johnson's comments.


















BILL:SB06-051
TIME: 02:26:59 PM
MOVED:Tupa
MOTION:Refer SB06-051 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 5-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Fitz-Gerald
Yes
Johnson
Yes
Lamborn
No
May R.
No
Windels
Yes
Groff
Yes
Tupa
Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS