Date: 02/09/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB06-1058

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 06-1058 to the Committee on ApproPASS


10:24 AM -- House Bill 06-1058

Representative Pommer, prime sponsor, explained that House Bill 06-1058, as amended by the House Judiciary Committee, creates a schedule of surcharges to be paid by offenders convicted of crimes against children, including sex offenses against children, incest, child abuse, or contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He explained that five percent of the revenue from the surcharges is to be transferred to the Judicial Stabilization Cash Fund for the expenses of trial courts. The remaining 95 percent is to be credited to the newly-created Child Abuse Investigation Surcharge Fund to be used by the Division of Criminal Justice, Department of Public Safety, to fund programs that coordinate a multi-disciplinary team response for child sexual abuse intervention.

The following persons testified:

10:31 AM -- Ms. Dianne Goldberg, Colorado Children's Alliance, testified in support of the bill and pointed out the comprehensive nature of the services that are funded by the bill. Ms. Goldberg said that in certain circumstances, the bill will result in children not having to testify as child victims which make them re-live these circumstances.

10:34 AM -- Mr. Daniel Brennan, Wheat Ridge Police Department, testified in support of the bill and commented that the bill will reduce the trauma that children go through when having to testify on these cases. He continued by saying that under the bill, the perpetrator is held partial responsible in a financial sense and pays for the services provided for in the legislation. Mr. Brennan closed by saying that the child and advocacy centers can use this money from the legislation to fund their services.

10:37 AM -- Mr. Jack Gardner, Boulder Police Department, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Gardner discussed the role that child advocacy centers play in the process. He said that these facilities interview children which often provide the most valuable evidence for the prosecution's case. These centers also provide a valuable role as they provide support to the child and family of the victim.

10:40 AM -- Mr. Zachary Phillips, 1st Judicial District, testified in support of the legislation and commented on circumstances that make it difficult for children to testify. Often, its the child advocacy centers that play the most important role in the conviction process. Mr. Phillips commented that a defendant should not be able to walk away because a child cannot testify. This bill will aid the judicial process.
BILL:HB06-1058
TIME: 10:44:28 AM
MOVED:Frangas
MOTION:Refer House Bill 06-1058 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 12-0-1 vote.
SECONDED:Cloer
VOTE
Benefield
Yes
Cloer
Yes
Crane
Yes
Frangas
Yes
Garcia
Yes
Harvey
Excused
Jahn
Yes
Kerr
Yes
Marshall
Yes
Massey
Yes
McCluskey
Yes
Judd
Yes
Vigil
Yes
Final YES: 12 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS