House Committee on Education (04/06/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	04/06/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:52 PM to 02:36 PM	Benefield	X
		King	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Larson	E
		Massey	X
This Meeting was called to order by		McKinley	X
	Representative Merrifield	Penry	X
		Pommer	*
This Report was prepared by		Rose	X
	Cathy Eslinger	Solano	X
		Todd	*
		White	X
		Paccione	X
		Merrifield	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB06-144 SB06-024		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:53 PM -- Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by the chairman, Representative Merrifield.

01:53 PM -- Senate Bill 06-144

Representative Plant, prime sponsor, reviewed the provisions of Senate Bill 06-144, concerning health insurance benefits for instructors at institutions of higher education. He explained that the bill, as amended in the Senate, would authorize a study of the issue and provide data for policymakers.

01:56 PM

The following persons testified:

01:56 PM -- Dr. Janet Gullickson representing the American Association of University Professors of Colorado, testified in favor of the bill. She spoke to the health benefits issues for faculty at higher education institutions. She described the issues that arise for part-time faculty, particularly in urban areas. She said that the study would provide the data to make good policy decisions.

02:04 PM

Representative King commented on the bill and the scope of the bill's provisions. Dr. Gullickson responded to questions about the status of classified staff at higher education institutions.

02:09 PM -- Cindy Hesse, representing the Colorado Community College System, came to the table to respond to questions about the classified system at higher education institutions. She described the types of positions in the community college system and clarified their access to health benefits Representative Plant spoke to the number of faculty that fall under various categories.


BILL:	SB06-144
TIME:	02:16:41 PM
MOVED:	Benefield
MOTION:	Refer SB06-144 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 10-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Benefield	Yes
	King	Yes
	Larson	Excused
	Massey	Yes
	McKinley	Yes
	Penry	Yes
	Pommer	Excused
	Rose	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	White	Yes
	Paccione	Yes
	Merrifield	Excused
Final YES: 10 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:18 PM -- Senate Bill 06-024

Representative Paccione, prime sponsor, reviewed the provision of Senate Bill 06-024, concerning student data from the elementary to secondary education system through the postsecondary education system. She spoke to the amendments made to the bill in the Senate.

02:21 PM

Representative Paccione responded to questions about the timing of the implementation of the bill. She also discussed the bill's provision in relation to provisions in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

02:25 PM

The following persons testified:

02:25 PM -- Jenna Langer, Executive Director, Colorado Commission on Higher Education, testified in support of the bill and advocated the longitudinal tracking that the bill would allow. She discussed the use of a database and how the bill would be implemented in the time frame presented.

02:28 PM -- Bruce Atchison, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, testified in support of the bill. He testified that the bill recognizes the benefits of a solid database with student data that can be tracked over time. He discussed recent policy recommendations for a student identifier system that links the elementary system all the way through the postsecondary system.


BILL:	SB06-024
TIME:	02:35:06 PM
MOVED:	King
MOTION:	Refer SB06-024 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 11-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Benefield
		VOTE
	Benefield	Yes
	King	Yes
	Larson	Excused
	Massey	Yes
	McKinley	Yes
	Penry	Yes
	Pommer	Yes
	Rose	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	White	Yes
	Paccione	Yes
	Merrifield	Excused
Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:36 PM

The committee adjourned.