House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs (03/22/2012)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Date:	03/22/2012	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:58 AM to 01:35 PM	Baumgardner	X
		Casso	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Court	X
		Duran	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Joshi	X
	Representative Kerr J.	Liston	X
		Todd	X
This Report was prepared by		Coram	X
	Bo Pogue	Kerr J.	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB12-152 SB12-021 SB12-143 HB12-1245		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Committee Vote - Final Action Failed Amended, Laid Over Amended, Laid Over

09:58 AM -- Senate Bill 12-152

The committee was called to order. A quorum was present.


BILL:	SB12-152
TIME:	09:58:58 AM
MOVED:	Baumgardner
MOTION:	Moved to postpone indefinitely Senate Bill 12-152. The motion passed on a vote of 9-0.
SECONDED:	Duran
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Casso	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Duran	Yes
	Joshi	Yes
	Liston	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes

YES: 9 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	SB12-152
TIME:	09:59:44 AM
MOVED:	Court
MOTION:	Moved for reconsideration of the previous motion. The motion passed on a vote of 8-1.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Casso	No
	Court	Yes
	Duran	Yes
	Joshi	Yes
	Liston	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes

YES: 8 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:00 AM

Representative Ferrandino, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 12-152.


BILL:	SB12-152
TIME:	10:01:05 AM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 12-152 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a vote of 9-0.
SECONDED:	Duran
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Casso	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Duran	Yes
	Joshi	Yes
	Liston	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Coram	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:04 AM

The committee recessed.

10:07 AM -- Senate Bill 12-021

The committee returned to order. Representative Lee, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 12-021, concerning the creation of a financial literacy pilot program for residents of counties. Committee members received a fact sheet about financial literacy (Attachment A). Representative Lee provided background on financial literacy, and discussed the problems associated with the citizenry not being financially literate. Representative Lee outlined the program created by the bill. Representative Lee responded to questions regarding the role of Colorado State University (CSU) and counties in the pilot program, and the position of the counties on the bill. Representative Lee responded to questions regarding the curriculum for the pilot program, and the cost for participating in the program.

10:18 AM

Discussion ensued regarding how financial literacy is taught in the family. Representative Lee responded to questions regarding the need for legislation to institute financial literacy programming. Discussion returned to the role of counties in administering the pilot program. Representative Lee responded to questions regarding the potential for using national foreclosure settlement agreement moneys to fund the pilot program. Discussion followed regarding the nexus between foreclosures and property taxes.

10:28 AM

Discussion ensued regarding the need for younger populations to receive financial literacy education. Discussion returned to the need for legislation to institute financial literacy programs. Representative Lee responded to questions regarding potential sources of future funding for the financial literacy programming, and the long-term fiscal impact of the bill.

10:35 AM

The following persons testified regarding Senate Bill 12-021:

10:35 AM -- Ms. Nancy Porter, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Porter discussed the need for greater financial literacy among Coloradans, and the negative impacts of the lack of financial knowledge. Ms. Porter discussed the curriculum that would be utilized in the pilot program, and the aptitude of CSU Extension in financial literacy education. Ms. Porter responded to questions regarding the need for legislation for CSU Extension to initiate a literacy program, and the potential for Colorado Counties, Inc., to participate in administering financial literacy programs at the county level. Discussion ensued regarding the importance of financial literacy, and the need for the bill to institute financial literacy programming.

10:46 AM -- Ms. Fran Coleman, representing the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association, testified in support of Senate Bill 12-021. Ms. Coleman discussed the benefits to be derived from educating the public about personal finances, and provided an anecdote about financial scams. She discussed efforts undertaken by the mortgage industry to better educate the public about personal finances, and explained the benefits of using the CSU Extension service to teach financial literacy at the county level. Ms. Coleman discussed her experiences as a member of the Denver Welfare Reform Board. Ms. Coleman responded to questions regarding potential funding for the pilot program by the Colorado mortgage industry.

10:57 AM

Ms. Coleman responded to questions regarding the most practical way to implement the pilot program.

10:59 AM -- Mr. Bruce Eisenhauer, representing the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), testified in support of Senate Bill 12-021. Mr. Eisenhauer discussed the role of DOLA in implementing the pilot program, and the benefits of implementing the program at the county level. Discussion ensued regarding the fiscal impact of the bill to DOLA, and whether the administration of the pilot program fits within the department's mission.

11:06 AM -- Ms. Andi Leopoldus, representing Goodwill Industries, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Leopoldus explained how financial literacy benefits low-income workers, and will help to pull them out of poverty. Ms. Leopoldus responded to questions regarding the potential for obtaining funding from financial institutions for financial literacy programs. Discussion ensued regarding administering financial literacy programs at the county level.

11:12 AM -- Renee Beauregard, representing Consumers United Association, testified in support of Senate Bill 12-021. Committee members received a fact sheet about the number of financial education programs in Colorado (Attachment B). Ms. Beauregard discussed the decline in financial literacy, and the increasing complexity of financial products. She discussed mounting debt among Americans, and cited bankruptcy and foreclosure statistics for Colorado. Ms. Beauregard discussed the lack of formal financial literacy education in Colorado, and explained how the bill would remedy this situation.

11:23 AM

Ms. Beauregard continued to discuss the inadequate level of financial literacy programming in Colorado. Discussion ensued regarding the pooling of resources to create a hotline for foreclosure information. Ms. Porter returned to provide clarification about the number of employees required to administer the pilot program, and the costs associated with the program. Ms. Porter responded to questions regarding potential funding sources for the pilot program and the fiscal impact of the bill based on work force requirements. Mr. Bill Zepernick, Legislative Council Staff, provided clarification about the fiscal impact of the bill.

11:30 AM

No amendments were offered to the bill. Representative Lee provided closing remarks in support of Senate Bill 12-021.


BILL:	SB12-021
TIME:	11:36:35 AM
MOVED:	Court
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 12-021 to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation. The motion failed on a vote of 4-5.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	No
	Casso	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Duran	Yes
	Joshi	No
	Liston	No
	Todd	Yes
	Coram	No
	Kerr J.	No

YES: 4 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	SB12-021
TIME:	11:46:50 AM
MOVED:	Joshi
MOTION:	Moved to postpone indefinitely Senate Bill 12-021. The motion failed on a vote of 4-5.
SECONDED:	Baumgardner
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Casso	No
	Court	No
	Duran	No
	Joshi	Yes
	Liston	No
	Todd	No
	Coram	Yes
	Kerr J.	Yes

YES: 4 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

11:47 AM

The committee recessed.

11:55 AM -- Senate Bill 12-143

The committee returned to order. Representative Pabon, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 12-143, concerning the development of a local businesses database by the Colorado Office of Economic Development. Representative Pabon discussed the economic impact generated by local businesses, and explained the effect of the bill as amended by prepared amended by L.004 (Attachment C). Representative Pabon explained the benefits of creating an on-line resource to assist consumers in finding local businesses. Representative Pabon responded to questions regarding the fiscal impact of the bill.

12:07 PM

Representative Pabon responded to questions regarding the need for legislation to create the local businesses on-line resource. The following persons testified regarding Senate Bill 12-143:

12:08 PM -- Ms. Jenee Naples, representing Heidi's Brooklyn Deli, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Naples discussed her family's business, and explained the benefits of creating a database to find local businesses.

12:11 PM -- Mr. Quinn Reilly, representing himself, testified in support of Senate Bill 12-143. Mr. Reilly discussed an on-line resource created in Oregon for government transparency, the information from which was used by private individuals and businesses to organize into useable computer applications by the public. Mr. Reilly explained how creating an on-line resource for local businesses would advance economic development while benefitting consumers. Mr. Reilly responded to questions about mobile applications that are currently available to find area businesses, and the private-sector provision of such services in advance of government.

12:22 PM

Discussion ensued regarding the practical use of creating an on-line resource similar to the one created in Oregon.

12:23 PM -- Mr. John Wren, representing PioneerHQ.com, testified regarding Senate Bill 12-143. Committee members received an article about his endeavor (Attachment D). Mr. Wren clarified his position on the bill, and discussed his collaborative efforts in creating an on-line business directory similar to the Texas Almanac on line. Discussion ensued regarding how the bill will assist Mr. Wren in his efforts to make resources available to the public on-line. Mr. Wren responded to questions regarding whether the bill, as amended, would improve economic development and assist in attracting out-of-state business.

12:34 PM

Mr. Wren responded to questions regarding the availability of information that he needs for his website. Discussion ensued regarding the use of existing on-line search engines to find local businesses, and the need for state government to compile information on local businesses.

12:41 PM

Mr. Reilly returned to provide input about the ability to find information through currently available on-line resources, and the need for state government to involve itself in this process. Mr. Reilly responded to further questions regarding information that state government holds that would be useful to the public if made available on line. Discussion ensued regarding the public benefits of aggregating information about local businesses and making the information available on line, and the need to do this at the state governmental level. Discussion followed regarding putting Colorado at the forefront of making information available electronically.

12:53 PM

Representative Pabon explained the effect of prepared amendment L.004. Discussion ensued regarding amendments to the bill title made by the amendment, and the fiscal impact of the amendment. Representative Pabon reiterated the effect of the amendment.


BILL:	SB12-143
TIME:	12:53:14 PM
MOVED:	Kerr J.
MOTION:	Moved prepared amendment L.004 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Court
		VOTE
	Baumgardner
	Casso
	Court
	Duran
	Joshi
	Liston
	Todd
	Coram
	Kerr J.

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

01:04 PM

The bill was laid over.

01:04 PM -- House Bill 12-1245

Representative Fields, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 12-1245, concerning options regarding health care coverage for government employees. Committee members received a fact sheet about the bill (Attachment E). Representative Fields explained the effect of the bill. The following persons testified regarding House Bill 12-1245:

01:07 PM -- Mr. Allen Chapman, representing CTSI, and Ms. Gini Pingenot, representing Colorado Counties, Inc., testified in support of the bill. Mr. Chapman explained how the bill would assist in finding ways to reduce state costs, and help to create economies of scale in government health care purchasing. Mr. Chapman provided input on the intended effect of the bill. Mr. Chapman responded to questions regarding the effect of the bill on health benefit exchanges associated with federal health care reform. Discussion ensued regarding the ability to empanel a task force to study government health care coverage without passing legislation to do so.

01:21 PM -- Mr. Evan Goulding, representing the Special District Association, testified in support of House Bill 12-1245. Mr. Goulding discussed the relative small number of employees of special districts, and explained how allowing employees of special districts to band together in the health insurance market would improve their purchasing power. Mr. Goulding responded to questions regarding the potential that the task force created by the committee would assist in cutting government expenditures on employee health care. Mr. Goulding responded to additional questions about previous authority granted by the General Assembly to create a task force to study health care purchasing at the state and local levels in Colorado, and the need for legislation to convene such a task force. Discussion ensued regarding the level of potential savings that might be realized by the task force.

01:30 PM


BILL:	HB12-1245
TIME:	01:30:46 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Moved prepared amendment L.001 (Attachment F). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Court
		VOTE
	Baumgardner
	Casso
	Court
	Duran
	Joshi
	Liston
	Todd
	Coram
	Kerr J.

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

01:31 PM

Representative Fields provided closing remarks in support of House Bill 12-1245.


BILL:	HB12-1245
TIME:	01:33:03 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 12-1245, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion was withdrawn.
SECONDED:	Duran
		VOTE
	Baumgardner
	Casso
	Court
	Duran
	Joshi
	Liston
	Todd
	Coram
	Kerr J.

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:

01:35 PM

The committee adjourned.