Second Regular Session
Sixty-first General Assembly
LLS NO. R980931.01 EBD
STATE OF COLORADO
BY REPRESENTATIVE Smith;
also SENATOR Bishop.
TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 98-1038
WHEREAS, Commuter airlines provide an important link
between smaller communities and urban centers of Colorado, helping
to maintain connections between the residents of this state who
live in both small communities and urban centers of this state;
and
WHEREAS, Commuter airlines provide similar benefits
to the residents of the states that surround Colorado; and
WHEREAS, Stable and viable commuter service improves
the overall hub service to the region; and
WHEREAS, Determining the current viability of commuter
airlines as indicated by the number of flights made by such airlines,
the originations and destinations of flights, and whether such
flights have been cancelled or delayed, and the costs of tickets
for such flights, is important to the formation of sound public
policy; and
WHEREAS, Collective action between Colorado officials
and officials from the surrounding states would be beneficial
to the future of commuter airline service; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives
of the Sixtyfirst General Assembly of the State of Colorado,
the Senate concurring herein:
(1) That there shall be a committee to
meet in the interim after the 1998 Second Regular Session of the
Sixtyfirst General Assembly to review and discuss the current
viability of the commuter airlines operating in Colorado and to
make recommendations on improvements in commuter air services
in Colorado. Such committee shall attempt to meet with representatives
from the states of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, and
Utah to review and discuss the commuter airlines operating in
Colorado and the surrounding states and make recommendations on
improvements in commuter air services in these states. Such interim
committee shall consist of six members of the General Assembly.
Three of such members shall be from the Senate, comprising two
appointed by the President of the Senate and one appointed by
the Minority Leader, and three of such members shall be from the
House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, two from the majority party and one from the
minority party. The committee may consider, but need not be limited
to, the following:
(a) Commuter airline services provided
to the residents of Colorado, and if appropriate, residents of
the surrounding states;
(b) The availability, cost, timeliness,
and longterm viability of such commuter airline services
provided to the residents of Colorado, and if appropriate, residents
of the surrounding states;
(c) Findings and recommendations for improving
the availability, cost, timeliness, and longterm viability
of such commuter airline services provided to the residents of
Colorado, and if appropriate, residents of the surrounding states;
and
(d) Findings and recommendations for collective
action between Colorado, the surrounding states, if appropriate,
and the federal government for improving the availability, cost,
timeliness, and longterm viability of such commuter airline
services provided to the residents of Colorado, and if appropriate,
residents of the surrounding states.
(2) That in conducting such meetings,
the interim committee shall attempt to consult with the Colorado
Division of Aeronautics and similar delegations made up of elected
officials and state aviation officials from the states of Wyoming,
Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, and Utah, and such other states
as may have significant commuter airline links with Colorado.
The committee may consult with appropriate local, state, and
federal agencies and interested members of the public and may
hold and attend public hearings in locations outside the Denver
metropolitan area, and outside the state of Colorado as may be
deemed necessary for purposes of the meetings. The meetings may
involve the participation of officials and employees of commuter
airlines operating in Colorado and the surrounding states. The
committee may meet two or more times to conduct its business.
The meetings shall not require additional staff for any state
agency or any additional appropriation to such state agency.
(3) That the Legislative Council shall
report the findings and recommendations of the interim committee
to the 1999 First Regular Session of the Sixtysecond General
Assembly.
(4) That all expenditures incurred in
the conduct of the meetings enumerated in this resolution shall
be approved by the chairperson of the Legislative Council and
paid by vouchers and warrants drawn as provided by law from funds
allocated to the Legislative Council from appropriations made
by the General Assembly.