Senate Committee on State, Veterans & Military Affairs (03/18/2009)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Date:	03/18/2009	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:36 PM to 04:32 PM	Boyd	X
		Cadman	X
Place:	SCR 353	Schultheis	X
		Bacon	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Williams	X
	Senator Williams

This Report was prepared by
	Geoff Johnson
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB09-1200 HB09-1281 HB09-1064 HB09-1018 HB09-1045		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to Appropriations Referred to the Committee of the Whole Postponed Indefinitely

01:36 PM -- House Bill 09-1200

Senator Scheffel, prime sponsor, commented on House Bill 09-1200, concerning a requirement that the staff of the Legislative Council consider certain factors relating to counties in the local government impact section of a fiscal note. House Bill 09-1200 was on the committee's agenda for action only. Testimony on House Bill 09-1200 was heard at the committee's meeting of March 16, 2009. Senator Scheffel commented on the inclusion of the term "Colorado Counties" in Colorado law, and in House Bill 09-1200.


BILL:	HB09-1200
TIME:	01:57:53 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to House Bill 09-1200 (Attachment A), L.004. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd
	Cadman
	Schultheis
	Bacon
	Williams


Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB09-1200
TIME:	01:58:26 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to House Bill 09-1200 (Attachment B), L.003. The motion passed on a 3-2-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	No
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	No


Not Final YES: 3 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	HB09-1200
TIME:	01:59:58 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1200 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. The motion passed on a 4-1-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	No
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes

Final YES: 4 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:02 PM -- House Bill 09-1281

Senator Newell, co-prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1281, concerning representation on Colorado state boards by persons with disabilities. She said that House Bill 09-1281 encourages the Governor to include on three state boards representation from a person with a disability, or another representative of such persons. She said that this action will bring more attention to the subject of disabilities in Colorado. She noted that House Bill 09-1281 simply encourages the Governor to make such appointments and she stated her belief that the Governor would like to have some flexibility in making these appointments.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1281:

02:14 PM -- Sheryle Hutter, representing the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, supported House Bill 09-1281. She said that her organization initially considered a list of 23 boards and commissions on which it sought enhanced disabled community representation, but later pared this list to just three state boards considered to be of particular significance to the disabled community in the state. She said that there are sufficient numbers of persons in Colorado willing and available to serve in these positions on state boards. She mentioned that access to housing is an area in which the disabled community has a high level of concern, and an area to which state boards might give more attention.

02:26 PM -- Randall Loeb, Denver, representing himself, said that he is an advocate for the homeless in Colorado. He supported House Bill 09-1281 and its goal of increased representation from disabled persons on state boards.


BILL:	HB09-1281
TIME:	02:33:19 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved to strike "IS ENCOURAGED TO" and substitute "SHALL WHEN POSSIBLE" on page 2, lines 8 and 9; page 3, line 7; and page 3, lines 18 and 19 of House Bill 09-1281. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd
	Cadman
	Schultheis
	Bacon
	Williams

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB09-1281
TIME:	02:33:56 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1281 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. The motion passed on a 5-0-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:34 PM -- House Bill 09-1064

Senator Sandoval, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1064, concerning creating a legislative committee to study poverty issues, and in connection therewith, establishing the economic opportunity poverty reduction task force for the purpose of advancing economic opportunity while reducing child and family poverty. She said that House Bill 09-1064 will inventory and assess state practices to eradicate poverty. She said that House Bill 09-1064 will seek to cut the poverty rate by 50 percent in the state, and she noted that the committee will be required to provide written reports annually to the General Assembly. She noted that approximately 12 percent of Colorado residents are in poverty. Senator Schultheis said that single parent families are more likely to fall into poverty.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1064:

02:41 PM -- Brad Wood, representing the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry of Colorado, said that more than 100,000 families in Colorado live under the federal poverty level. He said that 8 other states have formed task forces similar to that proposed in House Bill 09-1064. Senator Schultheis noted that the U.S. has been attempting to address the problem of poverty for fifty years. Mr. Wood said that House Bill 09-1064 will bring together diverse groups to consider appropriate policies relating to poverty.

02:48 PM -- Gretchen McComb, representing the Women's Foundation of Colorado, said that 13 percent of the female population of the state lives in poverty.

02:54 PM -- Patricia Ramirez, representing the 9 to 5 National Association of Working Women, supported House Bill 09-1064. She spoke of her own experiences in regard to rising out of poverty. She said that the right incentives will result in the employment of persons in poverty.

02:59 PM -- Paula Gomez-Ferrell, representing the City and County of Denver, supported House Bill 09-1064. She commented on the poverty reduction activities of the City and County of Denver and on current economic conditions. She said that there is a need for increased financial literacy in the state. She said that many native Coloradans are under-trained and lack adequate employment opportunities. She said that "public assistance must be provided strategically."

03:06 PM -- Mary Atchison, representing Pathways Past Poverty and the United Way of Larimer County, said that "being poor is a full-time job." She spoke of the demands on the poor in seeking out public assistance, and noted that this process is confusing and difficult. She said that poverty is growing dramatically in Colorado. She said that current practices to combat poverty in Colorado are not as effective as they might be.

03:12 PM -- Scott Groginsky, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, said that Colorado has the fastest growing population of children in poverty in the nation. He said that Colorado needs to examine the poverty reduction strategies of other states. He attributed poverty in part to the lack of quality affordable child care services and the lack of jobs offering a livable wage. He noted that nearly one-quarter of Colorado residents do not graduate from High School. Senator Schultheis expressed concern with over-regulation of the child care industry, and resulting increased costs. Senator Bacon said that there is insufficient funding of the state's educational system. Senator Boyd said that it is critical that child care be conducted in a safe environment.

03:23 PM -- Juanita Herrera, Denver, said that the General Assembly should not cause harm to the public and older Colorado residents in particular. She spoke of her difficulties in contacting elected officials. She commented on her difficulties in obtaining Social Security benefits. She supported House Bill 09-1064.

03:29 PM -- Rich Jones, representing the Bell Policy Center, supported House Bill 09-1064. He suggested reinstatement of the earned income tax credit as one potential solution to the problem of poverty.

03:34 PM -- Donna Davis, representing Mercy Housing, spoke of her personal experiences with homelessness. She said that her father was a soldier and that her parents are still married. She said that she was divorced earlier in her life and entered the work force with insufficient skills. She said that, at that time, she could not find affordable housing and lost most of her assets in a custody battle.

03:39 PM -- Reverend Bill Kirton, representing the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, supported House Bill 09-1064. He said that he has raised money to battle poverty for many years. He said that poverty is ultimately a moral question. He noted that children are not responsible for their parent's behavior. He said that the Bible references the "poor" approximately 2,000 times. He said that the committee proposed in House Bill 09-1064 will give attention to the problem of poverty. He said that state residents have a collective responsibility to address the problem of poverty. Senator Schultheis said that he feels that government may have usurped part of the responsibility for helping the poor, and that this responsibility has been the traditional role of caring persons in religious institutions. Senator Bacon said that we must put effort into bringing children out of poverty and that the public can come together though government to address societal problems. Reverend Kirton noted the strong link between crime and poverty.

03:54 PM -- Randall Loeb, representing the Poverty Task Force, said that he is an advocate for the homeless. He commented on various committees in the Denver area that are addressing the problem of homelessness. He said that there are many examples of cases in which poverty has been defeated. He said that there are consequences to not addressing the problem of poverty. He said that, in his past, he did not care for himself, and yet others cared for him, and "thus he is able to speak before the committee today."


BILL:	HB09-1064
TIME:	04:03:22 PM
MOVED:	Boyd
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1064 be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 3-2-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	No
	Schultheis	No
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 3 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:04 PM -- House Bill 09-1018

Senator Spence, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1018, concerning the removal of obsolete language in statutory provisions implementing the statewide voter registration and election system for purposes of compliance with the federal "Help America Vote Act." She walked the committee through the provisions of House Bill 09-1018.

The following persons testified in regard to House Bill 09-1018:

04:07 PM -- Richard Coolidge, representing the Colorado Secretary of State, said that House Bill 09-1018 is a "technical clean-up bill."

04:09 PM -- Pam Anderson, Colorado County Clerks Association, stated the support of her organization for House Bill 09-1018.


BILL:	HB09-1018
TIME:	04:10:53 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1018 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	Yes


Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:14 PM -- House Bill 09-1045

Senator Gibbs, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1045, concerning recognition of September 11 as an optional state holiday. He said that House Bill 09-1045 will create a day of remembrance of the September 11 tragedy in the State of Colorado and recognize the victims of the attack. He noted that House Bill 09-1045 has no fiscal impact. He spoke of the courage that was displayed by firefighters, the military and other public servants during this national crisis. He said that the creation of the proposed holiday will bring attention to the sacrifices of these persons in Colorado's public schools. He noted that the holiday would be optional for state employees. He said that he was honored to be asked to be the Senate sponsor of the bill. He spoke of his personal experience of seeing F-15 fighter jets circling Washington, D.C. after the attack.

The following person commented on House Bill 09-1045:

04:19 PM -- Steve Clapham, representing the Colorado Professional Firefighters, said that House Bill 09-1045 will create "Patriot Day." He said that he remembers September 11 clearly, and that he mourns the loss of the many brave Americans who lost their lives in the attack. Committee discussion ensued regarding the merits of House Bill 09-1045.


BILL:	HB09-1045
TIME:	04:31:53 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved that House Bill 09-1045 be postponed indefinitely. The motion passed on a 4-1-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Boyd	Yes
	Cadman	Yes
	Schultheis	Yes
	Bacon	Yes
	Williams	No


Final YES: 4 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:32 PM

The committee meeting adjourned.