Date: 03/26/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1164

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 09-1164 to the Committee on ApproPASS



11:39 AM -- House Bill 09-1164

Senator Kester, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1164. The bill, which was amended by the Senate Transportation Committee, adds a $25 surcharge to the fees charged for a new or replacement Breast Cancer Awareness license plate. For individuals that are renewing the plate, the surcharge is optional. Senator Kester stated that the bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Transportation committee, and explained that it would assist low income women who suffer from breast and cervical cancer.

The following persons testified on the bill:

11:41 AM --
Ms. Jeanette Oxelson, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She stated that she currently does not have health insurance and suffers from breast cancer. Ms. Oxelson explained that after finding a lump in her breast, she had to wait for a mammogram. She also explained that she can no longer obtain Medicaid coverage because the clinic that screened her for breast cancer is not under Medicaid's system. Ms. Oxelson responded to questions from the committee about Cover Colorado and insurance coverage.

11:44 AM --
Ms. Dana Ozwonkowski, representing the American Cancer Society, testified in support of the bill. She testified that women are falling victim to insurance coverage loopholes because of the clinics where they receive breast cancer screenings. She also said the bill attempts to provide a stable revenue stream and does not require General Fund appropriations. The revenue raised by the surcharge, she said, would be placed into an account. She explained that the revenue would be used by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to treat women who fall through the treatment loophole only when the department deemed the funding sustainable to accommodate the additional case load. She also stated that the surcharge is not required for everyone purchasing a license plate. Ms. Ozwonkowski provided the committee with information about surveys conducted by the American Cancer Society about the breast cancer plates, and said the bill would help to assist women who need it.

11:56 AM --
Ms. Carol Hickman, representing herself, testified against the bill. She distributed a handout to the committee, which is included as Attachment B. Ms. Hickman explained that she was the original creator of the breast cancer plate, and she provided background to the committee about several concerns about the bill. She stated that it is difficult to determine what portion of the license plate fees would go towards funding treatment for breast and cervical cancer. Ms. Hickman stated that current financial models show that it could take several years for this funding to be available. She also said that the debate about the breast cancer plate exposes a larger policy issue related to Medicaid and cannot be addressed by the bill. Ms. Hickman expressed concerns about the precedent the surcharge would create and discussed other examples of special license plates used in Colorado.

09SenateFin0326AttachB.pdf


12:08 PM


Ms. Hickman continued testifying about the bill. She also expressed the concerns of other individuals who could not be present at the meeting.


12:09 PM

Senator Sandoval closed public testimony. Senator Kester shared additional thoughts about the bill.
BILL:HB09-1164
TIME: 12:11:12 PM
MOVED:Brophy
MOTION:Refer House Bill 09-1164 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed 6-1.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Brophy
Yes
Heath
Yes
Isgar
Yes
King K.
No
Scheffel
Yes
Hudak
Yes
Sandoval
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS