Bill Summary for Bill Number HB09-1298

Date: 04/23/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1298

SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 09-1298 to the Committee on Appro	PASS

11:28 AM -- House Bill 09-1298

Senator Mitchell, prime sponsor, presented House Bill 09-1298 which refunds a portion of state sales taxes paid on the sale, storage, or use of Class A motor vehicles, expands the enterprise zone investment tax credit of three percent, and creates the Green Truck program. Senator Mitchell stated that the bill is recommended by the Joint Select Committee for Job Creation and Economic Growth. He provided his thoughts about the tax treatment of the trucking industry. He stated that the bill will drive economic development, encourage economic development in rural parts of the state, and encourage more environmentally-friendly practice in the industry. He explained the sales tax exemptions and enterprise zone tax benefits in the bill. He said the bill also creates a carbon grant program.

The following persons testified:

11:33 AM -- Mr. Greg Fulton, representing the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, testified in support of the bill. He distributed handouts to members of the committee about trucking industry employment (Attachment A) and information about trucking and the environment (Attachment B). He provided information about the sales tax treatment of the trucking industry and expressed his thoughts about how to create trucking jobs in Colorado. Mr. Fulton also expressed his support for trucking equipment qualifying under the state enterprise zone tax credit. He also discussed wages and employee benefits of the industry. Mr. Fulton said that the bill would help to increase jobs and raise additional revenue for Colorado.

11:43 AM -- Mr. Thomas Lee, representing Empire Warehouse and the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, testified in support of the bill. He testified about his experience in the refrigerator industry and the impacts of the trucking industry on other businesses. Mr. Lee expressed his concerns about the tax structure in Colorado affecting the trucking industry and said that Colorado had many opportunities to create jobs in the state. He responded to questions from the committee about tax credits for the trucking industry, and he shared his thoughts about the impact of lost trucking jobs on small communities.

11:50 AM -- Mr. Michael Riley, representing Westco Express Inc. and the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, testified in support of the bill. He provided background about his career in the trucking industry and as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He listed several trucking companies that have gone out of business in Colorado. He stated that Colorado has the highest tax treatment of the industry of all the surrounding states. He stated that his company currently registers all of their equipment in California because of tax policy in that state. He said Colorado is losing jobs, tax revenue, and trucking registrations. He responded to questions about whether the bill would change trucking registration in Colorado.

12:01 PM

Mr. Riley continued testifying, discussing registration in Colorado and California.

12:02 PM

Senator Sandoval closed public testimony.


BILL:	HB09-1298
TIME:	12:02:55 PM
MOVED:	Heath
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 09-1298 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed 7-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Heath	Yes
	Isgar	Yes
	King K.	Yes
	Scheffel	Yes
	Hudak	Yes
	Sandoval	Yes

Final YES: 7 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS