Bill Summary for Bill Number SB09-068

Date: 03/17/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-068

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Moved to refer Senate Bill 09-068 to the Committee	PASS

03:40 PM -- Senate Bill 09-068

Representative McCann, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-068, concerning funding to support domestic abuse services, and, in connection therewith, allocating a portion of the funding to assist military members and their families. Committee members received two hand-outs detailing practices in other states for committing portions of marriage and divorce filing fees to domestic violence programs (Attachments A and B), and a report on the Domestic Abuse Assistance Program created by the Department of Human Services (Attachment C). Representative McCann explained the effect of the bill, and her reasons for running the legislation. Representative McCann discussed the funding sources for increased domestic abuse services, and current sources for funding domestic abuse programs. Representative McCann then discussed the use of marriage and divorce processing fees for domestic violence programs in other states, as outlined in attachments A and B. Discussion ensued regarding Colorado's marriage license fee rates, and the funding sources for the increased programming under the bill.

03:54 PM

Discussion ensued regarding the basis for directing a portion of the moneys raised under Senate Bill 09-068 to services for military service members and their families. The discussion included the rate of domestic violence among families with military service members, and the stereotyping of violence among such populations.

03:57 PM

The following persons testified regarding Senate Bill 09-068:

03:57 PM -- Ms. Amy Miller, representing the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, testified in favor of the bill. Ms. Miller provided input on the rate of domestic violence among military service members and their families. Ms. Miller discussed the funding landscape for domestic violence services in Colorado, and the benefits of increasing funding levels for such services. Ms. Miller also discussed the need among military families for domestic abuse services, and the effect of the bill on other populations. Ms. Miller then discussed how increased surcharges on marriage and divorce filings were selected for revenue sources to fund increased domestic abuse services, and explained how such funding is used in Colorado. Ms. Miller responded to questions regarding the comparative rates of domestic violence between married and nonmarried couples in Colorado.

04:09 PM

Discussion ensued regarding the rates of domestic violence among married and nonmarried couples, and the reasons for targeting married couples with increased fees to fund increased domestic violence services under the bill. Discussion followed regarding the potential for creating a nexus between domestic violence services and the funding source for the increased services. Ms. Miller responded to questions regarding the stability of the funding source created by Senate Bill 09-068. Discussion turned to the amount of fees that will be directed to counties to administer the bill.

04:20 PM -- Ms. Carol Kresge, representing herself, testified in favor of Senate Bill 09-068. Ms. Kresge recounted her experiences as a victim of domestic violence, and explained how the services she received helped her to escape the violence. Discussion ensued regarding the funding source for increasing domestic abuse services under the bill.

04:30 PM

Representative Lambert recounted a situation in which he provided security for a victim of domestic abuse. Discussion continued regarding the funding mechanism for the bill.

04:33 PM -- Ms. Judy Schurf, representing herself, testified in favor of the bill. Ms. Schurf recounted her experiences as a victim of domestic violence, and explained how help from domestic abuse service providers assisted her.

04:36 PM -- Ms. Amy Craig, representing herself, testified in favor of Senate Bill 09-068. Ms. Craig recounted her experiences as a child victim of domestic abuse, and later as a spousal victim of abuse. Ms. Craig discussed the impact that domestic violence has on children, using her own experiences as an example. Ms. Craig then discussed the fee increases assessed under the bill, and the potential impact of not funding domestic violence services.

04:47 PM -- Ms. Michelle Fuller, representing Safehouse Denver, testified in favor of the bill. Ms. Fuller addressed the issue of the nexus between increased fees for marriage and divorce processing and the funding of increased domestic abuse services. Ms. Fuller then read from a series of letters addressed to the committee from residents of Safehouse Denver.

04:51 PM -- Mr. Scott Shields, representing Family Tree, testified in favor of Senate Bill 09-068. Mr. Shields discussed the services provided by Family Tree, and the need for additional funding to maintain services. Mr. Shields then discussed the sources of funding available to domestic abuse service providers, and the populations that rely on the services provided by Family Tree. Mr. Shields responded to questions regarding the types of services that would be provided with the increased funding mandated by the bill. Discussion ensued regarding the proper source of funding for increasing the level of domestic violence services. Mr. Shields responded to further questions regarding the veterans and military families that are served by Family Tree. Committee members received a brochure outlining Family Tree's military family assistance program (Attachment D).

05:03 PM

Mr. Shields responded to questions regarding the percentage of the population served by Family Tree that are veterans or military families.

05:05 PM -- Mr. Nate Gorman, representing the United Veterans Committee, testified regarding the bill from a neutral position. Mr. Gorman discussed certain language in the bill that directs a portion of the funding raised by the bill to military veterans and service members.

05:07 PM -- Ms. Wendy Leu, representing the Colorado Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, testified in favor of Senate Bill 09-068. Ms. Leu discussed needs in the area of domestic violence services, and pointed out the need for domestic violence services for men. Ms. Leu also discussed the assessment of the fee on marriage licenses.

05:11 PM -- Ms. Chris Radeff, representing the Colorado Bar Association, testified in opposition to the portion of the bill that increases the divorce filing fee. Committee members received a document summarizing Colorado's court fees (Attachment E). Ms. Radeff discussed the impact of increasing divorce filing fees on those who seek a divorce, and other fees assessed for court filings. Ms. Radeff also discussed the populations that are not served by the court system due to the inability to pay court fees. Ms. Radeff then expressed support for increasing the marriage filing fee to support increased domestic abuse services. Discussion ensued regarding the potential for funding increased domestic violence services through assessment of fees on those convicted of domestic abuse. Ms. Radeff responded to questions regarding trends in moving away from marriage into domestic partnership. Discussion ensued regarding the rate of fee collection by the Colorado court system.

05:21 PM

Discussion returned to the nexus between an increase in divorce and marriage filing fees and funding increased services for domestic violence. Discussion followed regarding the rate of domestic violence among married and nonmarried couples.

05:28 PM -- Dr. Charles Corry, representing the Equal Justice Foundation, testified in opposition to Senate Bill 09-068. Committee members received copies of a memorandum from Dr. Corry entitled "Vote for SB 09-068 and destroy a soldier" (Attachment F). Dr. Corry provided his professional background, recounted his experiences as a victim of domestic violence, and explained how he was targeted as the perpetrator of the violence. Dr. Corry also recounted his experiences as a stalking victim by his spouse. Dr. Corry then explained the potential effect of the increased rate of domestic violence charges on military service members.

05:38 PM

Dr. Corry drew a connection between increasing funding for domestic violence services and an increase in the placement of protection orders. Dr. Corry also questioned the ability of protection orders to protect individuals, and discussed the negative impacts of increasing the number of protection orders on military service members.

05:44 PM -- Mr. Cliff Smedley, representing the Equal Justice Foundation, testified against the bill. Committee members received copies of a news article about a woman who recently sought to have her husband murdered (Attachment G). Mr. Smedley discussed certain disparities between the treatment of men and women who have suffered from domestic violence. Mr. Smedley also discussed divorce scenarios in which men and women receive disparate treatment as a result of divorce laws and court practices.

05:53 PM

No amendments were offered to Senate Bill 09-068. Representative McCann provided closing remarks in favor of the bill, addressing issues that were brought up previously. Representative Massey explained his reasoning behind his vote on the bill, and discussed the funding source for increasing services for domestic violence. Representative Lambert also discussed the bill's funding source, and recounted a situation of domestic violence he encountered during his military service. Discussion ensued regarding the level of fee increases for marriage and divorce filings, and the benefits to be realized by increasing the fees.


BILL:	SB09-068
TIME:	05:57:24 PM
MOVED:	McCann
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 09-068 to the Committee on Finance with favorable recommendation. The motion passed on an 8-1-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Court
		VOTE
	Casso	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Hullinghorst	Yes
	Lambert	No
	Massey	Yes
	McCann	Yes
	Miklosi	Yes
	Murray	Excused
	Nikkel	Excused
	Labuda	Yes
	Todd	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 1 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

06:05 PM

The committee adjourned.