Senate Committee on Transportation (02/10/2009)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Date:	02/10/2009	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:36 PM to 04:06 PM	Kopp	X
		Renfroe	X
Place:	SCR 352	Romer	X
		Spence	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Veiga	X
	Senator Gibbs	Williams	X
		Gibbs	X
This Report was prepared by
	Geoff Johnson
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB09-094 SB09-075 SB09-107 SB09-148		Amended, Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:36 PM

Senator Williams, Chair, called the meeting to order.

01:36 PM -- Senate Bill 09-094

Senator Williams, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-094, concerning the creation of a Transit and Rail Division within the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). She walked the committee through the provisions of Senate Bill 09-094.

The following persons testified in regard to Senate Bill 09-094:

01:38 PM -- Jennifer Finch, representing the Colorado Department of Transportation, said that there is an increasing desire on the part of the public for transit services in the state.

01:46 PM -- Jeanne Erickson, representing the Colorado Transportation Commission, said that the commission supports Senate Bill 09-094. She commented on the historical understaffing of transit functions in the state. She said that CDOT's transit functions are currently funded with federal funds for the most part.

01:48 PM -- Sherri Ritenauer, representing the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, commented on the relationship between small transit agencies and CDOT.

01:59 PM -- Lee Kemp, representing the Regional Transportation District (RTD), supported Senate Bill 09-094. He said that Senate Bill 09-094 will be beneficial to RTD and will permit CDOT and RTD to work together to provide transit services.

02:01 PM -- Dr. Florine Raitano, representing the I-70 Coalition, supported Senate Bill 09-94, and said that the bill will be very important to the development of the I-70 Corridor.


BILL:	SB09-094
TIME:	02:04:16 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to Senate Bill 09-094, L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp
	Renfroe
	Romer
	Spence
	Veiga
	Williams
	Gibbs

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


BILL:	SB09-094
TIME:	02:09:01 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved that Senate Bill 09-094 be referred to the Committee on Appropriations, as amended. The motion passed on a 5-2-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp	No
	Renfroe	No
	Romer	Yes
	Spence	Yes
	Veiga	Yes
	Williams	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:10 PM -- Senate Bill 09-075

Senator Schwartz, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-075, concerning the operation of low-speed electric self-propelled vehicles on public rights-of-way. She described vehicle types that are addressed in Senate Bill 09-075. She said that Senate Bill 09-075 does not address golf carts or all-terrain vehicles. She noted that Colorado is one of only three states that provide no incentives for such vehicles.

The following persons testified in regard to Senate Bill 09-075:

02:14 PM -- Graham Hill, representing the Denver Electric Vehicle Council, said that Senate Bill 09-075 allows for safe travel by electric vehicle and assesses a fee to support the use of such vehicles. He supported the development of "charging stations" in Colorado and said that Senate Bill 09-075 will create jobs in Colorado.

02:17 PM -- Tom Perkins, representing Perkins Chrysler Plymouth, commented the retail sale of electric vehicles. He said that he sees the market for such vehicles growing, but that sales of the vehicles are not currently profitable. He said that the vehicles are safe. He noted that the vehicles will be licensed in the same fashion as any other vehicle under Colorado law.

02:25 PM -- Keith Hay, representing Environment Colorado, supported Senate Bill 09-075. He said that electric vehicles will help the state to address global warming, and that Senate Bill 09-075 will have a positive economic impact on the state by helping to create a market for this type of technology.

02:29 PM -- Shae Singer, representing Aspen Electric Cars, spoke of her involvement in the electric vehicle industry, and supported Senate Bill 09-075. She said that electric vehicles cost from $9,000 to $25,000. She noted that the vehicles use one-fifth of the energy of a conventional car.

02:31 PM -- Shirley Tipton, Aspen, representing herself, said that Senate Bill 09-075 is supported by the Aspen City Council and the Pitkin County Commissioners.

02:33 PM -- Jacque Francis, representing American Renewable Energy, supported Senate Bill 09-075.

02:35 PM -- Stuart MacPhail, representing Smart Wheels, supported Senate Bill 09-075. He said that the top speed of the electric vehicles should be at least 35 miles per hour.

02:40 PM -- Mark Radtke, representing the Colorado Municipal League, supported Senate Bill 09-075.


BILL:	SB09-075
TIME:	02:43:54 PM
MOVED:	Spence
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to Senate Bill 09-075, (Attachment B), L. 001. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp
	Renfroe
	Romer
	Spence
	Veiga
	Williams
	Gibbs
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	SB09-075
TIME:	02:44:30 AM
MOVED:	Spence
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to Senate Bill 09-075 (Attachment C), L.003. The motion failed on a 3-4-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp	Yes
	Renfroe	Yes
	Romer	No
	Spence	Yes
	Veiga	No
	Williams	No
	Gibbs	No
Not Final YES: 3 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

BILL:

SB09-075

TIME:

02:58:19 PM

MOVED:

Spence

MOTION:

Moved that Senate Bill 09-075 be referred to the Committee on Appropriations, as amended. The motion passed on a 5-2-0 roll call vote.

SECONDED:

VOTE

Kopp

Renfroe

Romer

Yes

Spence

Yes

Veiga

Yes

Williams

Yes

Gibbs

Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:59 PM -- Senate Bill 09-107

Senator Kester, prime sponsor, commented on Senate Bill 09-107, concerning the time during which a notarized bill of sale will exempt a vehicle that is at least 25 years old from being required to have a bonded title. He commented on the impact of Senate Bill 09-107 on salvage vehicle titles.

The following person testified in regard to Senate Bill 09-107:

03:07 PM -- Harold Naber, representing the Pikes Peak Veteran Car Club, commented on the process of acquiring a new title for classic cars. He said that, under current law, time frames do not allow sufficient time for acquisition of such documents. He said that Senate Bill 09-107 has no fiscal impact, and that he has worked with the Colorado Motor Vehicle Division in the development of the bill.


BILL:	SB09-107
TIME:	03:14:18 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to Senate Bill 09-107, (Attachment D), L.003. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp
	Renfroe
	Romer
	Spence
	Veiga
	Williams
	Gibbs

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


BILL:	SB09-107
TIME:	03:19:13 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved that Senate Bill 09-107 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, as amended, and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a 4-0-3 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp	Yes
	Renfroe	Yes
	Romer	Excused
	Spence	Excused
	Veiga	Excused
	Williams	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes

Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:21 PM -- Senate Bill 09-148

Senator Brophy, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 09-148, concerning revisions to the rules governing the safe interaction of bicycles with other vehicles on roadways. He described the procedure by which motor vehicles may safely pass bicycles on a roadway. He commented on portions of a roadway on which bicycles may be safely operated.

The following persons testified in regard to Senate Bill 09-148:

03:29 PM -- R.I. McCleery, representing the Larimer County Sheriff, said that he supervises traffic safety in Fort Collins and that the Larimer County Sheriff has concerns regarding the three-foot separation provision in Senate Bill 09-148. He said that there are portions of Senate Bill 09-148 that will be difficult for law enforcement officers to enforce.

03:38 PM -- Greg Fulton, representing the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, opposed Senate Bill 09-148. He commented on the width of trucks and the limited shoulders on many Colorado roadways. He expressed concern with the potential of Senate Bill 09-148 to cause traffic congestion.

03:46 PM -- Craig Sugarman, Loveland, representing himself, said that bicycle riders "are blatant law abusers." He indicated that bicycle riders are an inconvenience to him as he travels mountain roads. He noted that bicycle riders often ride two abreast, and stated that laws addressing bicycle safety are currently in place.

03:49 PM -- Dan Grunig, representing Bicycle Colorado, supported Senate Bill 09-048. He said that the state should encourage the use of bicycles. He commented on safe passing of a bicycle rider by a motor vehicle, and said that current law does not provide any guidance to motorists. He noted that on mountain roads motor vehicles must currently move into the adjoining lane to pass safely. He added that Colorado has more fatal bicycle accidents than the national average.

03:54 PM -- Robert Clark, representing the League of American Bicyclists, supported Senate Bill 09-148 and noted that Colorado is "far behind many other states in bicycle safety."

03:56 PM -- Piep Van Heuven, representing Bike Denver, supported Senate Bill 09-148.


BILL:	SB09-148
TIME:	04:02:19 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved a prepared amendment to Senate Bill 09-148 (Attachment E), L.002. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp
	Renfroe
	Romer
	Spence
	Veiga
	Williams
	Gibbs


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


BILL:	SB09-148
TIME:	04:05:52 PM
MOVED:	Williams
MOTION:	Moved that Senate Bill 09-148 be referred to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. The motion passed on a 6-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Kopp	Yes
	Renfroe	Yes
	Romer	Yes
	Spence	Yes
	Veiga	Excused
	Williams	Yes
	Gibbs	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:06 PM

The committee meeting adjourned.