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S_AGR_2023A 01/10/2023 02:38:58 PM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
JOINT COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON JOINT SENATE AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND HOUSE AGRICULTURE, WATER & NATURAL RESOURCES
Date 01/10/2023
Attendance
Catlin X
Hinrichsen X
Holtorf X
Lindsay X
Luck X
Lukens X
Marchman X
Martinez X
McLachlan X
Parenti X
Pelton B. X
Pelton R. X
Priola X
Simpson X
Story X
Titone X
Velasco X
Winter T. X
McCormick X
Roberts X
Time 02:38:58 PM to 06:33:25 PM
Place Old Supreme Court
This Meeting was called to order by Roberts
This Report was prepared by Alexa Kelly
Hearing Items Action Taken
Joint Budget Committee Presentation Committee Discussion Only
Office of the State Auditor Presentation Committee Discussion Only
Colorado Department of Agriculture Presentation Committee Discussion Only
Colorado Department of Natural Resources (excluding COGCC) Presentation Committee Discussion Only
Public Testimony Committee Discussion Only

Joint Budget Committee Presentation - Committee Discussion Only
02:41:46 PM  
Senator Zenzinger,
Joint Budget Committee (JBC), gave opening comments on the presentation
and discussion.  Presentation materials for the meeting can be found
here: https://leg.colorado.gov/content/hawn2023asmartact.
     
02:44:08 PM  
Representative Bird,
Joint Budget Committee, gave an overview of what goes into the budget,
how revenue is divided, and different types of funds that exist.
02:47:35 PM  

Representative Bird pointed the committee to the Department of Agriculture (CDA) budget breakdown in the briefing document. She discussed the new responsibilities that the department has taken on and how this drives its budget.  

02:50:26 PM  
Representative Bird
went over the budget requests in the CDA budget briefing document.
02:54:23 PM  
Senator Zenzinger
responded to questions from the committee regarding the evidence based
decisions behind the budget recommendations.
02:58:21 PM  

Representative Bird and Senator Zenzinger answered questions from the committee about cash funds and how cash funds are tied to specific programs.
03:01:10 PM  
Senator Kirkmeyer,
Senator Zenzinger, and Senator Bridges answered a question about what vacancy
savings are, how they are used, and how the department manages full-time
equivalent positions (FTEs).
03:04:06 PM  
Representative Bird
answered a question about unfilled FTE positions at the department.  Senator
Zenzinger discussed the legislature's role in allocating money associated
with FTEs.
03:09:45 PM  
Senator Kirkmeyer answered a question about one of the line items.
03:12:06 PM  
Representative Bird
pointed the committee to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) budget
briefing document.  She spoke about how the funds are distributed
and where funds come from in the department's budget.
03:14:40 PM  
Representative Bird discussed the line item requests in the DNR budget briefing.
03:17:05 PM  
Senator Zenzinger and Representative Bird answered questions from the committee about line item R2, Colorado River Policy and Technical Support, and what the request entails for DNR.
03:20:33 PM  
The committee continued to ask questions about the R2 budget request.
03:26:22 PM  
Representative Bird continued to discuss the other line item requests from DNR.
03:29:47 PM  
Senator Kirkmeyer and Senator Zenzinger answered questions from the committee about the wildfire mitigation program.
03:30:28 PM  
Representative Bird continued to discuss the line items in the DNR budget request.
03:30:48 PM  
Representative Bird told the committee to reach out to JBC analysts for questions and directed them to go through the remaining budget line items that were not covered in the discussion.
03:32:13 PM  
Senator Zenzinger
pointed out that there were a lot of one-time federal funds in the previous
budget year and discussed how committee members may access information
on how these federal funds were spent.



Office of the State Auditor Presentation - Committee Discussion Only
03:35:07 PM  
Marisa Edwards, Deputy
State Auditor, Office of the State Auditor, introduced the presentation.
 Jenny Atchley, Audit Manager, Office of the State Auditor, gave an
overview of the audit of the state parks reservation system.  
03:38:37 PM  
Ms. Atchley responded
to questions from the committee about the technical system behind the state
park campground reservation system.
03:39:23 PM  
Ms. Atchley continued
to respond to questions about the problems that the audit of the program
examined, including no-show and cancelled reservations in the system.
03:40:55 PM  
The committee asked
questions about fraud with unemployment insurance claims.
03:45:26 PM  
The committee asked
questions about the management of campsites.  Ms. Atchley explained
that the audit did not look at this issue specifically.



Colorado Department of Agriculture Presentation - Committee Discussion Only
03:48:18 PM  
Kate Greenberg, Commissioner
of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture (CDA), introduced the presentation
and her team.
03:49:56 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg
discussed a survey the department did on Colorado citizen views on agriculture
in the state. She discussed the mission and core values of CDA.
03:54:11 PM  
Hollis Glenn, Deputy Commissioner of Operations, CDA, discussed the department's wildly important goals, including economic resilience, voluntary stewardship, supporting future generations in agriculture, and animal health and welfare.
03:59:48 PM  
Jennifer Hughes,
Chief Financial Officer, CDA, discussed the department's budget requests
for this budget cycle. Jordan Beezley, Deputy Director of External Affairs,
CDA, answered questions from the committee about qualifications for the
department's soil health program.
04:02:16 PM  
Ms. Hughes answered a question about discrepancies between the presentation and the JBC budget briefing document.
04:03:49 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg
and Mr. Beezley answered questions from the committee about the current
participation in the soil health program and how money allocated to the
program is being used.
04:05:57 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg answered questions from the committee about stakeholder participation in their programs.
04:08:00 PM  
Mr. Beezley answered questions from the committee regarding quantifying carbon sequestration on farms producing crops.
04:10:19 PM  
Ms. Hughes continued to discuss the department's budget requests.
04:13:50 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg answered question about the role of a recovery officer in the department.
04:16:09 PM  
Ms. Hughes continued
to discuss the department's budget requests.
04:17:48 PM  
Mr. Beezley answered questions from the committee about fruit and vegetable inspections.
04:18:10 PM  
Ms. Hughes continued to discuss the department's budget requests.
04:18:48 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg answered questions from the committee about animal welfare compliance.
04:19:56 PM  
Mr. Glenn answered a question about animal welfare and educational outreach.
04:24:59 PM  
Mr. Glenn answered
a question about animal welfare investigations and common complaints to
the department.
04:30:24 PM  
Mr. Beezley introduced
the department's regulatory agenda, including the rulemaking hearings that
the department has held in the past year and the hearings they have planned
this year.  He discussed the department's legislative agenda, including
agricultural workforce, disease response, loan programs, the wine industry
development board, and inspection fees.
04:34:40 PM  
Mr. Beezley discussed
the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts being done by the department.
04:42:34 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg answered questions from the committee about the future agriculture leaders program and how they are promoting inclusion in the program.
04:43:34 PM  
Mr. Beezley answered questions from the committee about the food summit that CDA held.
04:46:37 PM  
Mr. Beezley answered
a question about education outreach being done by the department.
04:50:03 PM  
Mr. Glenn discussed the stimulus funding that was allocated in the previous legislative session and how the funds are being spent.
04:52:58 PM  
Mr. Glenn discussed the department's efforts to seek additional funds for various programs.
04:55:59 PM  
Mr. Glenn discussed the Colorado Agriculture Future Loan Program, agricultural efficiency, agricultural drought resiliency, and the Colorado Proud program.
05:01:10 PM  
Commissioner Greenberg provided a wrap up of the presentation.



Colorado Department of Natural Resources (excluding COGCC) Presentation - Committee Discussion Only
05:04:41 PM  
Dan Gibbs, Executive
Director, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), introduced the presentation.
05:08:39 PM  
Director Gibbs spoke
about the department's wildly important goals, including sustainable funding
for parks and wildlife, balancing outdoor recreation and wildlife, and
water plan implementation.
05:15:20 PM  
Director Gibbs gave
an update on the stimulus funds that were allocated to the department.
05:15:53 PM  
Director Gibbs spoke
about the department's budget requests including the request for a Colorado
River Policy and Technical Support Team and other requests focused on water
and wildfire mitigation.
05:19:41 PM  
Director Gibbs gave
an overview of the department's legislative agenda and the regulatory agenda.
05:21:02 PM  
Kevin Rein, State
Engineer, DNR, introduced the presentation on compact compliance. He discussed
the state's compact obligations, describing how Colorado stays in compliance
with some of these compacts. He noted methods such as indexing supply,
applying prior appropriations across state lines, pumping water through
pipelines, and maintaining flows over time. He noted that Colorado is solidly
in compliance with the Colorado River Compact.
05:28:12 PM  
Becky Mitchell, Director
of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and Colorado River Commissioner
to the Upper Colorado River Commission, provided an update on the Colorado
River basin and spoke about actions to protect Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
She noted that the state has been responsive to the conditions of the Colorado
River, but that it also has little control over the current crisis in the
river basin.
05:33:42 PM  
Director Mitchell
discussed the five-point plan being implemented by the upper basin states.
 She noted the importance of actions taken in the Lower Basin as well.
05:35:48 PM  
Mr. Rein and Director Mitchell answered questions from the committee about groundwater pumping, the South Platte River water supply, and Colorado River Compact delivery requirements.
05:42:32 PM  
Director Gibbs answered questions about funds in the Rio Grande and Republican River Basins.
05:47:57 PM  
The committee asked questions about keeping water in agriculture and sending Colorado River water to other states. Director Mitchell discussed the value of water on the land and the parity across states relying on Colorado River water. She spoke about how Colorado is responding to the Lower Basin States.
05:53:19 PM  
Director Mitchell responded to questions about how Colorado is working with the federal government, the Upper Basin States, and the Lower Basin States.
05:55:51 PM  
Director Mitchell and Mr. Rein continued to respond to questions about Colorado River Compact compliance and water use and reuse within Colorado.
06:00:57 PM  
Director Gibbs answered questions about current snowpack, forest health, wildfires, and the environmental justice task force.
06:11:00 PM  
Director Gibbs answered
questions about how the department is balancing relationships with all
the river basins in Colorado.
06:11:49 PM  
Mr. Rein discussed how the state administers each of the interstate water compacts. Director Mitchell told the committee how her team is protecting water in Colorado.
06:17:32 PM  
Director Gibbs answered
a question about the department's budget allocation for compensation for
livestock owners from the impacts of wolf reintroduction.
06:20:19 PM  

Heather Dugan, Acting Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, discussed the draft wolf reintroduction plan, the public comment period process, and how the department will fund compensation.

06:23:01 PM  
Director Gibbs discussed
the need for the federal 10(j) process, which is a species recovery program
run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  He spoke about the need
for this process to occur to make the wolf reintroduction process possible.
06:24:03 PM  
Committee members made comments on the statutory requirements on the wolf reintroduction timeline and funding sources.
06:26:33 PM  
The committee continued to discuss the effects of wolf reintroduction.
06:28:12 PM  
Acting Director Dugan
made comments on compensating ranchers for wolf depredation.
06:29:53 PM  
Director Gibbs gave
closing comments on the presentation and encouraged committee members to
reach out to the department with questions.



Public Testimony - Committee Discussion Only
06:33:01 PM  
There was no public testimony.


06:33:25 PM   The committee adjourned.






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