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H_PBH_2023A 03/01/2023 01:31:04 PM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Date 03/01/2023
Attendance
Amabile X
Bradfield *
Bradley X
English *
Gonzales-Gutierrez *
Hamrick X
Holtorf *
Jodeh *
Story X
Young X
Michaelson Jenet X
Time 01:31:04 PM to 11:01:43 PM
Place HCR 0112
This Meeting was called to order by Michaelson Jenet
This Report was prepared by Amanda King
Hearing Items Action Taken
HB23-1202 Referred to the Committee of the Whole
HB23-1024 Amended, referred to House Appropriations

HB23-1202 - Referred to the Committee of the Whole
01:31:25 PM  
Representative Willford
and Representative Epps, co-prime bill sponsors, presented House Bill 23-1202,
concerning the ability of a municipality to authorize the establishment
of life-saving overdose prevention centers. The bill permits municipalities
to authorize the operation of an overdose prevention center within its
boundaries. Overdose prevention centers are defined as facilities providing
space for individuals to use previously obtained controlled substances
in a monitored setting under the supervision of healthcare professionals
or other trained staff for the purpose of providing life-saving treatment
in the event of a potential overdose, as well as access to other harm reduction
services.
01:39:24 PM  
The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee.
02:09:56 PM  
Lisa Raville, representing
the Harm Reduction Action Center, testified in support of the bill.



Meghan MacKillop,
representing the Colorado Municipal League, testified in support of the
bill.



Racquel Garcia,
representing HardBeauty and the HardBeauty Foundation, testified in support
of the bill.



Jeremy Pavlik,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Councilmember
Alison Coombs, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
03:01:44 PM  
The panelists continued to respond to questions from the committee.
03:06:29 PM  
Major General (Ret.)
Jack Briggs, representing the Springs Rescue Mission, testified in opposition
to the bill.



Steffan Tubbs,
representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Daniel Jablonski,
representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Deputy Chief  Gregory
Sadar, representing the Colorado Association of the Chiefs of Police, testified
in opposition to the bill.



Jason Dunn, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
03:59:59 PM  
Dr. Joshua Barocas,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Hassan Latif,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Taylor Pendergrass,
representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, testified
in support of the bill.



Dr. Sarah Axelrath,
representing the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, testified in support
of the bill.

Jonathan Singer,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Nicholas  Walker,
representing the City of Northglenn, testified in support of the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
04:33:36 PM  
Kyle Roth, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Joy Overbeck,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Mark Miller, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.



The panel answered
questions from the committee.
04:52:48 PM  
Dr. Nicole Speer,
representing the City of Boulder, testified in support of the bill.



Jose Esquibel,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Prescillia Wells,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Trudy Gygi, representing
Together Colorado, testified in support of the bill.



Terri Hurst, representing
the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, testified in support of
the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
05:15:37 PM  
Ginny Burton, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill. She responded to questions from the committee.
05:23:10 PM  
Trina Griego, representing
the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.



Laura Cash, representing
Broken No More and GRASP - Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing, testified
in support of the bill.



JoyAnn Ruscha,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Betsy Craft, representing
the Colorado Drug Policy Coalition, testified in support of the bill.



James Gannon,
representing Advocates For Recovery Colorado, testified in support of the
bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
05:41:20 PM  
Tom Downey, representing
the Harm Reduction Action Center, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Tyler Coyle,
representing the Colorado Society of Addiction Medicine, testified in support
of the bill.



Devon Peavy, representing
Sobriety House, testified in support of the bill.



Kenny Maestas,
representing the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in support
of the bill.



Molly McKinley,
representing the Denver Streets Partnership, testified in support of the
bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
06:16:43 PM  
Hope Hyatt, representing
the Colorado Mental Wellness Network, testified in support of the bill.



Dave Wasserman,
representing Conscious Consulting, testified in support of the bill.



Kristen Orzel,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Dana Steiner,
representing the Colorado Freedom Fund, testified in support of the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.  
06:34:04 PM  
Councilwoman Robin
Kniech, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Lauren Snyder, representing Mental Health Colorado, testified in support
of the bill.



Maggie Seldeen, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Breeah Kinsella, representing the Colorado Providers Association, testified
in support of the bill.



Anna Weaver read a statement for Dr. Bryon Adinoff, representing himself,
in support of the bill.



Andrew Goodman, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




The panelists responded to questions from the committee.
06:47:36 PM  
Ally Arnaiz, representing
themself, testified in support of the bill.



Martha Wilson,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Madison Magor,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Jody Ryan,
representing WellPower and the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council,
testified in support of the bill.



Steven Haden,
representing Envision:You, testified in support of the bill.



Andres Alvarez,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Written testimony
was provided to the committee (Attachment A).
07:29:55 PM  
Representative Willford and Representative Epps made concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.


07:45:43 PM
 Motion Refer House Bill 23-1202 to the Committee of the Whole.
Moved Young
Seconded Gonzales-Gutierrez
Amabile Yes
Bradfield No
Bradley No
English Yes
Gonzales-Gutierrez Yes
Hamrick Yes
Holtorf No
Jodeh Yes
Story Yes
Young Yes
Michaelson Jenet Yes
Final YES: 8   NO: 3   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS



HB23-1024 - Amended, referred to House Appropriations

07:45:54 PM  
The committee recessed.
07:46:24 PM  
The committee came back to order.
07:50:26 PM  
Representative Epps
and Representative Gozales-Gutierrez, co-prime bill sponsors, presented
House Bill 23-1024.  The bill is concerning measures to increase family
resiliency through providing greater supports and protections for children
placed with kin, including relatives.  The bill enacts several measures
related to the placement of children and youth temporarily placed out-of-the-home
with relative or kin. These measures include:



- allowing relatives to appeal denied placements;

- requiring courts to inquire about and update relative or kin affidavits;


- requiring county department of human services to assist relatives in
obtaining resources to care for a child or youth and providing options
to participate in their care and planning;

- specifying what must be included in notices from county department of
human services to relatives or kin when a child or youth is removed from
their home;

- requiring courts to prioritize placements with relative or kin and presume
that placement with them is in the child or youth’s best interest, unless
the placement jeopardizes their health, safety or welfare;

- requiring courts provide reasoning when placement with relative or kin
is denied; and

- requiring caseworkers to inform courts of efforts to place the child
or youth with a relative.
07:53:26 PM  
Representative Gonzales-Gutierrez
discussed amendments L.001 and L.002 (Attachments B and C).
07:55:42 PM  
Melissa Thompson,
representing the Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified in support
of the bill.



Dr. Kendall Marlowe,
representing The Kempe Foundation for Child Abuse and Neglect, testified
in support of the bill.



Jennifer Mullenbach,
representing the Jefferson County Commissioners and Colorado Counties Incorporated,
testified in support of the bill.



Dborah Israel,
representing C.A.R.E.S, Elevating Connections, and Project Foster Power,
testified in support of the bill.



Ashley Chase,
representing the Office of the Child's Representative, testified to amend
the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
08:12:39 PM  
Timothy Eirich, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.
Mr. Eirich
provided a handout to the committee  (Attachment D).




Tracee Perkins, representing herself, testified to amend the bill.




Lindsay Gilchrist, representing CHAMPS Colorado, testified to amend the
bill.



Stephanie Villafuerte, representing the Office of the Colorado Child Protection
Ombudsman, testified to amend the bill.




Benjamin Teevan, representing Fostering Colorado and the Colorado Association
of Children’s Agencies, testified to amend the bill.




The panelists responded to questions from the committee.
08:37:59 PM  
Jody Britton, representing
Foster Source, testified in opposition to the bill. She provided a handout
to the committee (Attachment E).



Megan Harper,
representing themself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Danielle Casataneda,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Ms. Gilchrest
read a statement from Shantelle Mulliniks, representing herself, in opposition
to the bill.



Sara Stovall,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.
08:56:33 PM  
Martha Wilson, representing
herself, testified in support of the bill.



Prescillia Wells,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



MJ Coleman Jackson,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Jena Fleiner,
representing the Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified in support
of the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
09:12:02 PM  
Erica Heddings, representing
herself, testified to amend the bill.



Dr.  Igor
Shumskiy, representing himself, testified to amend the bill.
09:19:29 PM  
Sister Michael-Delores
Allegri, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Brandi Nieto,
representing themself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Kathryn Mathis,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Heather Gonzales,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.



Carrie Savage,
representing Catholic Charities Denver, testified in opposition to the
bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
09:41:30 PM  
Sarah Burgess, representing the Catholic Charities Kinship Caregiver Program, testified to amend the bill.
09:44:27 PM  
David Willson, representing
himself, testified in support of the bill.



Monica Mooney-Denny,
representing the Office of Respondent Parent Counsel, testified in support
of the bill.



Iris Flores, representing
herself, testified in support of the bill.



Tyrone Nelson,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Alicia Johansen,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
10:05:03 PM  
Mike Ozborn, representing
himself, testified in support of the bill.



Maleeka Jihad,
representing The MJCF Coalition, testified in support of the bill.



Annie Martinez,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Jaime Menegus,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Stephanie Ruybal,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



Henry Ruybal,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



Dr. Thomas Perille,
representing Democrats for Life of Colorado, testified in support of the
bill.
10:28:37 PM  
Ruchi Kapoor, representing
herself, testified in support of the bill.



Ashlee Arcilla,
representing the Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified in support
of the bill.



Melanie Jordan,
representing the Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, testified in support
of the bill.  She provided a handout to the committee (Attachment
F).



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.  Written testimony was
provided to the committee (Attachment G).
10:48:47 PM  
Representative Epps and Representative Gonzales-Gutierrez explained amendment L.002.


10:51:06 PM
 Motion Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment C).
Moved Gonzales-Gutierrez
Seconded Jodeh
Amabile
Bradfield
Bradley
English
Gonzales-Gutierrez
Hamrick
Holtorf
Jodeh
Story
Young
Michaelson Jenet
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection
10:51:22 PM  
Representative Epps
explained amendment L.001 (Attachment B).


10:51:38 PM
 Motion Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment B).
Moved Gonzales-Gutierrez
Seconded Jodeh
Amabile
Bradfield
Bradley
English
Gonzales-Gutierrez
Hamrick
Holtorf
Jodeh
Story
Young
Michaelson Jenet
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection
10:51:39 PM  
Representative Gonzales-Gutierrez and Representative Epps provided concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members remarked on the bill.


11:01:32 PM
 Motion Refer House Bill 23-1024, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.
Moved Gonzales-Gutierrez
Seconded Jodeh
Amabile Yes
Bradfield Yes
Bradley Yes
English Yes
Gonzales-Gutierrez Yes
Hamrick Yes
Holtorf Yes
Jodeh Yes
Story Yes
Young Yes
Michaelson Jenet Yes
Final YES: 11   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS


11:01:43 PM   The committee adjourned.






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