H_SA_2018A 03/14/2018 01:34:30 PM Committee Summary

Representative Kennedy, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 18-156.  Under current law, counties are required to publish expense reports, salary reports, and financial statements in at least one legal newspaper.  The bill changes the frequency and manner in which these reports and statements must be published.  Under this bill, the salary report must be published once annually instead of twice annually.  Prior to January 1, 2020, these reports and statements must still be published in at least one legal newspaper; however after January 1, 2020, these reports may be posted on the county website with a link to at least one legal newspaper in which they are published.

Representative Kennedy explained amendment L.001 [Attachment A].  He answered questions from the committee.

Commissioner Casey Tighe, Jefferson County, testified in support of the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Jerry Healey, Colorado Community Media, testified in opposition to the bill. He provided an informational packet and two handouts to the committee [Attachments B to D]. Mr. Healey answered questions from the committee.

Eric Bergman, Colorado Counties, Inc., testified in support of the bill. He provided two handouts to the committee [Attachments E and F]. Mr. Bergman answered questions from the committee.

Jerry Raehal, Colorado Press Association, testified in opposition to the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Commissioner Jim Zwetzeig, Morgan County, testified in support of the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Representative Kennedy answered questions from the committee.

Greg Romberg, Colorado Press Association, testified in opposition to the bill.  He answered questions from the committee. Representative Kennedy answered questions from the committee.

Richard Orf, Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Representative Foote made comments and laid the bill over for action only to a date to be determined.  The committee recessed.

The committee came back to order.

Representative Liston, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 18-128.  The bill requires all state agency fee increases to start on July 1 of a given year.  To increase a fee, a state agency must submit a fee increase proposal to the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) by February 1, and the proposed fee increase must be approved by a majority of the JBC members.  In a fee increase proposal, state agencies must include the following information:

•   the statutory authority for the fee;

•   the amount of the fee prior to the increase;

•   the proposed increase in the fee or actual increase of an emergency fee;

•   the reason for the fee increase;

•   a timeline for the fee and anticipated impacts on fee payers and the broader economy; and

•   anticipated outcomes if the fee is not increased. In each legislative session, the JBC will introduce a bill to grant authority to state agencies to increase specific fees.

Institutions of higher education are exempted from these requirements.  Agencies may adopt emergency fee increases that do not comply with these requirements if it is necessary to comply with state or federal law, or necessary to maintain the public's health, safety, or welfare.  If a state agency adopts an emergency fee increase, it must submit a fee increase proposal outlining the increase by the next February 1.  If an emergency fee increase is not included in the next bill introduced by the JBC, the agency must reduce the fee back to its previous level and refund the increased amount to the fee payer.  If a state agency adopts a fee increase between April 1, 2018, and September 1, 2018, the state agency must treat this fee increase as an emergency fee increase.

Representative Liston answered questions from the committee.

Justin Lippard, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, testified in opposition to the bill.

Jennifer Cassell, Colorado Department of Agriculture, testified in opposition to the bill.

Randy Kuykendall, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, testified in opposition to the bill.

Mr. Lippard and Mr. Kuykendall answered questions from the committee.

Representative Liston answered questions from the committee.

Ryan Long, Legislative Council Staff, answered questions from the committee.

Suzanne Staiert, Colorado Department of State, testified in support of the bill.

Representative Liston made concluding remarks about the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.

Representative Liston made additional comments to the commtitee.

Representative Williams, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 18-1178.  Conditional upon voter approval, the bill creates civil and criminal penalties for creating sanctuary jurisdictions.  A sanctuary jurisdiction is defined as one that adopts a law, ordinance, or policy that prohibits or in any way restricts an official or employee from cooperating and complying with federal immigration law or from sending, receiving, or using information regarding the immigration status of an individual. A sanctuary jurisdiction can be the state, a city, a county, a school district, a special district, an institution of higher education, or any other political subdivision of the state. Representative Williams provided the committee with a written statement from Nick Rogers of the Denver Police Protective Association [Attachment G].

John Sampson, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Denise Maes, American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill.  She answered questions from the committee.

Chris Lazarus, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.  She answered questions from the committee.

Rachel Sandoval, Colorado Education Association and Denver Classroom Teachers Association, testified in opposition to the bill.

Christina Medina, Colorado Education Association, testified in opposition to the bill.

Committee members made comments.  Ms. Sandoval and Ms. Medina made additional comments to the committee.  Representative Williams made comments to the committee.

Dawn Keller, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.  She answered questions from the committee.

Ana Temu, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.

Gray Buckley, Retired Peace Officers of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Alli Daley, Colorado Counties, Inc., testified in opposition to the bill.  She stated that the Colorado Municipal League also opposes the bill.

Jenna Ellis, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.  Ms. Ellis responded to questions from the committee.

Kathy White, Colorado Fiscal Institute, testified in opposition to the bill.  She provided a handout to the committee [Attachment H].

Rex Tonkins, representing himself, testified in support the bill.

Vickie Tonkins, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

Ms. Tonkins and Mr. Tonkins answered questions from the committee.

Eman Joden, Interfaith Alliance and Colorado Muslim Council, testified in opposition to the bill.  She responded to committee member comments.

Kane Klipka, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.

Christopher Lasch, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill.  He answered questions from the committee.

Anthony Suggs, Together Colorado and the Episcopal Church in Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill.

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill.  Committee members made comments.

Patricia Ferrero, Protegete, testified in opposition to the bill.

Corrine Rivera Fowler, Padres and Jovenes Unidos, testified in opposition to the bill.

Karla Gonzales Garcia, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, testified in opposition to the bill. She provided a handout to the committee [Attachment I].

Erin Liedtke, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.

Ingrid Moore, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.  Ms. Moore and Representative Williams answered questions from the committee.

Kimberly Gibbs, testified in opposition to the bill.  She read a statement from Marilyn Hughes in opposition to the bill.

Richard Creswell, Colorado People's Alliance, testified in opposition to the bill.

Edurado Gomez, Colorado People's Alliance, testified in opposition to the bill.

Genieva Croley, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.

Representative Williams made concluding remarks about the bill. He read a letter of support from Christine Goodman into the record [Attachment J].

Committee members commented on the bill.