H_TRA_2016A 03/09/2016 01:36:03 PM Committee Summary

01:37 PM -- HB 16-1295



Representative Salazar came to the table to present House Bill 16-1295 to the committee. He distributed amendment L.003 (Attachment A). The bill creates the Chicano special license plate for passenger vehicles and motorcycles. The license plate will be available to those individuals who have made a donation to an organization that meets the bill's criteria of providing services to the Latino community and that is designated by the Department of Revenue (DOR). The DOR must designate one or more such organizations at least once every five years. The organization may establish a minimum donation amount. It can either provide services directly to the Latino community or through grants, in which case the organization may spend no more than 10 percent of money raised through the plates on administrative costs. DOR is to design the plate with input from interested persons.



160309 AttachA.pdf



In addition to the donation, standard license plate taxes and fees apply, and applicants must also pay the one-time, standard special license plate fee of $50—$25 of which is credited to the Licensing Services Cash Fund and the remaining $25 to the Highway Users Tax Fund. An applicant may also apply for a personalized Chicano special license plate, upon payment of the annual personalized plate fee.



The plate will be available January 1, 2017, or when the DOR is prepared to issue the plates, whichever is earlier. The DOR may stop issuing the Chicano special license plate if 3,000 are not issued by July 1, 2021, though a person issued the plate may continue to use it even if it is discontinued.







01:40 PM



Representative Salazar responded to questions from the committee.



01:44 PM -- Rudy Gonzales, representing Servicios de la Raza, testified in support of the bill.



01:48 PM -- Angela Alfaro, representing Servicios de la Raza, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Alfaro responded to a question from the committee.



01:51 PM -- Jenny Santos, representing Servicios de la Raza, testified in support of the bill.



01:53 PM -- Alma Sanchez, representing Servicios de la Raza, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Gonzalez returned to the table to respond to a question from the committee. Representative Salazar responded to a question from the committee.



01:58 PM -- Brett Friedman, representing Servicios de la Raza, testified in support of the bill.



02:02 PM



Representative Salazar explained amendment L.003. He responded to questions from the committee.

02:11 PM



Representative Salazar made closing comments on the bill. The committee discussed the merits of the bill.



02:14 PM



The committee went into a brief recess.







02:18 PM



The committee came back to order.

02:21 PM -- SB 16-007



Representative Coram, prime sponsor, came to the table to present Senate Bill 16-007. Current law requires Colorado retail electric service providers to generate, or cause to be generated, a specified portion of its sales from eligible energy resources, including renewable energy resources. One of the eligible energy resources is biomass. For a period of up to 30 years, this bill specifies that each kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from a biomass source using forest materials taken from areas with a high risk of wildfire will count as 3 kilowatt-hours for purposes of complying with the renewable energy standard.



02:24 PM -- Lyle Laverty, representing the Society of American Foresters, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Laverty responded to questions from the committee. Discussion ensued.



02:38 PM



Representative Coram responded to questions from the committee.



02:42 PM -- Gwen Farnsworth, representing Western Resource Advocates, testified in opposition to the bill. Ms. Farnsworth responded to questions from the committee.



03:01 PM



Committee discussion with Ms. Farnsworth continued.







03:06 PM -- Becky Long, representing Conservation Colorado, testified in opposition to the bill. Committee discussion ensued. Ms. Long responded to questions from the committee.



03:22 PM



Ms. Farnsworth returned to the table to respond to a question from the committee. Discussion ensued.



03:29 PM -- Molly May, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

03:33 PM -- Ron Larson, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



03:38 PM -- James Gaspard, representing Biochar Now, testified neutrally on the bill. Mr. Gaspard responded to questions from the committee.



03:45 PM -- Bill Beierwaltes, representing Biochar Now, testified neutrally on the bill. He distributed two handouts on biochar and his company, Biochar Now, to the committee (Attachment B). Mr. Beierwaltes responded to questions from the committee.



160309 AttachB.pdf



03:55 PM -- John Field, representing himself, testified neutrally on the bill. He distributed a written copy of his testimony to the committee (Attachment C), and responded to questions.



160309 AttachC.pdf



04:06 PM -- Jonah Levine, representing Confluence Energy LLC and Pueblo Wood Products, testified in support of the bill. He distributed a sample of his company's biochar product to the committee. He responded to questions from the committee.





04:26 PM



Representative Coram made his closing comments on the bill. The committee discussed the merits of the bill.

04:37 PM



The committee was adjourned.