H_SA_2016A 02/01/2016 Committee Summary

01:33 PM -- HB16-1086



Representative Ryden, co-prime sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1086 to the committee. This bill, requested by the Legislative Audit Committee, requires the Office of the State Auditor to complete a performance audit of the Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA) and the State Personnel Board (SPB) by December 1, 2019. Under current law, this audit must be completed by December 1, 2016. The bill also eliminates a requirement that DPA and the SPB be audited every four years, instead leaving such audits to the discretion of the State Auditor.



No witnesses testified on the bill.

01:39 PM



The committee recessed.





01:45 PM -- HB16-1093



The committee reconvened.



Representative Ransom, sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1093 to the committee. This bill makes conforming amendments in state law to consistently apply terms related to the way county clerks process, record, and update voter change of address information. Currently, the Secretary of State is required to perform monthly national change of address database searches to determine if a voter has moved. This bill makes changes to the process that must be followed by the county clerks to confirm a voter address if the monthly search determines that a voter may have moved.



01:50 PM -- Suzanne Staiert, Deputy Secretary of State, testified in support of the bill.



01:58 PM -- Matt Crane, Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder and representing the Colorado County Clerks Association (CCCA), testified on the bill.



01:59 PM -- Amber McReynolds, Denver Director of Elections representing the CCCA, testified on the bill.



02:06 PM -- Debra Johnson, Denver County Clerk and Recorder, testified on the bill.















02:08 PM -- Merlin Klotz, Douglas County Clerk, testified on the bill.



02:09 PM -- Martha Tierney, representing America Votes, testified against the bill.



02:14 PM -- Elizabeth Steele, representing the League of Women Voters, testified in support of the bill.





02:15 PM



Representative Ryden laid the bill over. The committee recessed.





02:20 PM -- HB16-1071



The committee reconvened.



Representative Windholz, sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1071 to the committee. This bill grants initiative powers to the voters of every county or any special taxing district created by a county. Residents may submit a proposed ordinance or other legislative change (initiative) to the board of county commissioners (board) by filing a written notice with the county clerk and recorder (county clerk). The notice must specify whether the initiative affects the entire county or a geographic portion of the county. Within 180 days after the notice is submitted, the petitioners must file an initiative petition signed by five percent of the county's registered electors, or five percent of the registered electors in the geographic region affected. The clerk must determine if the signature requirement has been met and make an independent evaluation to determine the geographic area. Once such determination is made, the county clerk must certify the initiative to the board. The proposed initiative may be adopted without alteration by the board within 20 days. If the board does not adopt it, the initiative must be published for voter approval at a regular or special election held no less than 60 days and no more than 150 days after final determination. The initiative will take effect if a majority of registered electors vote in favor of the initiative. If two or more conflicting initiatives are approved, the initiative receiving the most votes must be adopted.

02:32 PM -- Pat Ratliff, representing Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI), testified against the bill. Committee members received a CCI fact sheet on the bill (Attachment A).



16HouseState0201AttachA.pdf



02:41 PM -- Jay Hill, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.



02:45 PM -- Richard Orf, representing the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, testified against the bill.



02:48 PM -- Gary Mikes, representing the Stop Stormwater Utility Association, testified in support of the bill.



02:51 PM -- Nicholas Colglazier, representing the Colorado Competitive Council, testified against the bill.



















02:54 PM -- Kathryn Lawrence, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



03:00 PM -- Mark Ruzzin, representing Boulder County, testified against the bill.



03:05 PM -- Richard Hamilton, representing the South Park Coalition, testified in support of the bill.



03:12 PM -- Phillip Doe, representing Be the Change, testified in support of the bill.





03:14 PM



Representative Windholz presented amendment L.001 (Attachment B).



16HouseState0201AttachB.pdf

03:17 PM



Representative Windholz wrapped up her presentation of the bill.

03:23 PM -- HB16-1012



Representative Ryden, sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1012 to the committee. This bill requires certified statements of local election results to be filed with the Division of Local Government in the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). Under current law, the statements are filed with the Secretary of State (SOS). The bill requires the division to post the statements on its website, and the SOS must provide a link to them on its website. The bill does not change the requirement that the certified statement must also be published in a newspaper or posted within the municipality.



03:24 PM -- Bruce Eisenhauer, representing DOLA, testified in support of the bill.



03:27 PM -- Elizabeth Steele, representing the League of Women Voters, testified in support of the bill.



03:29 PM -- Suzanne Staiert, Deputy Secretary of State, testified in support of the bill.





03:30 PM



Representative Ryden wrapped up her presentation of the bill.

03:32 PM



The committee adjourned.