j_lc_2016a_2016-10-14t09:09:40z1 Hearing Summary

Date: 10/14/2016

09:13 AM -- Transportation Legislation Review Committee



Senator Baumgardner, chair of the Transportation Legislation Review Committee (TLRC), presented Bills A, B, C, D, and E recommended by the committee. The summary report prepared for the Legislative Council Committee, copies of the bills, and the committee's charge can be found in Attachment A. Senator Baumgardner answered questions from the committee. Committee discussion ensued.



161014 AttachA.pdf



09:29 AM



The committee continued to discuss the bills recommended by the TLRC.



The bills are as follows:



Bill A - Hearings on Transportation Commission Districts. This bill requires the TLRC to meet five times before November 15, 2017, to:

· make available the House Bill 16-1031 research study of changes to the Colorado Transportation Commission districts since 1991; and

· to offer an opportunity for public input regarding the districts, the study, and whether the districts should be modified.

Of the five meetings, four are to take place in each quadrant of the state and one in Denver metropolitan area. The committee may also consider the use of remote testimony.



Bill B - Modify Definition of a Commercial Vehicle. This bill modifies the definition of a commercial vehicle by increasing the minimum weight for commercial vehicles from 10,001 pounds to 16,001 pounds, and allows the Colorado State Patrol to adopt rules for vehicles that would otherwise be considered commercial vehicles but for weighing between 10,001 and 16,000 pounds.



Bill C - Authorize New Transportation Revenue Anticipation Notes. This bill requires the state Transportation Commission to submit a ballot question to voters in 2017 for approval of $3.5 billion in Transportation Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRANs) once existing transportation bonds have been repaid. The maximum repayment cost cannot exceed $5.5 billion or take longer than 20 years to repay. TRANs proceeds must be spent on a list of 42 transportation projects across the state described in the bill.



The bill also eliminates the final three years of Senate Bill 09-228 transfers and diverts 5 percent of state sales tax revenue to the Highway Users Tax Fund (HUTF) and 1 percent of state sales tax revenue to the Capital Construction Fund (CCF). Both the Senate Bill 09-228 transfers and the sales tax diversions to the HUTF are transferred to the State Highway Fund, so this change will not impact the local distribution of the HUTF.



Bill D - Autocycle Characteristics & Safety Requirements. This bill amends the definition of an autocycle to:

· exclude motorcycles;

· specify that autocycles are three-wheeled motor vehicles where the driver and passengers ride in a fully or partly enclosed seating area equipped with safety belts for all occupants;

· define "partly enclosed seating area" as an area that is surrounded on the sides by the frame or body of the vehicle; and

· remove air bag and hardtop enclosure requirements.

The bill also clarifies that child restraint and safety belt laws apply to autocycles.



Bill E - Limits on Underground Storage Tank Regulation. This bill prohibits a local government from imposing inspection requirements or charging inspection fees for underground petroleum storage tanks.