S_LG_2017A 02/14/2017 Committee Summary
Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
| Date: | 02/14/2017 |
ATTENDANCE
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| Time: | 02:01 PM to 04:10 PM |
Crowder
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X
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Donovan
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X
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| Place: | SCR 354 |
Kefalas
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X
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Gardner
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X
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| This Meeting was called to order by |
Martinez Humenik
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X
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| Senator Martinez Humenik | |||
| This Report was prepared by | |||
| David Beaujon | |||
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X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
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| Bills Addressed: | Action Taken: | ||
| SB17-153 HB17-1047 SB17-129 SB17-140 HB17-1017 HB17-1018 |
Referred to Senate Finance Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole - Consent Calendar Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole - Consent Calendar Referred to the Committee of the Whole - Consent Calendar Amended, Referred to Senate Senate Services Referred to the Committee of the Whole - Consent Calendar |
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02:01 PM -- SB 17-153
Senator Garcia and Crowder, co-prime sponsors, discussed the provisions of Senate Bill 17-153 concerning the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission. This bill replaces the Southwest Chief Rail Line Economic Development, Rural Tourism, and Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance Commission with the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission, also housed in the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission assumes the powers and duties of the old commission, which was set to repeal on July 1, 2017, as a Type 1 transfer. These duties include the coordination of efforts to ensure that track repairs and upgrades required for the continuation of existing Southwest Chief Rail service in Colorado are completed, extending rail service to Pueblo, and exploring the benefits of extending service to Walsenberg. The commission is increased from 9 to 13 commissioners. The commission is also tasked with developing draft legislation that facilitates the development of a passenger rail system that provides service in and along the I-25 corridor. The commission must present the draft legislation to the Local Government committees of the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2017.
Senator Crowder distributed a letter of support for SB 17-135 from the Prowers Board of County Commissioners (Attachment A) and a map of the Colorail Proposed Rail System (Attachment B).
170214 AttachA.pdf170214 AttachB.pdf
The following persons testified on the bill:
02:04 PM -- Jim Souby, Southwest Chief Rail Line Economic Development, Rural Tourism, and Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance Commission, spoke in support of the bill and discussed activities of the commission. He also responded to questions from the committee about ridership on the Southwest Chief and the Winter Park Express and efforts to increase rail passengers. He also identified the 11 voting members and two nonvoting members of the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission.
02:16 PM
Jason Gelender, Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions from the committee about the membership of the Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission.
02:21 PM -- Sal Pace, Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners and Chair of the Southwest Chief Rail Line Economic Development, Rural Tourism, and Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance Commission, spoke in support of the bill and explained that the bill was recommended by the commission. He also explained that -- to date -- the commission has not received any moneys from the State of Colorado and that its expenses have been paid by Pueblo County. He also responded to questions from the committee about the bill and efforts to expand passenger rail service along Colorado's Front Range.
02:33 PM -- Phillip Rico, Mayor of the City of Trinidad, spoke in support of the bill and distributed a letter of support for the bill from Gabriel Engeland, Trinidad City Manager and himself (Attachment C).
170214 AttachC.pdf
02:38 PM -- Helen Bushnell, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.
02:44 PM
The chair closed testimony on the the bill and Senator Crowder and Senator Garcia closed their remarks on the bill. Senator Garcia also read a letter of support for the bill.
02:47 PM
The committee recessed.
02:49 PM
The committee returned from recess.
| BILL: | SB17-153 | |
| TIME: | 02:51:09 PM | |
| MOVED: | Crowder | |
| MOTION: | Refer Senate Bill 17-153 to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 3-0. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Excused
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Excused
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Martinez Humenik
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Yes
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Final YES: 3 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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02:55 PM -- HB 17-1047
Senator Martinez Humenik, explained that Senator Tate, prime sponsor, is unavailable to present House Bill 17-1047 and that she will present the bill on his behalf. She discussed the provisions of House Bill 17-1047 concerning the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) reporting requirements to the General Assembly and distributed Amendment L.003 (Attachment D). Under current law, any report that is required to be made to the General Assembly on a periodic basis expires on the day after the third anniversary of when the first report was due, unless the General Assembly passes a bill continuing that report. This bill, recommended by the Statutory Revision Committee, repeals reports that are scheduled to expire and continues others.
170214 AttachD.pdf
The following person testified on the bill:
02:57 PM -- Bruce Eisenhauer, Legislative Liaison from the Department of Local Affairs, testified in favor of the bill and Amendment L.003 and discussed the reports that would be repealed and the ones that would be continued. He also responded to questions from the committee about the bill.
03:02 PM -- Tim Stewart, E-470 Public Highway Authority, spoke in support of the bill and Amendment L.003.
03:03 PM
The chair closed testimony on the bill.
| BILL: | HB17-1047 | |
| TIME: | 03:03:32 PM | |
| MOVED: | Kefalas | |
| MOTION: | Adopt amendment L.003. The motion passed without objection. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Donovan
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Kefalas
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Gardner
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Martinez Humenik
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YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection
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| BILL: | HB17-1047 | |
| TIME: | 03:04:02 PM | |
| MOVED: | Crowder | |
| MOTION: | Refer House Bill 17-1047, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 3-0. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Excused
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Excused
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Martinez Humenik
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Yes
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Final YES: 3 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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03:05 PM -- SB 17-129
The committee returned from recess. Senator Sonnenberg, prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of Senate Bill 17-129 concerning the preservation of plats by county clerks and distributed Amendment L.001 (Attachment E). County clerks are required to store all plats of land and certify that the plat is recorded from the original plat. This bill allows county clerks to preserve a plat in electronic form as long as it is scanned at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch. A plat is a map of a piece of land that is drawn to scale and shows how such land has been divided.
170214 AttachE.pdf
The following persons testified on the bill:
03:13 PM -- Pam Anderson, Colorado County Clerks Association, spoke in support of the bill and responded to questions from the committee about the availability of space to store plats in county offices.
03:13 PM
The chair closed testimony on the bill and Senator Sonnenberg closed his remarks on the bill.
| BILL: | SB17-129 | |
| TIME: | 03:15:07 PM | |
| MOVED: | Donovan | |
| MOTION: | Adopt amendment L.001. The motion passed without objection. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Donovan
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Kefalas
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Gardner
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Martinez Humenik
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YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:
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| BILL: | SB17-129 | |
| TIME: | 03:15:28 PM | |
| MOVED: | Donovan | |
| MOTION: | Refer Senate Bill 17-129, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 4-0. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Yes
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Excused
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Martinez Humenik
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Yes
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YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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03:16 PM -- SB 17-140
Senator Sonnenberg, prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of Senate Bill 17-140 concerning the Torrens Title Registration System. This bill closes the Torrens title registration system to new applications to register land titles beginning January 1, 2018. The Torrens title registration system is a state register of land titles guaranteeing an indefeasible title to those included in the register. In this system, land ownership is transferred through title registrations.
The following persons testified on the bill:
03:17 PM -- Pam Anderson, Colorado County Clerks Association, spoke in support of the bill and responded to questions from the committee about the bill.
03:17 PM -- Susan Corlis, Kit Carson County, spoke in support of the bill.
03:18 PM
The chair closed testimony on the the bill, and Senator Sonnenberg closed his remarks on the bill.
| BILL: | SB17-140 | |
| TIME: | 03:22:50 PM | |
| MOVED: | Donovan | |
| MOTION: | Refer Senate Bill 17-140 to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 4-0. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Yes
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Excused
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Martinez Humenik
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Yes
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Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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03:24 PM -- HB 17-1017
Senator Jahn, co-prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of House Bill 17-1017 concerning the duties of county surveyors and distributed Amendment L.002 (Attachment F). This bill clarifies the duties of a county surveyor, provides for compensation of services through an agreement between the surveyor and the board of county commissioners, and allows counties to have some surveying services contracted out to qualified private professionals or provided by a county department that employs licensed surveyors. This bill also increases the time for counties to fill a surveyor vacancy from 90 days to 6 months, and modifies the procedure for boundary line disputes.
170214 AttachF.pdf
The following persons testified on the bill:
03:26 PM -- Warren Ward, Colorado Association of County Surveyors, spoke in favor of the bill. He discussed the role of county surveyors and answered questions from the committee about compensation for county surveyors and the need for the bill.
03:36 PM -- Paul Bacus, Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, spoke in favor of the bill. He also responded to questions from the committee about Amendment L.002.
03:38 PM
The chair closed testimony on the the bill, and Senator Baumgardner and Senator Jahn closed their remarks on the bill.
| BILL: | HB17-1017 | |
| TIME: | 03:48:35 PM | |
| MOVED: | Crowder | |
| MOTION: | Adopt amendment L.002. The motion passed without objection. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Donovan
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Kefalas
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Gardner
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Martinez Humenik
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YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection
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| BILL: | HB17-1017 | |
| TIME: | 03:49:03 PM | |
| MOVED: | Crowder | |
| MOTION: | Refer House Bill 17-1017, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 4-1. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Yes
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Yes
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Martinez Humenik
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No
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Final YES: 4 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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03:50 PM -- HB 17-1018
Senator Gardner, prime sponsor, discussed the provisions of House Bill 17-1018 concerning the voter-approval window for regional transportation authorities (RTAs). He also distributed a packet of letters in support of the bill (Attachment G). This bill extends the statutory authority of RTAs to impose a property tax of five mills until January 1, 2029, if approved by voters within the RTA boundary. Under current law, RTAs are permitted to seek voter approval to levy this property tax until January 1, 2019. RTAs are formed by two or more local governments to finance, construct, operate, and maintain regional transportation systems. They are authorized to issue bonds to be repaid through several means, including motor vehicle registration fees, sales and use taxes, visitor benefit taxes, and property taxes. Sales and use taxes are the primary source of RTA funding. The creation of RTAs and the imposition of any new taxes must be approved by voters within the proposed authority's boundaries.
170214 AttachG.pdf
The San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation was approved by area voters in the 2016 general election to serve Telluride and eastern San Miguel County. Voters approved a 0.25 percent sales tax and a property tax of 0.75 mills. The San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation property tax is expected to generate about $600,000 per year.
The following persons testified on the bill:
03:55 PM -- Dan Blankenship, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, spoke in support of the bill and distributed a handout that described the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (Attachment H).
170214 AttachH.pdf
04:03 PM -- Ms. Ann Rajewski, Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, spoke in support of the bill.
04:05 PM -- Morgan Cullen, Colorado Municipal League, spoke in support of the bill.
04:05 PM -- Eric Bergman, Colorado Counties, Inc., spoke in support of the bill.
Greg Clifton, Town Manager, Town of Telluride, submitted a letter of support for the bill (Attachment I).
170214 AttachI.pdf
04:08 PM
The chair closed testimony on the the bill and Senator Gardner closed his remarks on the bill.
| BILL: | HB17-1018 | |
| TIME: | 04:10:03 PM | |
| MOVED: | Gardner | |
| MOTION: | Refer House Bill 17-1018 to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0. | |
| SECONDED: | ||
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VOTE
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Crowder
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Yes
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Donovan
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Yes
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Kefalas
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Yes
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Gardner
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Yes
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Martinez Humenik
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Yes
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Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
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04:10 PM
The committee adjourned.