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2A02700E08F4ABFD872589650070BB64 Hearing Summary




PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For HB23-1202

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Date Mar 1, 2023      
Location HCR 0112



HB23-1202 - Referred to the Committee of the Whole


01:31:25 PM  
Representative Willford
and Representative Epps, co-prime bill sponsors, presented House Bill 23-1202,
concerning the ability of a municipality to authorize the establishment
of life-saving overdose prevention centers. The bill permits municipalities
to authorize the operation of an overdose prevention center within its
boundaries. Overdose prevention centers are defined as facilities providing
space for individuals to use previously obtained controlled substances
in a monitored setting under the supervision of healthcare professionals
or other trained staff for the purpose of providing life-saving treatment
in the event of a potential overdose, as well as access to other harm reduction
services.
01:39:24 PM  
The bill sponsors responded to questions from the committee.
02:09:56 PM  
Lisa Raville, representing
the Harm Reduction Action Center, testified in support of the bill.




Meghan MacKillop,
representing the Colorado Municipal League, testified in support of the
bill.




Racquel Garcia,
representing HardBeauty and the HardBeauty Foundation, testified in support
of the bill.




Jeremy Pavlik,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Councilmember
Alison Coombs, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
03:01:44 PM  
The panelists continued to respond to questions from the committee.
03:06:29 PM  
Major General (Ret.)
Jack Briggs, representing the Springs Rescue Mission, testified in opposition
to the bill.




Steffan Tubbs,
representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill.




Daniel Jablonski,
representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill.




Deputy Chief  Gregory
Sadar, representing the Colorado Association of the Chiefs of Police, testified
in opposition to the bill.




Jason Dunn, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
03:59:59 PM  
Dr. Joshua Barocas,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Hassan Latif,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Taylor Pendergrass,
representing the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, testified
in support of the bill.




Dr. Sarah Axelrath,
representing the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, testified in support
of the bill.


Jonathan Singer,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Nicholas  Walker,
representing the City of Northglenn, testified in support of the bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
04:33:36 PM  
Kyle Roth, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.




Joy Overbeck,
representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill.




Mark Miller, representing
himself, testified in opposition to the bill.




The panel answered
questions from the committee.
04:52:48 PM  
Dr. Nicole Speer,
representing the City of Boulder, testified in support of the bill.




Jose Esquibel,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Prescillia Wells,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Trudy Gygi, representing
Together Colorado, testified in support of the bill.




Terri Hurst, representing
the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, testified in support of
the bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
05:15:37 PM  
Ginny Burton, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill. She responded to questions from the committee.
05:23:10 PM  
Trina Griego, representing
the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.




Laura Cash, representing
Broken No More and GRASP - Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing, testified
in support of the bill.




JoyAnn Ruscha,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Betsy Craft, representing
the Colorado Drug Policy Coalition, testified in support of the bill.




James Gannon,
representing Advocates For Recovery Colorado, testified in support of the
bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
05:41:20 PM  
Tom Downey, representing
the Harm Reduction Action Center, testified in support of the bill.




Dr. Tyler Coyle,
representing the Colorado Society of Addiction Medicine, testified in support
of the bill.




Devon Peavy, representing
Sobriety House, testified in support of the bill.




Kenny Maestas,
representing the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in support
of the bill.




Molly McKinley,
representing the Denver Streets Partnership, testified in support of the
bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.
06:16:43 PM  
Hope Hyatt, representing
the Colorado Mental Wellness Network, testified in support of the bill.




Dave Wasserman,
representing Conscious Consulting, testified in support of the bill.




Kristen Orzel,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Dana Steiner,
representing the Colorado Freedom Fund, testified in support of the bill.




The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.  
06:34:04 PM  
Councilwoman Robin
Kniech, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.





Lauren Snyder, representing Mental Health Colorado, testified in support
of the bill.




Maggie Seldeen, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Breeah Kinsella, representing the Colorado Providers Association, testified
in support of the bill.




Anna Weaver read a statement for Dr. Bryon Adinoff, representing himself,
in support of the bill.




Andrew Goodman, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.





The panelists responded to questions from the committee.
06:47:36 PM  
Ally Arnaiz, representing
themself, testified in support of the bill.




Martha Wilson,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Madison Magor,
representing herself, testified in support of the bill.




Dr. Jody Ryan,
representing WellPower and the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council,
testified in support of the bill.




Steven Haden,
representing Envision:You, testified in support of the bill.




Andres Alvarez,
representing himself, testified in support of the bill.




Written testimony
was provided to the committee (Attachment A).
07:29:55 PM  
Representative Willford and Representative Epps made concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.


07:45:43 PM
Motion Refer House Bill 23-1202 to the Committee of the Whole.
Moved Young
Seconded Gonzales-Gutierrez
Amabile Yes
Bradfield No
Bradley No
English Yes
Gonzales-Gutierrez Yes
Hamrick Yes
Holtorf No
Jodeh Yes
Story Yes
Young Yes
Michaelson Jenet Yes
Final YES: 8   NO: 3   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS