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622E0B1E3A5BE494872583D80058F194 Hearing Summary




PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For HB19-1147

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Date Apr 10, 2019      
Location LSB B



HB19-1147 - Referred to Senate Finance


10:11:31 AM  
Senator Lee, bill sponsor, presented
House Bill 19-1147.  The bill makes various revisions to the Colorado
Traumatic Brain Injury Program (program), and increases surcharges on certain
motor vehicle violations which are used to finance the program. Among other
changes, the bill:
  • renames the program, trust fund board,
    and trust fund to remove the word "traumatic," and redefines
    brain injury for the purposes of the program;
  • eliminates spending requirements for
    education and research;
  • clarifies that persons served by the
    program must receive service coordination and skills training;
  • eliminates a requirement that an individual
    must exhaust all other health benefit funding before being eligible for
    assistance from the trust fund;
  • requires that at least five board members
    have certain experience with brain injuries, as outlined in the bill; and
  • removes a prohibition against the use
    of General Fund for the program.

The
bill transfers $450,000 from the General Fund to the newly renamed Colorado
Brain Injury (BI) Trust Fund and appropriates the money to the Department
of Human Services for FY 2019-20.

Increased surcharges. Certain motor vehicle
violations are subject to an additional surcharge that is deposited into
the BI Trust Fund and used to finance the program. The bill increases the
surcharge assessed for state and local speeding violations from $15 to
$20. Under current law, if the surcharge for a state speeding violation
is collected by a municipal court, the surcharge increases to $17, and
$2 is retained by the municipality; the bill eliminates the increased surcharge
and municipal share in these instances. The bill also increases the surcharge
on persons convicted of DUI, DUI per se, driving while ability impaired
(DWAI), and underage drinking and driving (UDD) from $20 to $25.  

10:15:55 AM  
Jim Tatten, representing himself, testified against the bill.
10:19:06 AM  
Gretchen Russo, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.
10:23:23 AM  
Valillian McGuire, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.
10:26:19 AM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
10:29:40 AM  
Lydia Waligorski, Violence Free Colorado, testified in support of the bill.
10:32:44 AM  
Nicolas Meier, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.
10:39:23 AM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
10:40:42 AM  
Senator Lee made closing remarks.
10:44:20 AM  
Gretchen Russo returned to the table to respond to questions.


10:48:36 AM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1147 to the Committee on Finance.
Moved Crowder
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood No
Winter Yes
Pettersen Excused
Fields Yes
Final YES: 3   NO: 1   EXC: 1   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS