HomeMy WebLinkAbout820797.tiff 11 .cost
State Representative
MELBA HASTINGS . r.�4 -ryas- y Member of:
Cr 1( � N P Agriculture, Livestock and
r
Rt. 1 '' �' C Natural Resources Committee
Sterling, Colorado 80751 ' �® i►'J+� Health, Environment,Welfare and
Home phone: 265-4033 Institutions Committee
COLORADO Capitol phone: 866-2910
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
STATE CAPITOL
DENVER
50203
• March 19, 1982
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For further information contact:
State Rep. Melba Hastings
D-Sterling
866-2910 or 265-4033
"Legislators spent most of the week on the "property tax" resolution" ,
says Rep. Melba Hastings (Sterling) "and it is far from a settled issue.
It still must go to the Senate and then come back to the House, if any
changes are made."
The biggest disagreement stems from the attempt to include apartment
owners in the same classification as residential property. The original
committee recommended residential property be assessed at 20% of the value
with apartment complexes and all other property at 30% (except agricultural
land and other exemptions). The House committee put residential , apartment
building owners and mobile park owners at 22% and all other at 30%. The
House changed this formula to single and double residential units and
manufactured housing at 20%, and all other property at 30%.
The House also added an amendment that the General Assembly shall
annually by tax credit, deductions or other appropriate means, provide in-
come tax benefits to persons who rent residential property.
820797
For Immediate Release
State Rep. Melba Hastings
March 19, 1982
Page 2
Since HCR 1005 is a constitutional amendment, it must have 44 votes
(out of 65) to pass the House floor. If it passes the House and Senate, it
will be on the ballot this fall . The resolution provides that the actual
value of agricultural lands shall be determined solely by consideration of
the earning or productive capacity.
Household furnishings and personal effects (not used for production of
income) inventories of merchandise, materials and supplies, livestock,
agricultural and livestock products and agricultural equipment (which is used
on the farm or ranch in the productions of agricultural products) shall
be exempt from taxation.
It allows the State Board of Equalization to order a county assessor to
reappraise property during the next year (at county expense) if the Board
feels the assessor has not complied with the law.
The new Board of Equalization consists of five members, the Governor,
State Treasurer, Attorney General , Speaker of the House, President of the
Senate of their designees. The Board shall appoint the State Tax Administrator
(would be removed from the State Personnel system).
Hastings says, "The rise in residential property taxes in 1983 will be
drastic without some action being taken this year. The base year changes
from 1973 levels to 1977 levels and property valuations rose dramatically
during those years. At this time residential property owners are paying
44.8% of all property taxes. In 1983 (with no change by the legislature)
residential would pay 48.8% of the total . Under HCR 1005 (at 20%)
residential owners will pay 39. 7% of the total tax. Commercial now pays
22.7% of the total and would pay 23.4% in 1983, but will pay 27.5% under
HCR 1005. Industrial now pays 7. 1% of the total , would pay 7.3% in 1983,
For Immediate ReleA4e
State Rep. Melba I tings
March 19, 1982
Page 3
but will pay 8.3% under HCR 1005.
A lot of the school districts will lose money under HCR 1005, but two
bills are pending to correct this inequity.
The following bills passed on third reading on the House floor:
S.B. 8 (Neale) allows a simplified divorce without going to court. Both
people would have to be over 18 years of age, have no community property and
the woman not be pregnant. This type of divorce could be used if a couple
have children and both parents have consulted attorneys.
S.B. 66 (Schaefer) was a strong bill for punishment of child molesters, but
the bill has been amended to only extend the time limits for filing and prosecu-
tions. Also adds some definitions. Hastings attempted and failed to amend
part of the original bill back in on second reading. The amendment would have
required the offender to serve part of his time in a treatment center and upon
release be returned to corrections to serve out his full term. Also would
have allowed the parole board to hold an offender if they judged he should not
yet be released.
Hastings says, "We promised everybody we were going to get tough on child
molesters and here we are with a watered down nothing bill . I contend that
we are passing legislation for the legal profession, not for the people who
need the protection. I am very disappointed that we have caved in to special
interests again."
S.B. 102 (Strickland) current law provides that dental students pay tuition
equal to 100% of costs, reduced by 87 1/2 if the student practices one year
for each year of reduction in an area of the state in need of a dentist. The
Internal Revenue regards the 87 1/2% to be taxable income. This bill would
change this by removing the reduction provision and allowing the tuition to
be established by the Board of Regents. Present tuition, in effect, is 12 1/2%
For Immediate Release
State Rep. Melba ' tings
March 19, 1982
Page 4
of costs. This is an upfront increase but an eventual savings. The increased
tuition would be about 1/2 the tax that would otherwise be due.
H.B. 1038 (Paulson) increases docket fees in appellate court and provides
that part of the increase go to the Supreme Court Library. The bill raised
the fees for docket fees from $65 to $300 and the filing fee from $30 to $150.
These fees were amended down to $150 and $75.
S.B. 78 (Yost and DeFilippo) the "speeding" bill was amended in a House
committee to legalize speeds of up to 70 mph. (The original bill allowed
small fines for speeding between 55 and 70 mph with no penalty points and
no records kept. ) Many amendments were added on the House floor and the bill
was killed.
The House approved supplementals for state agencies for the past year.
In the supplemental to the Department of Revenue one entry showed a change
of $37,140 with an explanation: Reflects an unexpected increase in unemployment
claims resulting from layoffs associated with closing some ports of entry.
A Senate committee has revised the bill on marijuana penalties to include
a penalty of a mandatory $500 fine, six months in jail or both for the
possession of one to 8 ounces of marijuana.
S.B. 67 was approved by a Senate committee and contains the following
provisions:
o A five day jail term for the first offense for DUI with jail time
suspended if the person participates in an alcohol program.
o A 90 day mandatory sentence that can' t be suspended for the second
DUI conviction and a fine of $500.
o Lesser sentences for convictions of DWI and provides that a person
driving under DUI will lose his license for one year and drive with
a color-coded license when it is reissued for five years.
• For Immediate Rel, e
State Rep. Melba Hastings
March 19, 1982
Page 5
° A person who refuses to take a blood alcohol test would lose all
driving privileges for one year.
As the Senate worked out a more lenient version of its first "get
tough" drunk driving bill , the House committee substituted an amendment for
its "get tough" bill that stressed treatment of the alcoholic, combined with
community service. The House committee is still considering other amendments
to H.B. 1232.
Rep. Hastings says, "Everybody was all for throwing every drunk driver
in jail until they found out how many there are and what it would cost. The
cost to the state would be an estimated $10 million for over 34,000 drunk
drivers per year. I still intend to try to add an amendment increasing the
excise tax on liquor to fund this program, if either bill ever reaches the
House floor."
The 1981 Colorado Legislature appropriated $20,000 to the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center for "Arthritis Educational Outreach Programs" .
Carl DeTemple has announced that one of these arthritis educational programs
will be held in Sterling on March 30th, 7 p.m. at the Sterling Fire Department
Meeting Room. Rep. Hastings urges everyone to attend and become more
informed about arthritis which now severely affects 400,000 people in Colorado.
Seminars on the impact of rising utility costs will be presented by the
Colorado Energy Research Institute in Logan and Phillips Counties. The seminar
in Sterling will be on March 25th, 1 :30 p.m. at the Sterling Fire Hall . The
seminar in Haxtun will be held on March 26th, 12:30 p.m. at the Haxtun communi-
ty hall . The Holyoke seminar will be on March 26th, 7 P.M. at the Community
Room at the County Building.
Rep. Hastings can be contacted at home on weekends Rt 1 , Sterling,
265-4033 or at the State Capitol during the week at 866-2910.
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