A 17-year-old Colorado Springs student involved in search and rescue got lawmakers to support a bill Tuesday to allow emergency crews to train for free in state parks.
And get this: The bill, which Kristopher Poskey proposed, is his second of the legislative session.
The confident kid rattled off park fees and rescue stats with ease before the House Agriculture Committee.
The committee voted unanimously in favor of Senate Bill 182.
In an earlier interview, Poskey said he has been involved in search and rescue since age 12, first in North Carolina, and then after his family moved to Colorado when he was 15.
He became active in the Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and helped set up training exercises.
“I began realizing there’s a lot of costs involved in conducting the exercises for search and rescue, and there is no slack on the fees for members,” the cadet colonel said.
Poskey contacted Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, in December and submitted a draft proposal.
“I about fell out of my chair when I met him,” Stephens said. “This kid is so mature. I think he might be replacing me. Really, he’s that good.”
Stephens went to Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and they are sponsoring the bill.
The bill exempts public or nonprofit search-and-rescue organizations from all state-park fees when conducting certain training activities.
Poskey, who is home-schooled and takes classes at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, also pushed for a bill that would have allowed home-school and private-school students to take college classes at no cost to themselves, as public-school students can. That bill died, but Poskey met success Tuesday.
“I feel like something’s been accomplished,” he said after the hearing.
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
