HB 63: "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities; renaming the Alaska Marine Transportation Advisory Board the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board; relating to the membership and duties of the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 63 01 "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Transportation and Public 02 Facilities; renaming the Alaska Marine Transportation Advisory Board the Alaska 03 Marine Highway Operations Board; relating to the membership and duties of the 04 Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board; and providing for an effective date." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. AS 19.65.011 is amended to read: 07 Sec. 19.65.011. Comprehensive long-range plan. The Department of 08 Transportation and Public Facilities, in consultation with the Alaska Marine Highway 09 Operations [TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY] Board, shall prepare a 10 comprehensive long-range plan for the development and improvement of the Alaska 11 marine highway system and shall, in consultation with the Alaska Marine Highway 12 Operations [TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY] Board, revise and update the plan at 13 least every three [FIVE] years. The department shall submit the comprehensive long- 14 range plan and revisions and updates of the plan to the legislature.
01 * Sec. 2. AS 19.65.110 is amended to read: 02 Sec. 19.65.110. Alaska Marine Highway Operations 03 [TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY] Board. There is established in the Department 04 of Transportation and Public Facilities the Alaska Marine Highway Operations 05 [TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY] Board. 06 * Sec. 3. AS 19.65.120(a) is repealed and reenacted to read: 07 (a) The board is composed of the following nine members, each of whom 08 must be a resident of the state: 09 (1) the head of the division of marine transportation; 10 (2) one representative, who may be retired, of a recognized union that 11 represents employees of the Alaska marine highway system, appointed by the 12 governor; 13 (3) three public members who have experience in marine business and 14 procurement practices, marine personnel management, commercial service options, 15 ship maintenance, construction, and repair, fleet strategy, reliability, and regulatory 16 compliance, or risk management, appointed by the governor; 17 (4) two members appointed by the speaker of the house of 18 representatives and who serve at the pleasure of the speaker of the house of 19 representatives; 20 (5) two members appointed by the president of the senate and who 21 serve at the pleasure of the president of the senate. 22 * Sec. 4. AS 19.65.120(c) is amended to read: 23 (c) The members of the board, except for the head of the division of marine 24 transportation, shall serve staggered three-year terms. If a vacancy arises on the 25 board, the governor, the president of the senate, or the speaker of the house, as 26 applicable, shall, within 30 days after the vacancy arises, appoint a person to serve the 27 balance of the unexpired term. A person appointed to fill the balance of an unexpired 28 term shall serve on the board from the date of appointment until the expiration of the 29 term. 30 * Sec. 5. AS 19.65.120(d) is amended to read: 31 (d) A [BOARD MEMBERS SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE
01 GOVERNOR. IN ADDITION, A] majority of the membership of the board may 02 remove a member, except for the head of the division of marine transportation, if 03 that member misses more than two meetings in a calendar year and has not been 04 previously excused. 05 * Sec. 6. AS 19.65.180 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 06 (e) The board shall provide advice and recommendations to the commissioner 07 of transportation and public facilities concerning the operation and management of the 08 Alaska marine highway system, including advice and recommendations regarding 09 business to enhance revenue and reduce costs, personnel management, commercial 10 service options, ship maintenance, construction, and repair, fleet strategy, reliability, 11 and regulatory compliance, and other service objectives. 12 * Sec. 7. AS 19.65.195 is amended to read: 13 Sec. 19.65.195. Definition. In AS 19.65.110 - 19.65.195, "board" means the 14 Alaska Marine Highway Operations [TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY] Board. 15 * Sec. 8. AS 19.65.120(b) is repealed. 16 * Sec. 9. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 17 read: 18 ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY OPERATIONS BOARD; TRANSITION. (a) The 19 terms of members who fill seats on the Alaska Marine Transportation Advisory Board under 20 AS 19.65.120(a) as it read on the day before the effective date of this Act, expire on the 21 effective date of this Act. 22 (b) Notwithstanding AS 19.65.120(c), as amended by sec. 4 of this Act, and 23 AS 39.05.055, the seats on the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board established by 24 AS 19.65.120(a), as repealed and reenacted by sec. 3 of this Act, shall be filled as follows: 25 (1) the three public members appointed by the governor shall serve one-year 26 terms; 27 (2) the members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives shall 28 serve two-year terms; 29 (3) the union representative appointed by the governor and the members 30 appointed by the president of the senate shall serve three-year terms. 31 (c) The head of the division of marine transportation begins membership on the
01 Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board on the effective date of this Act. 02 (d) Nothing in this section prevents the appointment of a person whose term expires 03 under (a) of this section to the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board, provided that the 04 person meets the qualifications in AS 19.65.120(a), as repealed and reenacted by sec. 3 of this 05 Act. 06 * Sec. 10. This Act takes effect January 1, 2022.