2019-02-18                     Senate Journal                      Page 0315
SB 63                                                                                                                         
SENATE BILL NO. 63 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                                                                
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
          "An Act repealing the fisheries business tax                                                                          
          allocation to municipalities; repealing the refunds to                                                                
          local governments of fisheries business taxes;                                                                        
          repealing revenue sharing for the fishery resource                                                                    
          landing tax; providing for an effective date by                                                                       
          amending the effective date of sec. 36, ch. 61, SLA                                                                   
          2014; and providing for an effective date."                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
was read the first time and referred to the Community and Regional                                                              
Affairs and Finance Committees.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
The following fiscal information was published today:                                                                           
 Fiscal Note No. 1, Department of Commerce, Community, and                                                                      
          Economic Development                                                                                                  
 Fiscal Note No. 2, Department of Revenue                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                

2019-02-18                     Senate Journal                      Page 0316
Governor's transmittal letter dated February 15:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Dear President Giessel:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Under the authority of Article III, Section 18, of the Alaska                                                                   
Constitution, I am transmitting a bill repealing statutes providing                                                             
allocations, refunds, and revenue sharing to municipalities from the                                                            
Fisheries Business Taxes and Fishery Resource Landing Tax.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Currently, the state shares revenues from state fisheries business taxes                                                        
with municipalities. For the fisheries business taxes, 50 percent of                                                            
Fisheries Business Taxes are shared with the municipalities where the                                                           
fishery resources were processed. Similarly, the state shares 50 percent                                                        
of the Fishery Resource Landing Tax with the municipality where the                                                             
fishery resources were landed. The revenues that form the basis of the                                                          
disbursement each October are from taxes collected for the previous                                                             
calendar year of processing and landing of fisheries resources. In fiscal                                                       
year 2018, the state shared approximately $29 million in revenues.                                                              
This bill would repeal the statutes that provide for this revenue                                                               
sharing.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
I urge your prompt and favorable action on this measure.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Sincerely,                                                                                                                      
/s/                                                                                                                             
Michael J. Dunleavy                                                                                                             
Governor