2021-03-10                     Senate Journal                      Page 0420
SB 103                                                                                                                        
SENATE BILL NO. 103 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                                                               
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
          "An Act repealing the Alaska Marine Transportation                                                                    
          Advisory Board; establishing the Alaska Marine                                                                        
          Highway System Operation and Planning Board; and                                                                      
          providing for an effective date."                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
was read the first time and referred to the Transportation Committee.                                                           
                                                                                                                                
The following fiscal information was published today:                                                                           
 Fiscal Note No. 1, zero, Department of Transportation and                                                                      
          Public Facilities                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Governor's transmittal letter dated March 9:                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Dear President Micciche:                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Under the authority of Article III, Section 18, of the Alaska                                                                   
Constitution, I am transmitting a bill repealing the Alaska Marine                                                              
Transportation Advisory Board and establishing the Alaska Marine                                                                
Highway Systems Operation and Planning Board.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
In 2019, I established the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Working                                                              
Group to deliver recommendations that would allow for the Alaska                                                                
Marine Highway System to provide essential ferry services to Alaskan                                                            
coastal communities in the future while reducing state General Fund                                                             
support.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
The Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Working Group suggested                                                                     
starting fresh with the new Alaska Marine Highway Systems                                                                       
Operation and Planning Board. This restructured Board can provide                                                               
the skills and experience of long-term operators, with an enhanced                                                              
ability to increase revenue and reduce costs. Upon initial appointment,                                                         
these members would serve staggered terms of one to five years.                                                                 
These terms will help the new board create and maintain institutional                                                           
knowledge, as board membership could not be completely changed in                                                               
a single administrative term after the members' initial appointment.                                                            
This Board would also have a new duty – to prepare a long-term                                                                  
operations plan and provide an annual report on its implementation to                                                           

2021-03-10                     Senate Journal                      Page 0421
the governor, the legislature, and the public. The annual reports will                                                          
address financial information, scheduling, maintenance, regulatory                                                              
compliance, and other matters. The long-term operations plan should                                                             
cover long-term marine transportation system objectives, planning                                                               
assumptions, a timeline for major operations milestones, and new                                                                
initiatives. The focus will be on initiatives that provide strategic and                                                        
operational guidance for transportation systems of a similar size and                                                           
complexity.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
I urge your prompt and favorable action on this measure.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Sincerely,                                                                                                                      
/s/                                                                                                                             
Mike Dunleavy                                                                                                                   
Governor