03/23/2017 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

          HB 143-NAMING THE DANIEL R. FAUSKE BUILDING                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:25:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that the final  order of business                                                               
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 143,  "An Act naming the Daniel R. Fauske                                                               
Building."                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:25:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MIKE   CHENAULT,   Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
presented  HB 143,  as prime  sponsor.   He paraphrased  from the                                                               
sponsor statement,  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     I am  pleased to offer  House Bill 143 in  honoring Dan                                                                    
     Fauske  by naming  the AHFC  Building at  4300 Boniface                                                                    
     Parkway, the Daniel R. Fauske Building.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Dan Fauske  served as  the head  of the  Alaska Housing                                                                    
     Finance  Corporation  (AHFC)  for  18  years,  managing                                                                    
     assets  of  $4.8  billion.   During  his  tenure,  AHFC                                                                    
     started  its  Weatherization  and  Home  Energy  Rebate                                                                    
     Program,  which  had provided  weatherization  upgrades                                                                    
     for  renters  and  homeowners and  rebates  for  energy                                                                    
     improvements to  homeowners for nearly 16,000  homes by                                                                    
     the  end  of  2010.  AHFC  also  played  key  roles  in                                                                    
     providing  affordable  housing   statewide,  making  it                                                                    
     possible  for  Alaskans to  pursue  the  dream of  home                                                                    
     ownership.  Under his  leadership,  AHFC continued  its                                                                    
     series of annual contributions to  the State of Alaska,                                                                    
     which totaled $1.9 billion by the end of 2010.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     In  May  2010,  while  serving  as  CEO  and  Executive                                                                    
     Director  of  the  Alaska Housing  Finance  Corporation                                                                    
     (AHFC), Fauske  was selected by the  Alaska Legislature                                                                    
     to lead a joint  development team charged with studying                                                                    
     the   feasibility    of   designing,    financing   and                                                                    
     constructing an  in-state natural gas  pipeline capable                                                                    
     of  delivering North  Slope gas  to communities  within                                                                    
     Alaska.  Initially,  the   Alaska  Gasline  Development                                                                    
     Corporation  (AGDC)  was   created  as  a  wholly-owned                                                                    
     subsidiary  of AHFC  to manage  the development  of the                                                                    
     Alaska Stand  Alone Pipeline (ASAP) plan.  In 2013, the                                                                    
     Legislature  re-established  AGDC   as  an  independent                                                                    
     corporation of the State  and appropriated $355 million                                                                    
     towards  the  project.  Fauske   continued  in  a  dual                                                                    
     capacity, leading both  Corporations, until August 2013                                                                    
     when  he resigned  from AHFC  to  focus exclusively  on                                                                    
     AGDC and gasline work.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT commented  that  Mr. Fauske  had a  long                                                               
history with  the state, both  at the  state level and  the local                                                               
level; he served  as chief financial officer (CFO)  for the North                                                               
Slope Borough (NSB) and in many  other roles.  He maintained that                                                               
Mr. Fauske  was a  gentleman; he accomplished  all with  which he                                                               
was tasked by  the state and the legislature; and  he was a great                                                               
statesman and a friend.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:29:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on HB 143.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:29:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JERRY LAVINE testified that he opposes  HB 143.  He expressed his                                                               
gratitude for Mr.  Fauske's service to the State  of Alaska while                                                               
working for  AHFC.   He mentioned  Mr. Fauske's  contributions to                                                               
AHFC  in  helping  to  "grow"   AHFC's  bottom  line  and  paying                                                               
dividends back  to the State  of Alaska.   He stated that  he did                                                               
not know Mr. Fauske  nor has he used any AHFC  services.  He said                                                               
he  opposes HB  143 because  he believes  that under  the current                                                               
fiscal situation,  the Thirtieth Alaska State  Legislature should                                                               
be  spending  its limited  time  working  on fiscal  issues,  not                                                               
renaming public buildings.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAVINE  asked, "What  does it  cost to change  the name  of a                                                               
public building?"   He  mentioned that the  fiscal note  from the                                                               
Department of Administration (DOA)  indicates a zero-fiscal note,                                                               
but he suggested there is a cost  for the change:  new signs; new                                                               
name plates;  changes to online  directories; changes  to printed                                                               
directories, and public  records changes.  He  maintained that HB
 is not in the best interest of Alaska citizens.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR.  LAVINE stated,  "With all  due respect  to Mr.  Fauske, most                                                               
people don't know  who Daniel is."  He suggested  that Mr. Fauske                                                               
is known  by people  in the financial  markets and  the executive                                                               
and legislative  branches of government,  but the  general public                                                               
would not recognize  his name.  He asserted that  the name change                                                               
may create  confusion for  the public trying  to locate  the AHFC                                                               
building in Anchorage.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAVINE  opined that with 34  bills and 12 resolutions  in the                                                               
House State Affairs  Standing Committee as of today, HB  143 is a                                                               
waste  of  legislative  time, and  he  encouraged  the  committee                                                               
members to  table the  proposed legislation  or vote  against it.                                                               
He conceded that evidence suggests  that Mr. Fauske did excellent                                                               
work  at AHFC,  but  he  offered that  the  committee consider  a                                                               
legislative citation to honor Mr. Fauske's work.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:32:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOHN BITTNEY testified  that he supports HB 143.   He stated that                                                               
he represented  AHFC in  the capitol  for seven  years of  his 31                                                               
years  [as  a   lobbyist].    He  mentioned   that  the  proposed                                                               
legislation is  important because AHFC  is considered one  of the                                                               
premier   housing  authorities   in   the  nation   -  the   most                                                               
sophisticated,  the   most  financially  strong,  and   the  best                                                               
operated.   He maintained that  a large  part of that  success is                                                               
due to the action of  the Seventeenth Alaska State Legislature in                                                               
combining many  of the housing  functions of the state  under one                                                               
organization and  the hire of  Mr. Fauske in  the late '90s.   He                                                               
relayed that Mr.  Fauske was able to  overcome political barriers                                                               
to put  all the  housing functions  under AHFC;  it was  no small                                                               
feat; and the practice has continued  to this day.  He maintained                                                               
that AHFC is an organization for which the state can be proud.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:34:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS,  after ascertaining  that there was  no one                                                               
else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 143.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:34:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH  stated that he  is a co-sponsor of  HB 143.                                                               
He  asserted that  the proposed  legislation would  appropriately                                                               
recognize  Mr. Fauske's  distinguished service  to the  people of                                                               
the State of Alaska.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
5:35:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  Birch moved  to report  HB 143  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS objected for purpose of discussion.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON  said that  she  supports  HB 143.    She                                                               
opined  that the  proposed legislation  is appropriate  and takes                                                               
advantage of a good opportunity.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP  complemented the committee  packet provided                                                               
by the  sponsor of HB 143  and stated that he  supports moving HB
 out of committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  noted that  AHFC is  a model  for statewide                                                               
housing  authorities,   and  he  said  naming   the  building  is                                                               
appropriate and consistent with what  the legislature has done in                                                               
the past.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KREISS-TOMKINS  removed his  objection.    There being  no                                                               
further  objection, HB  143  was reported  from  the House  State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
5:37:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 5:37 p.m. to 5:39 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:39:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  reiterated that  there being  no objection,                                                               
HB  143  was  reported  from the  House  State  Affairs  Standing                                                               
Committee.