03/19/1996 03:38 PM Senate STA

                                                                               
       HB 179 LIMIT TERM OF COMMRS OF EDUC. & FISH/GAME                      
                                                                               
 Number 105                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN SHARP brought up HB 179 as the next order of business                
 before the Senate State Affairs Committee.  He called the sponsor's           
 representative to testify.                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 115                                                                    
                                                                               
 JOSHUA DONALDSON, Staff to Representative Gene Therriault, prime              
 sponsor of HB 179, read the sponsor's statement.  HB 179 would                
 change the term of office for the commissioners of Education and              
 Fish and Game, so that their terms would not exceed the term of the           
 governor who appointed them.                                                  
                                                                               
 Number 135                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN asked what the employment contracts specify for the             
 current commissioners.                                                        
                                                                               
 Number 145                                                                    
 CHRYSTAL SMITH, Legal Administrator, Office of the Attorney                   
 General, Department of Law, stated the administration supports HB
.  She is not aware of the terms of the contract--or if there is           
 a contract, of the current commissioners.  It would be her guess              
 that the current Commissioner of the Department of Education does             
 not have a contract.  She did some research into former                       
 commissioners of the Department of Education and their contracts,             
 and so far as she can discover there were not written contracts in            
 the past, prior to Commissioner Covey's situation.  Ms. Smith                 
 stated that the committee substitute does parallel the governor's             
 effort to ensure that these commissioners, like the other                     
 commissioners, serve at the pleasure of the appointing entity and             
 that there are no fixed terms which could potentially overlap the             
 governor's term.  The administration has been pleased to work with            
 Representative Therriault on this issue.  Ms. Smith reviewed                  
 current statute relating to appointing and dismissing the                     
 commissioners of Education and Fish & game.  She thinks HB 179 will           
 benefit the state.                                                            
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN SHARP asked if there are questions of Ms. Smith.  Hearing            
 none, he asked the pleasure of the committee.                                 
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN made a motion to discharge HB 179 and accompanying              
 zero fiscal note from the Senate State Affairs Committee with                 
 individual recommendations.  Senator Leman noted for the record he            
 thinks the fiscal note should have shown savings to the state.                
                                                                               
 Number 230                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN SHARP, hearing no objection, stated HB 179 was discharged            
 from the Senate State Affairs Committee.