04/15/2002 01:57 PM House FIN

HOUSE BILL NO. 509                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An   Act   relating   to    Alaska   children's   trust                                                                   
     registration plates; and providing for an effective                                                                        
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
AMY ERICKSON,  STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI,  testified in                                                                   
support  of HB 509.  She noted  that HB  509 makes  one minor                                                                   
change  to Alaska statute  to allow  Alaska Children's  Trust                                                                   
license  plates to  be made  available to  any commercial  or                                                                   
non-commercial passenger  vehicle, truck, bus,  van, or motor                                                                   
home.   Current  Alaska   statutes  only   allow  owners   of                                                                   
noncommercial vehicles to apply  for and purchase ACT license                                                                   
plates.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
This small change would allow  the Alaska Children's Trust to                                                                   
respond  positively  to  requests  by  industry  and  private                                                                   
business  to purchase  children's  trust  license plates  for                                                                   
fleet vehicles  and to market  sales to an additional  56,500                                                                   
vehicle  owners,  a potential  boost  of $5,650,000  for  the                                                                   
prevention of child abuse and neglect.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
The   Alaska  Children's   Trust  was   established  by   the                                                                   
legislature  in 1988 and  is a  savings account dedicated  to                                                                   
funding  community-initiated   projects  to  eliminate  child                                                                   
abuse and neglect.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The  trust's funds  grow through  gifts, bequests,  corporate                                                                   
and  individual  contributions,  legislative  appropriations,                                                                   
federal  funds,  and sales  of  heirloom marriage  and  birth                                                                   
certificates as well as children's trust license plates.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Passage of  HB 509  will greatly  expand the trust's  savings                                                                   
account  and vastly  improve  their  ability  to advance  the                                                                   
projects and mission  of eliminating child abuse  and neglect                                                                   
in the state.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Bunde questioned  if  the legislation  should  be                                                                   
expanded  to  vanity  plates.  Ms.  Erickson  clarified  that                                                                   
commercial passenger vehicles  are allowed to purchase vanity                                                                   
plates. The  large commercial vehicles  are not. She  did not                                                                   
know  how  much interest  there  would  be in  extending  the                                                                   
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROXANNE   STEWART,   LEGISLATIVE   LIAISON,   DEPARTMENT   OF                                                                   
ADMINISTRATION,   provided   information  relating   to   the                                                                   
legislation. She  noted that the Division did  not anticipate                                                                   
a demand  among the larger  vehicles. The Division  would not                                                                   
object to the expansion.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Erickson observed  that the  sponsor  would not  object.                                                                   
Vice-Chair  Bunde   noted  his   intention  to   amended  the                                                                   
legislation on the House Floor.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Foster  MOVED to report CSHB 509  (STA) out of                                                                   
Committee with  the accompanying fiscal note.  There being NO                                                                   
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  509 (STA)  was REPORTED  out  of Committee  with a  new                                                                   
fiscal impact note by the Department of Administration.