05/13/2003 01:40 PM Senate STA

          SB 211-REGULATIONS: NOTICE AND DISTRIBUTION                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CRAIG  TILLERY,   Assistant  Attorney  General,  stated   he  was                                                               
available for questions.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  GARY STEVENS  asked Mr.  Tillery  if passage  of the  bill                                                               
would result in substantial savings.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. TILLERY advised they expected the  savings to be in the range                                                               
of $215,000.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRETCHEN  GUESS  asked  how  general  circulation  of  a                                                               
newspaper would be judged.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. TILLERY advised  the current rule is that  notices are placed                                                               
in  just one  newspaper that  has general  circulation, which  is                                                               
judged by  the extent to which  they reach the public.  They look                                                               
at where likely interest would be  for a particular bill and have                                                               
determined that Anchorage, Fairbanks  and Juneau newspapers would                                                               
all technically qualify under the provision.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS asked if a  department head would make the judgment                                                               
on general circulation.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. TILLERY said that was correct.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GUESS asked  if they  knew how  many Alaskan  households                                                               
have Internet  access and what computer  requirements there would                                                               
be to use the web site.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. TILLERY  said any computer  connection would work  and people                                                               
have access  to the Internet at  home, at work and  at the public                                                               
library. He said access is pervasive,  but he didn't have data on                                                               
the number of people with Internet access.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS asked whether the  bill would alter DOT [Department                                                               
of  Transportation &  Public Facilities]  notices to  communities                                                               
regarding traffic issues.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. TILLERY said this bill deals only with regulations.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS asked if there was  a reason that only the pipeline                                                               
regulations were mentioned and not other RCA regulations.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  TILLERY  said  they  took   out  the  regulations  that  are                                                               
technical and almost exclusively of  interest to industry and not                                                               
of general public interest.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS  advised they  might want  to rethink  the pipeline                                                               
act because  it is  becoming more consumer  based and  of greater                                                               
interest.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR JOHN  COWDERY made a motion  to move SB 211  and attached                                                               
fiscal note from committee and asked for unanimous consent.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS objected.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  GARY STEVENS  called for  a roll  call. Senators  Cowdery,                                                               
Dyson and  Chair Gary Stevens  voted yea and Senator  Guess voted                                                               
nay. SB 211 moved from committee.