03/24/2008 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 260                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act making corrective amendments to the Alaska                                                                         
     Statutes as recommended by the revisor of statutes; and                                                                    
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:43:33 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
PAM FINLEY,  REVISOR OF STATUTES, LEGISLATIVE  LEGAL COUNSEL,                                                                   
LEGISLATIVE   LEGAL  AND   RESEARCH   SERVICES  provided   an                                                                   
explanation  of the annual  occurrence  of the bill  provided                                                                   
for in Statute. She explained  that in the constitution it is                                                                   
mentioned  as an exception  of the  single subject  rule. The                                                                   
purpose of  the bill would be  to clean up the  Statutes, not                                                                   
to change  any substantive affect  of the law.  She specified                                                                   
that errors usually are found  in reviewing the Statutes with                                                                   
suggestions from  the Department of Law. Ms.  Finley stressed                                                                   
that if there is any question  that could be interpreted more                                                                   
than  one  way, it  would  be  left  out  of this  bill.  She                                                                   
indicated that once  the revisor bill is drafted,  it is sent                                                                   
to the Department of Law where  Deborah Behr, Chief Assistant                                                                   
Attorney  General, Department  of Law  reviews the bill  then                                                                   
circulates   it  throughout  the   departments.  Ms.   Finley                                                                   
described that  after proceeding to the  Legislative Council,                                                                   
it  is  then  treated  as a  normal  bill  for  the  referral                                                                   
process.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Finley  explained  that  this  bill  reflects  that  the                                                                   
Department  of Commerce  and Economic  Development has  taken                                                                   
over those  functions of the  Board of Dispensing  Opticians,                                                                   
which  no  longer  exists.  She noted  it  also  changes  the                                                                   
language from  "crime" to read "offense." The  bill continues                                                                   
to  update some  federal  statutes  where the  statutes  have                                                                   
changed   or    been   renumbered,   mostly    dealing   with                                                                   
disabilities. Title changes also  reflect that the Interstate                                                                   
Commerce  Commission was  abolished in  1995 and replaced  by                                                                   
the Surface Transportation Board.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
10:47:13 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Thomas MOVED  to REPORT SB 260 out  of Committee with                                                                   
individual  recommendations  and  accompanying  fiscal  note.                                                                   
There being NO OBJECTION it was so ordered.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SB  260  was REPORTED  out  of  Committee  with a  "do  pass"                                                                   
recommendation  and  an  accompanying   previously  published                                                                   
fiscal note from the Legislative Affairs Agency.