04/27/1995 01:33 PM House CRA

 SB 6 - SUSPEND DRIVERS LICENSES/TRAFFIC OFFENSES                            
                                                                               
 Number 039                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR IVAN announced SB 6 would be first, sponsored by Senator             
 Taylor.  In members' packets was a proposed amendment, fiscal                 
 notes, sponsor statement and backup materials.  He invited Joe                
 Ambrose of Senator Taylor's to present the bill.                              
                                                                               
 JOE AMBROSE, Legislative Assistant to Senator Taylor, introduced              
 the bill on behalf of Senator Taylor, who was the prime sponsor.              
 He stated that the intent of the legislation was to encourage                 
 individuals to pay some of the 25,000 traffic fines for moving                
 violations that go uncollected each year.  It provided the court              
 with additional leverage in collecting the fines and applied to a             
 person who failed to appear in court as ordered.  It allowed the              
 court to suspend the driver's license of anyone who failed to                 
 appear in court or pay a fine.  It also had a provision for                   
 attaching the permanent fund dividend.  Section 3 of the bill                 
 addressed a perceived problem with the Anchorage Parking                      
 Authority and would restrict the amount municipalities could                  
 collect on traffic citations issued.  He indicated that this                  
 section would affect any municipality that uses other than peace              
 officers to do parking enforcement.                                           
                                                                               
 Number 089                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR AUSTERMAN asked what the provision referring to the                  
 citation form meant.                                                          
                                                                               
 MR. AMBROSE stated that a standard citation form was laid out by              
 state law.  This section of the bill required all municipalities              
 to use that form or something very similar.                                   
                                                                               
 Number 106                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE AL VEZEY asked if Section 3 was, in effect,                    
 killing the privatization of certain government services.                     
                                                                               
 MR. AMBROSE indicated that it would restrict the amount of a fine             
 that could be collected by a municipality that operated with                  
 private sector enforcement.                                                   
                                                                               
 Number 128                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PETE KOTT stated he thought the answer to                      
 Representative Vezey's question was that it did restrict the                  
 municipalities from contracting with the private sector because               
 it required a citation to be issued by a peace officer.                       
                                                                               
 Number 137                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR AUSTERMAN asked if that was the objective to stop                    
 privatization of these activities.                                            
                                                                               
 MR. AMBROSE indicated that it was not Senator Taylor's intent.                
 The amendment had been added on the Senate floor and was not part             
 of the original bill.  The sole intent of the original                        
 legislation was to give the court system some leverage to collect             
 some of the outstanding fines for moving violations.                          
                                                                               
 Number 147                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE KOTT stated that he had an amendment to delete                 
 section 3 and moved the amendment.                                            
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE KIM ELTON asked what the justification was for the             
 insertion of the section.                                                     
                                                                               
 MR. AMBROSE noted that the legislation had been introduced last               
 year and amended in Senate Finance to add a provision linking                 
 renewal of motor vehicle registration to parking violations.  In              
 essence, it strengthened the authority of the Anchorage Parking               
 Authority or any similar entity.  The bill was reintroduced this              
 year with that provision in it.  That provision was deleted and               
 on the Senate Floor the issue was brought up and Section 3 was                
 inserted in the bill.  Senator Taylor supported Representative                
 Kott's amendment.                                                             
                                                                               
 Number 197                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR IVAN asked if the objection was maintained.  Hearing                 
 none, that amendment was adopted.                                             
                                                                               
 Number 206                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY moved HCS SB 6(CRA) be passed from committee             
 with individual recommendations.                                              
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR IVAN indicated that motion was adopted without                       
 objection.                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY amended his motion to include the fiscal                 
 notes.                                                                        
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR IVAN asked if there was objection.  Hearing none, the                
 bill passed from committee with no objections.