04/14/1993 03:00 PM House HES

  HB 106:  EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM                                        
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE noted that it was the second time the bill had                   
  been before the committee.  He invited Rep. Kay Brown to                     
  speak to the bill.                                                           
                                                                               
  Number 244                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. KAY BROWN, PRIME SPONSOR, gave a brief presentation on                  
  the provisions of HB 106.  (Rep. Brown gave a detailed                       
  presentation on HB 106 on March 10, 1993.  The records of                    
  that meeting are on file.)  She said HB 106 would establish                  
  an Education Technology Program in the Department of                         
  Education.  She gave the program's highlights: technological                 
  assistance to school districts and libraries; training for                   
  teachers; a plan for computer networks; a departmental                       
  directive to coordinate existing resources; establishment of                 
  a fund requiring matching funds (though HB 106 did not                       
  deposit money into the fund).  She said another bill in the                  
  committee, HB 107, provided for capitalization of the fund.                  
  She said HB 106 also established eligibility pre-requisites                  
  for libraries or districts for grants.                                       
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE observed that the local match formula in HB 106                  
  was based on the formula contained in HB 82, and that HB 82                  
  had been amended to include a five percent minimum match and                 
  to exclude a sliding scale.                                                  
                                                                               
  Number 274                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN said she had asked Rep. MacLean, chair of the                     
  House Finance Committee, whether she anticipated more                        
  changes to the matching formula in HB 82, and was answered                   
  that such changes were likely.  Rep. Brown said she was                      
  willing to adjust her matching formula with the formula in                   
  HB 82 as amended.  She said that if the bill passed in its                   
  current form, she would move a conforming amendment in the                   
  House Finance Committee.                                                     
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE said he would prefer the matching formula in                     
  HB 106 coincide with the formula in the committee substitute                 
  for HB 82 as amended by the HESS Committee.                                  
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN also said HB 106 would provide for an education                   
  technology committee to develop funding distribution                         
  guidelines; would amend the school report card to include                    
  reporting on technology; and would require a survey of                       
  public school and library technology resources.                              
                                                                               
  Number 306                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN noted that there were two fiscal notes from the                   
  Department of Education, and that the third fiscal note,                     
  from the Department of Revenue's treasury division, would                    
  not apply until the fund was capitalized.  She claimed broad                 
  support from educators for her bill.  She said the Alaska                    
  Association of School Boards liked the bill and was                          
  concerned about technology as an important element of                        
  education that was absent in the Alaska 2000 reform effort.                  
  She said passing HB 106 was important, even before the                       
  Education Technology Fund was capitalized.                                   
                                                                               
  Number 327                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE asked Rep. Brown how she would define an                         
  equitable distribution of funds.                                             
                                                                               
  Number 330                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN said one measure would be per-capita basis.  She                  
  said other criteria would be the current level of technology                 
  in a particular school; the size of classes; the number of                   
  teachers; and the location of the school.  She said it was                   
  probably better not to legislate a specific formula.  She                    
  said it would be easier to allocate money after knowing how                  
  much money was available to allocate.                                        
                                                                               
  Number 360                                                                   
                                                                               
  KAREN CRANE, DIRECTOR OF ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS FOR                 
  THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, testified in Juneau to                          
  reiterate the support of the commissioner and the department                 
  for HB 106.  She noted that the commissioner felt that the                   
  bill, and technology, should play a strong role in the                       
  Alaska 2000 effort.  She noted that the bill also had the                    
  support of the Alaska Library Association, as the bill also                  
  addressed library needs.                                                     
                                                                               
  Number 375                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE asked Rep. Brown if she would consider as a                      
  friendly amendment a change to HB 106 calling for the                        
  matching formula would be the same as that in CSHB 82(HES).                  
                                                                               
  (Rep. Toohey arrived at 3:32 p.m.)                                           
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN responded she would consider that a friendly                      
  amendment.  She noted that the language was on page 6                        
  starting with line 5.  She added that the HESS Committee had                 
  not adopted the proposed committee substitute, which she                     
  identified as being drafted by Ford and dated 2/16/93.  She                  
  said the CS made minor changes relating to libraries, upon                   
  which she had worked with Ms. Crane.                                         
                                                                               
  Number 402                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE asked if Rep. Brown was referring to the CS of                   
  HB 106.                                                                      
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN answered yes, and pointed out the location of the                 
  amendment on page 6 of the CS.  She asked if CSHB 82(HES)                    
  included a phase-in period.                                                  
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE answered that it did not.                                        
                                                                               
  Number 406                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. BROWN noted that page 9 of her proposed CS did have a                   
  phase-in provision, modeled after that in the governor's                     
  original version of HB 82, but which had been cut from HB 82                 
  by the HESS Committee.  She said, "The committee might wish                  
  to adopt a conceptual amendment and direct the drafters to                   
  make this language conform to the earlier - that's what I                    
  did in requesting this draft, was asking them to make it                     
  conform to HB 82."                                                           
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE said the HESS Committee wanted the language in                   
  the CSHB 106 to conform to the HESS committee version of                     
  HB 82 instead of the governor's original version.                            
                                                                               
  (Rep. Toohey arrived at 3:32 p.m.)                                           
                                                                               
  Number 415                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE said that he needed a motion to adopt the CS                     
  version of HB 106 in order to proceed procedurally.                          
                                                                               
  (Rep. Kott arrived at 3:35 p.m.)                                             
                                                                               
  REP. BRICE MOVED the committee adopt CSHB 106 as a working                   
  draft of the bill.                                                           
                                                                               
  Number 420                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE asked for objections and heard none.  He said                    
  the amendment before the committee was the conceptual                        
  amendment that he and Rep. Brown had been discussing, which                  
  would amend the matching grant provisions in CSHB 106 to                     
  match the provisions in CSHB 82(HES).                                        
                                                                               
  REP. BRICE MOVED the conceptual amendment suggested by Chair                 
  Bunde.                                                                       
                                                                               
  Number 425                                                                   
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE asked for objections and heard none.  He                         
  declared that the committee was now considering CSHB 106 as                  
  amended.  He asked for further discussion.                                   
                                                                               
  REP. B. DAVIS asked if there were other people wanting to                    
  testify on the bill.                                                         
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE said he had heard none.  He then closed public                   
  testimony and asked the pleasure of the committee.                           
                                                                               
  Number 438                                                                   
                                                                               
  REP. B. DAVIS MOVED PASSAGE OF CSHB 106 FROM THE COMMITTEE                   
  WITH INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS and asked for unanimous                      
  consent.                                                                     
                                                                               
  REP. OLBERG OBJECTED.                                                        
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE invited Rep. Olberg to speak to his objection.                   
                                                                               
  REP. OLBERG declined.                                                        
                                                                               
  CHAIR BUNDE called for a roll call vote on the motion.                       
  Those voting yes were:  Reps. Toohey, Bunde, G. Davis, Kott,                 
  B. Davis and Brice.  Those voting no were:  Reps. Vezey and                  
  Olberg.  The motion PASSED 6-2.  Chair Bunde declared CSHB
 as amended by the Hess Committee had PASSED WITH                         
  INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS.  He then brought HCR 17 to the                   
  table.