02/25/1997 08:05 AM House STA

 HCR 8 - DEFERRED MAINTENANCE TASK FORCE                                     
                                                                               
 The next order of business to come before the House State Affairs             
 Standing Committee was HCR 8, Creating the Deferred Maintenance               
 Task Force.                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES called on Speaker Gail Phillips, sponsor of the bill,             
 to present the resolution.                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 907                                                                    
                                                                               
 SPEAKER GAIL PHILLIPS, Alaska State Legislature, stated that                  
 deferred maintenance was the result of years of unmet maintenance             
 of Alaska's public facilities.  She was referring not just to                 
 buildings, or to the university campus; but to roads, harbors, and            
 airports-everything that the state considered an asset.  Meeting              
 the maintenance needs was not about building a skywalk from the               
 court building to the capitol, she cited.  It was about a capitol             
 building that leaked every spring causing severe damage to the                
 building.  It was about docks that were rotting and falling into              
 harbors.  It was about an infrastructure that needed mending.  It             
 was those types of needs that needed to be taken care of all across           
 the state.  The cost estimates placed Alaska's unmet maintenance              
 needs at well over $1 billion.  "I happen to personally think it'll           
 be more closely to $2 billion."                                               
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS further stated that the resolution would establish           
 a legislative task force to make recommendations to the Governor              
 and to the legislature on how to address the unmet maintenance                
 costs.  The task force would be made up of five members from the              
 House and five members from the Senate.  The Speaker of the House             
 and the President of the Senate would also serve as non-voting                
 members.  The task force would be specifically charged with the               
 following:                                                                    
                                                                               
 1)  To review and evaluate existing reports and publications about            
     deferred maintenance recommendations previously made;                     
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS stated that over the last few years several of the           
 Administrations had concentrated on this issue, therefore, a lot of           
 work had already been done, and all of the reported needed to be              
 compiled.  She cited work had already been done for specific areas,           
 such as, the university.                                                      
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS continued to list the duties that the task force             
 would be charged with.                                                        
                                                                               
 2)  To identify and evaluate all current and deferred maintenance             
     needs;                                                                    
 3)  To solicit public comment on the topic from all over the state;           
 4)  To submit a report of their findings and recommendations to               
     the Governor and to the legislature by the convening of next              
     session; and,                                                             
 5)  To forward recommendations about the funding.                             
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS explained the recommendations about the funding              
 would be the second part of the task force.                                   
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS continued by stating that the task force would               
 begin work as soon as the members were appointed.  In conclusion,             
 she announced the Governor agreed with the concept and pledged his            
 support from his office and from all of his commissioners.  She               
 also announced that she had received written and spoken support               
 from the Truckers Association, the Associated General Contractors             
 of Alaska, and the Laborers International Union of North America,             
 AFL-CIO illustrating the wide-spread support from around the state.           
                                                                               
 Number 1090                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES stated she admired the courage of Speaker Phillips for            
 bringing this issue forward.  "It is a huge, huge task; and it's              
 like climbing a mountain with no shoes."                                      
                                                                               
 Number 1098                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE FRED DYSON asked Speaker Phillips if most of the               
 work would be done during the interim?                                        
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied most of the work would be done during the            
 interim.  In addition, she also explained a zero fiscal note was              
 attached.  The work would be done by the appointed legislators and            
 their staff.  And, there would be public teleconference hearings              
 across the state.                                                             
                                                                               
 Number 1124                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked Speaker Phillips if the travel expenses            
 incurred and the per-diem would come out of the legislative budget?           
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied, "Right."                                            
                                                                               
 Number 1148                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN IVAN wondered if the report would need to be              
 done by the convening of the second session of the Twentieth Alaska           
 State Legislature.  He asked Speaker Phillips if he was correct?              
                                                                               
 Number 1160                                                                   
                                                                               
 SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied, "Right.  Right.  With recommendations not           
 only on what the needs are but how we're going to pay for them."              
                                                                               
 Number 1175                                                                   
 CHAIR JAMES called for a motion to move the bill out of the                   
 committee.                                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 1178                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS moved that HCR 8 move from the committee               
 with the attached fiscal note(s) and individual recommendations.              
                                                                               
 Number 1200                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON stated that he had spent most of his life                
 working as an engineer so he understood the importance of the                 
 resolution.  He was apprehensive that the Chair would appoint him             
 to the task force.  "And, if it was going to happen during the                
 interim, I was going to object to the passing of the bill out of              
 self interest."                                                               
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON further stated that the resolution was long              
 overdue.  "We in the maintenance business say, `pay me now or pay             
 me later' and, in fact, its do the work now or do an awful lot more           
 work at less convenient times in the future."  He commended the               
 efforts of Speaker Phillips.                                                  
                                                                               
 Number 1239                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES stated that when she dealt with this issue no one                 
 wanted to talk about the money part.  So, she suggested bonding as            
 a solution.  However, the solution was met with adversity for fear            
 of going into debt.  "My point is we are already in debt, if we do            
 a bonding package or some other package, that allows us to pay our            
 debt."                                                                        
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES stated there was no objection to the motion.  House               
 Concurrent Resolution 8 was so moved from the House State Affairs             
 Standing Committee.