05/07/2002 08:08 AM House STA

HB 324 - HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 0070                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COGHILL  announced that the  first order of  business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO. 324,  "An Act  making supplemental  and other                                                               
appropriations  for  homeland  security;  and  providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COGHILL  asked if there  was any objection to  adopting the                                                               
proposed  committee  substitute  (CS)  for HB  324,  version  22-                                                               
GH2078\L, Utermohle, 5/6/02, as a work draft.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 0188                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HAYES  objected so  the committee could  hear from                                                               
the department.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  COGHILL  noted  that  this  proposed  CS  was  pared  down                                                               
considerably, and it will not  be everything that the departments                                                               
wanted.  His  intention was that anything beyond  that related to                                                               
the  general fund  would  have  to be  justified  at the  Finance                                                               
Committee,  since almost  all the  general funds  are scrutinized                                                               
there.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 0266                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CAROL CARROLL, Director,  Central Office, Administrative Services                                                               
Division, Department of Military  & Veterans Affairs (DMVA), told                                                               
the committee that the DMVA would  work further on this bill with                                                               
the Finance Committee.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 0288                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAYES  removed his  objection.    There being  no                                                               
further objection, Version L was before the committee.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 0465                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
NANCY  SLAGLE,  Director,  Division of  Administrative  Services,                                                               
Department  of  Transportation  &  Public  Facilities,  told  the                                                               
committee  that some  of the  category  3 items  on the  04-19-02                                                               
spreadsheet in the  packet could cause the state  to lose federal                                                               
dollars, specifically  for the airports.   She said that  some of                                                               
the items in category 3 are  non-general fund dollars.  There has                                                               
been a  request to  the federal  government for  reimbursement on                                                               
the  security-related items  that  are required  by FAA  [Federal                                                               
Aviation  Administration].   If those  requirements are  not met,                                                               
some  airports could  be shutdown,  and that  in turn  causes the                                                               
loss  of federal  dollars if  the airports  can't be  maintained.                                                               
There  is a  relationship with  the  loss of  federal dollars  if                                                               
there   isn't  compliance.     Some   items  are   identified  as                                                               
International Airport  Revenue Funds, which are  not general fund                                                               
dollars.  Several of those will  be requested to be identified as                                                               
federal dollars  instead of  International Airport  Revenue Funds                                                               
in  line  with the  application  to  the federal  government  for                                                               
special funding of those items.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 0635                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. SLAGLE told the committee that  items on lines 72 and 73 will                                                               
be requested  as federal dollars.   Items 77, 78, 79,  80, and 81                                                               
relate  to  the requirement  by  FAA  that  the department  do  a                                                               
criminal background  check through fingerprinting of  all airline                                                               
operators and  any individuals who  have access to  secured areas                                                               
of an airport.   She noted that has not been done  before.  It is                                                               
basically receiving a fee  from airline employees, concessionaire                                                               
employees,  or any  employees on  the  airport who  need to  have                                                               
access   to  secure   areas,  and   who  must   go  through   the                                                               
fingerprinting criminal background check.   The department has to                                                               
be  in compliance  with  FAA  by December  6,  2002.   For  those                                                               
specific items,  receipt and  expenditure authority  is requested                                                               
so  those  funds   can  be  received  to   process  the  criminal                                                               
background checks.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. SLAGLE explained  that items 77, 78, and 79  are general fund                                                               
program receipts.   That  means the  department wants  to receive                                                               
the  money.   It  is possible  that those  can  be identified  as                                                               
receipt-supported services  instead of  general funds,  since the                                                               
department  isn't  going  to   be  performing  those  fingerprint                                                               
background checks  unless it receives  the monies.  She  said she                                                               
believes that  those could be  shown as non-general fund.   Items                                                               
80 and 81 are International Airport Revenue Funds.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COGHILL said  that these areas would be pointed  out to the                                                               
Finance Committee.  He reiterated  that the proposed CS was pared                                                               
back so the Finance Committee can put back in the needed items.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 0958                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAYES  moved  to  report  CSHB  324(STA)  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSHB  324(STA)  was                                                               
reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.