05/07/2003 08:03 AM House STA

HB 252 - OCC LICENSING: TERMS OF BD & CONT. EDUC                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 2644                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL  NO. 252, "An Act relating to  the terms of members                                                               
of   boards  and   commissions  that   regulate  businesses   and                                                               
professions and to  the duties of the members of  the State Board                                                               
of Registration  for Architects,  Engineers and  Land Surveyors."                                                               
[Before the committee was CSHB 252(L&C)].                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 2664                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LAUREN WICKERSHAM, Staff to  Representative Lesil McGuire, Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  presented HB  252 on  behalf of  the sponsor,                                                               
Representative   McGuire.     She  said   Representative  McGuire                                                               
introduced HB  252 at the  request of  the Alaska State  Board of                                                               
Registration  for  Architects,   Engineers,  and  Land  Surveyors                                                               
("AELS Board").   The bill essentially does two things.   One, it                                                               
modifies the existing statutory  language regarding board members                                                               
who serve  partial terms.   Currently, if  a board  member serves                                                               
any portion of a remaining  term, that service constitutes a full                                                               
four-year  term.   The change  proposed by  HB 252  will allow  a                                                               
board member  filling a partial  term of  less than two  years to                                                               
also serve up to two more full  terms, for eight more years.  The                                                               
CSHB 252(L&C) version clarifies that  this change applies only to                                                               
the AELS Board.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. WICKERSHAM  said that  the second change  proposed by  HB 252                                                               
offers  the   AELS  Board  the   statutory  authority   to  adopt                                                               
regulations  concerning continuing  education.   An October  2000                                                               
audit  conducted by  the Legislative  Audit Division  recommended                                                               
that  the AELS  Board be  given the  aforementioned authority  in                                                               
order  to  help implement  and  maintain  high standards  in  the                                                               
professions it oversees.  The  AELS Board would work closely with                                                               
all  relevant   professional  societies  before   developing  any                                                               
programs.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 2765                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SAM KITO  III, Volunteer Lobbyist for  Alaska Professional Design                                                               
Council  (APDC),  noted  that  the  APDC  represents  architects,                                                               
engineers,  land  surveyors,   landscape  architects,  and  other                                                               
design  professionals  in  Alaska.   He  relayed  that  the  APDC                                                               
supports HB 252  and is working with the AELS  Board to make sure                                                               
that the  bill passes.  In  response to a question,  he explained                                                               
that  no current  board  members  would be  impacted  by HB  252.                                                               
Instead,  the issue  encompassed within  HB 252  is one  that the                                                               
board has discussed over the years,  that of having people on the                                                               
board  who have  developed a  certain amount  experience but  who                                                               
have  served only  a small  portion of  an initial  term and  are                                                               
therefore  not able  to continue  their work  into a  second full                                                               
term.    The AELS  Board  desires  consistency within  the  board                                                               
process, and sees HB 252 as way to achieve that.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH noted that subsection  2 of Section 1 states that                                                               
a person who serves for two years  or more of a four-year term is                                                               
considered to have served a full term.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. KITO  pointed out  that currently, if  a board  member serves                                                               
even just  one month of  four-year term, he/she is  considered to                                                               
have served  for a  full four  years and  is thus  precluded from                                                               
serving two more four-year terms.   House Bill 252 is intended to                                                               
allow someone who  has served less than two years  of a four-year                                                               
term to be  appointed for an additional two four-year  terms.  In                                                               
response  to a  question, he  confirmed that  HB 252  adds a  new                                                               
subsection  to the  "AELS Board"  statute  - rather  than to  the                                                               
entire occupational  licensing statute  - thus ensuring  that the                                                               
provision  only applies  to the  AELS board.   In  conclusion, he                                                               
said that  the AELS Board supports  such a change for  it but has                                                               
not wanted to affect all occupational licensing boards.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON suggested  that what  HB 252  is proposing                                                               
makes sense  and is not that  unusual with regard to  how partial                                                               
terms are treated by other boards.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 03-56, SIDE B                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[There  was brief  discussion regarding  a prior  version of  the                                                               
bill, which some members mistakenly thought was before them.]                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 5:06 p.m. to 5:09 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 2845                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  moved  to  report CSHB  252(L&C)  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal note.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH  made a motion  to adopt Conceptual  Amendment 1,                                                               
to remove "has" from page 1,  line 10.  There being no objection,                                                               
Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WEYHRAUCH  asked  whether  there were  any  objections  to                                                               
reporting CSHB  252(L&C), as  amended, out  of committee.   There                                                               
being no  objection, CSHB  252(STA) was  reported from  the House                                                               
State Affairs Standing Committee.