04/11/2017 05:30 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

              HB 183-PERM. FUND DIVIDEND LAND SALE                                                                          
                                                                                                                              
6:19:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that the final  order of business                                                               
would be HOUSE  BILL NO. 183, "An Act relating  to the state land                                                               
disposal  bank;  relating to  the  state  land disposal  program;                                                               
providing  for  a state  program  that  sells  state land  to  an                                                               
individual eligible  for a permanent  fund dividend;  allowing an                                                               
individual to  use permanent fund  dividends to  purchase certain                                                               
land  from the  state;  requiring the  Department  of Revenue  to                                                               
confirm the  eligibility of an  individual to receive  a dividend                                                               
for the purposes of a state  land sale program; and providing for                                                               
an effective date."                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
6:20:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   DAVE   TALERICO,   Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
paraphrased  from the  sponsor statement,  which read  as follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  State of  Alaska has  thousands of  acres of  good                                                                    
     quality  land that  produces no  revenue.  Less than  5                                                                    
     percent of  the land in  the state is  privately owned,                                                                    
     and   increasing   this   percentage   creates   future                                                                    
     opportunities for  Alaskans and local  governments that                                                                    
     seek tax  bases. House Bill  183 will create  a process                                                                    
     that allows for these opportunities to happen.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     HB 183 requires the  Department of Natural Resources to                                                                    
     create  land  auctions  for  acres  of  State  land  in                                                                    
     regions where public services exist  or can be extended                                                                    
     with  reasonable  economy  or where  development  of  a                                                                    
     viable  economic  base is  viable.  Any  adult that  is                                                                    
     eligible for a Permanent  Fund Dividend (PFD) can apply                                                                    
     for a land  auction for parcels of land.  The winner of                                                                    
     the auction can  pay for the parcel  with their current                                                                    
     and future  PFD's until the  fair market value  is paid                                                                    
     off.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     HB 183  creates a fair  and equitable method  where the                                                                    
     State can  offer quality land  to Alaskans  in exchange                                                                    
     for  their  PFD. This  bill  will  allow the  State  to                                                                    
     receive  an  additional  source of  revenue  and  allow                                                                    
     individual Alaskans  to obtain  quality land  to invest                                                                    
        in and increase economic activity throughout the                                                                        
     State.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Though HB 183 will not solve Alaska's budget problems,                                                                     
        it can be one small step to help with the multi-                                                                        
     billion dollar deficit.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TALERICO  added  that  the  proposed  legislation                                                               
requires  "a little  thinking out  of the  box" because  it is  a                                                               
different program than  what is being done currently  to get land                                                               
into  "private  hands";  and  thinking  out of  the  box  can  be                                                               
difficult, because it represents a change.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
6:22:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 6:23 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
6:23:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH  moved to adopt  the CS for HB  183, Version                                                               
30-LS0437\J, Bullard, 4/11/17.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KREISS-TOMKINS announced  that there  being no  objection,                                                               
Version  J  was  before  the committee  as  a  working  document.                                                               
[Because  of a  lack of  quorum, the  adoption of  Version J  was                                                               
invalid.]