03/05/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

        SB  95-LIC. PLATES: SPECIALTY ORGS/PEACE OFFICER                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:27:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that the next order of business would be                                                                   
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 12(JUD), "An Act relating to the duties                                                                  
of the Department of Administration; creating an address                                                                        
confidentiality program; and providing for an effective date."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:27:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KELLY  MERRICK,  Alaska   State  Legislature,  as  prime                                                               
sponsor, paraphrased  from a sponsor  statement [included  in the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Nearly every year, the Legislature  spends a portion of                                                                    
     its limited  time considering specialty  license plates                                                                    
     for various  organizations and non-profits  who request                                                                    
     them, and  the Department of Administration  spends its                                                                    
     valuable   time   responding   to   those   pieces   of                                                                    
     legislation. As of  now, there are at  least 42 license                                                                    
     plates  with   roughly  90   variations  that   can  be                                                                    
     purchased at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Since 2003, the Legislature  has passed nine bills that                                                                    
     authorize  specialty  license  plates. In  some  cases,                                                                    
     multiple  pieces of  specialty  plate legislation  were                                                                    
     rolled  into  one  bill.  For   example,  in  the  27th                                                                    
     Legislature, four bills were  rolled into one bill that                                                                    
     authorized  six different  plates. IN  other instances,                                                                    
     the  legislature  discussed   the  same  license  plate                                                                    
     option  for years  before either  approving or  denying                                                                    
     the plate.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     This bill intends  to pay tribute to the  brave men and                                                                    
     women who have made the  ultimate sacrifice in the line                                                                    
     of duty as peace officers.  This bill adds a subsection                                                                    
     to  the Alaska  statute which  authorizes the  creation                                                                    
     and  issuance  of  license plates  commemorating  these                                                                    
     peace  officers. This  bill  includes  not just  police                                                                    
     officers,  but   all  peace  officers  such   as  state                                                                    
     troopers,  municipal  police officers,  village  public                                                                    
     safety officers, and officers of the courts.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Senate   Bill  95   was   introduced   to  remove   the                                                                    
     Legislature    from    approving   specialty    plates,                                                                    
     redirecting  that time  to bigger  issues of  statewide                                                                    
     significance.  Under  this legislation,  responsibility                                                                    
     would  be  turned over  to  the  DMV, streamlining  the                                                                    
     process for both the legislature and the DMV.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     The  division  would  adopt regulations  to  allow  for                                                                    
     issuance  of specialty  plates sponsored  by tax-exempt                                                                    
     organizations  based within  the state,  departments of                                                                    
     the state,  or a  municipality within the  state. Those                                                                    
     entities would  also be responsible for  paying for the                                                                    
     costs associated  with development and issuance  of the                                                                    
     plate.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     This  bill  would  reduce  State   expenses  and  be  a                                                                    
     timesaving measure for the  Legislature by allowing the                                                                    
     DMV to review specialty plate requests.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:29:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DOUG FIFER, retired Police  Officer, Anchorage Police Department;                                                               
Chair, Cook  Inlet Region, Inc.,  testified in support of  SB 95.                                                               
He  said he  noticed other  states that  had plates  that honored                                                               
fallen  peace officers  and the  overwhelming support  from state                                                               
senators for  their inclusion  in specialty  license plates.   He                                                               
described the  many other worthy organizations  that already have                                                               
commemorative  plates.   He stated  that  in the  history of  the                                                               
state of Alaska, 50 law enforcement  officers died in the line of                                                               
duty.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW offered his support of the bill.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:32:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK asked  about the  original bill  to which                                                               
Senator Merrick  referred, nicknamed  "The license plate  bill to                                                               
end all license plate bills."                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:32:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KERRY  CROCKER,  Staff,  Senator   Kelly  Merrick,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Senator  Merrick, prime  sponsor, said                                                               
that SB 95 would not preclude  the legislature from passing a new                                                               
statute.   The  bill provides  the Department  of Motor  Vehicles                                                               
(DMV)  the  ability  to  approve   license  plates  so  that  the                                                               
legislature does not have to approve them every time.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:33:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD asked  if the DMV can  already approve this                                                               
specialty plate.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:33:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MERRICK  said  that  specialty  plates  require  statute                                                               
change.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:33:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY asked  about  the cost  for developing  and                                                               
issuing the specialty plate.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MERRICK  answered  that  the  fiscal  notes  range  from                                                               
$3,000-14,000.   The cost would  be incurred on  the organization                                                               
requesting the specialty plate, not the state.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:34:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that SB 95 was held over.