05/05/2006 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

9:18:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 16(RLS)                                                                                              
     "An Act  relating to funding for  school districts operating                                                               
     secondary school  boarding programs,  to funding  for school                                                               
     districts  from which  boarding  students come,  and to  the                                                               
     effectiveness   of   district  secondary   school   boarding                                                               
     programs; and providing for an effective date."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was the  second hearing for this bill in  the Senate Finance                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN  COGHILL, sponsor  of the bill,  testified to                                                               
the success of students attending boarding schools in Alaska.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:19:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken recognized  the efforts  undertaken in  adopting                                                               
regulations  to  implement  this  legislation.  However,  if  the                                                               
completed regulations were "significantly  altered" from what was                                                               
agreed upon during  deliberations on this bill,  the new statutes                                                               
would be  reconsidered the next  legislative session. He  did not                                                               
support  the State  Board of  Education changing  the regulations                                                               
without  involvement of  the legislature.  He has  discussed this                                                               
with   Representative  Coghill   and  did   not  anticipate   any                                                               
difficulty.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:20:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Olson  shared  that  boarding   school  enabled  him  to                                                               
continue   his  education   and  realize   professional  success.                                                               
Extended separation  from his family  was not easy but  was worth                                                               
the results.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:21:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken asked  if a new fiscal note  would be forthcoming                                                               
to exclude Lower Kuskokwim.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Green  indicated  the  revised  fiscal  note  would  be                                                               
prepared that would reflect an  amount reduction to $1.79 million                                                               
from $1.255 million.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:22:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken  offered a  motion to  report SCS  CS HB  16, 24-                                                               
LS0125\C, from Committee with  individual recommendations and new                                                               
fiscal note.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Without objection  SCS CS  HB 16 (FIN)  was MOVED  from Committee                                                               
with a new  fiscal note dated 5/2/06 in the  amount of $1,079,000                                                               
from the Department of Education  and Early Development. [NOTE: A                                                               
corrected fiscal  note dated 5/6/06  in the amount  of $1,254,900                                                               
was  received   from  the  Department  of   Education  and  Early                                                               
Development  and was  submitted  to the  Senate  Secretary to  be                                                               
reflected as accompanying this bill as reported from Committee.]                                                                
                                                                                                                                
AT EASE 9:22:24 AM