Legislature(2011 - 2012)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/17/2011 10:00 AM Senate FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB99 | |
| HB155 | |
| HB183 | |
| HB106 | |
| HB183 | |
| HB155 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 99 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 155 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 183 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 106 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 183(FIN) am
"An Act relating to the Village Safe Water Act; and
providing for an effective date."
10:45:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ALAN DICK, SPONSOR, discussed that for many
years the Village Safe Water Act had done tremendous good
throughout the state; however, four years earlier the city
of Nenana had applied for and received a Village Safe Water
grant for a water treatment plant, but they were informed
later by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
that they did not qualify. He believed that HB 183
strengthened the Act because it addressed needs across the
state. He relayed that the bill had no fiscal note. He
explained that the bill added new communities to the
eligibility list. The new communities would not take
precedence over others and would be evaluated according to
existing priorities. He discussed that HB 183 was a
companion bill to SB 96. The bill raised the maximum number
of residents that were eligible for funding in a village or
first class city from 600 to 1000, which allowed eight
municipalities that faced clean water and sanitation issues
to receive a grant. The bill added home rule municipalities
that had a population of less than 1000 residents and
included the City of Nenana and the City and Borough of
Yakutat. The bill also included communities that were
represented by a council that were organized under the
Indian Reorganization Act or a Village Tribal Council. The
bill also allowed an incorporated non-profit to act as a
governing body that would provide ongoing maintenance. He
emphasized that HB 183 would allow villages to get the help
they needed and would ensure that there was a responsible
entity to guarantee that the money would be spent how it
was intended. He relayed that Nenana was waiting to do the
construction on its treatment facility and that its system
was currently so needy that the maintenance man was
required to check the plant every four hours during the
night.
10:49:06 AM
Co-Chair Stedman requested a list of the communities that
would be eligible under the legislation.
Representative Dick responded that the eight villages that
would be included were Akiachak, Kipnuk, Yakutat, Klawock,
Hoonah, Ninilchik, King Cove, and Sand Point.
Co-Chair Stedman relayed that there was a zero fiscal note
from DEC.
Senator Olson asked how communities with populations less
than 600 had responded to the proposed legislation. He
wondered what the response had been from second class
cities that needed water and sewer facilities but were not
able to tax residents to pay for them. He understood that
there would only be a set amount of funding available.
SHEILA PETERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE DICK, replied that
there had been no response from any communities. She
explained that Bill Griffith the project manager at DEC had
informed the sponsor that the process would not change and
that the communities with the greatest needs would be at
the top of the priority list and would be funded. The
addition of ten more communities would not have much of a
negative effect on any communities.
10:51:58 AM
Senator Olson expressed concern about smaller communities
that were vying for the same funding and did not have the
ability to send a spokesperson down to testify. He
discussed that water and sewer were needed in all
communities and were very important from a medical
standpoint in order to combat health problems such as
otitis media and hepatitis. He was concerned that a
decrease in federal and state funding would increase the
competition for some of the contracts.
Representative Dick expressed his confidence that most of
the great needs had been met given that the Act had been in
place for a very long time and that allowing the additional
communities under the Act would not threaten the smaller
villages.
CSHB 183(FIN) am was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
[Note: CSHB 183(FIN) am was heard again during the meeting
and appears later in the minutes]
10:54:15 AM
AT EASE
11:03:09 AM
RECONVENED
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 183(FIN) am
"An Act relating to the Village Safe Water Act; and
providing for an effective date."
1:07:37 PM
Co-Chair Hoffman MOVED to report CSHB 183(FIN) am out of
committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
CSHB 183(FIN) am was REPORTED out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with previously published fiscal
note: FN1 (DEC).