04/30/1994 02:30 PM Senate HES

 CHAIRMAN RIEGER introduced  HJR 47  (FUNDS TO UPGRADE MILITARY BASE           
 SCHOOLS) as the next order of business before the committee.                  
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ELDON MULDER, Prime Sponsor, said that the Military            
 Schools Task Force evaluated the problem of lack of repairs and               
 repair funding for the school base schools.  There is approximately           
 a $52 million backload of work needed to bring these schools up to            
 minimal standards.  He explained that the municipalities within               
 which the schools reside are not allowed to bond for the upgrades             
 of these schools since they do not own the schools while the school           
 districts are hesitant to transfer or accept ownership of the                 
 schools until they are upgraded.  HJR 47 along with a $26 million             
 appropriation bill would attempt to cooperatively reach an                    
 agreement between the state and the federal government in order to            
 address this problem.  He pointed out that they would propose a 50-           
 50 match between the state and federal government.  The federal               
 government has allocated $10 million towards these type schools               
 nation wide.  HJR 47 and some funding from the budget would work              
 towards securing the funds needed to upgrade these schools.                   
                                                                               
 DENNIS PORTER, Executive Officer to General Ralston and member of             
 the Task Force, said that this resolution would be used to lobby              
 the federal government in order to free up funds from them.  He               
 pointed out that the current Deputy Secretary of Education,                   
 Madeline Cunin, will be coming to Alaska to see the problems on               
 school base installation facilities.  Hopefully, she will                     
 acknowledge the problems, realize the slowness of the funding,                
 recognize that Alaska is trying to satisfy the immediate needs                
 while looking to the long term.  He encouraged the committee's                
 support of HJR 47.                                                            
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN inquired as to Representative Mulder's comment                  
 regarding funding from the budget this year.  He expressed concern            
 with the inability to identify an amount from the $10 million that            
 would be available in Alaska.  He said that he did not see                    
 references to the military schools task force in HJR 47, and he               
 asked if that is an intentional omission.                                     
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE MULDER explained that the 50-50 match was not                  
 included in HJR 47, the appropriations bill was the 50-50 match.              
 The omission was intentional in order to recognize budgetary                  
 constraints, but everything would be done to try to provide that              
 match.  He felt that the match was a reasonable alternative.  He              
 noted that this problem affects the security of these bases in                
 terms of evaluation.  They are trying to push some kind of funding            
 in the House.  He mentioned the Aurora school and its problem.                
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN thought that Representative Mulder had mentioned                
 funding this year on the 50-50 match.  REPRESENTATIVE MULDER noted            
 the presence of a proposal regarding some school construction                 
 money.                                                                        
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER moved HJR 47 as amended out of committee with                  
 individual recommendations.  Hearing no objections, it was so                 
 ordered.