05/04/1999 11:30 AM Senate RLS

SENATOR DONLEY requested time to prepare amendments before SB 133                                                               
is taken up on the Senate floor.  CHAIRMAN KELLY announced the                                                                  
Rules Committee substitute would be presented and adopted, and then                                                             
the Senate would recess before the daily calendar begins to give                                                                
Senator Donley time to draft amendments.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
PAT CARTER, legislative aide to Senator Pearce, sponsor of SB 133,                                                              
discussed the changes made in the proposed Senate Rules Committee                                                               
substitute (Version X) as follows.  The AOGCC and APUC will not be                                                              
merged at this time; the merger will take place after the                                                                       
Legislative Budget and Audit (LBA) report is completed.  Pipeline                                                               
regulation will also fall under the new authorization to LBA to                                                                 
study the two commissions independently and their respective                                                                    
functions, and report which format will best serve the state's                                                                  
interest to the Legislature and the Governor.  Language on page 4,                                                              
lines 24-26, was amended to set new advocacy standards; those                                                                   
advocacy standards can now be applied to major public policy                                                                    
considerations before the commission, and/or matters in which the                                                               
financial interest of the public is at stake.  The previous version                                                             
of the bill allowed the application of advocacy standards to                                                                    
adjudicated matters only.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELLIS questioned whether the proposed committee substitute                                                              
changes the fiscal impact of the bill.  MR. CARTER said it does                                                                 
not.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PEARCE moved to adopt CSSB 133(RLS)-REGULATORY COMMISSION                                                               
OF ALASKA.  There being no objection, the motion carried.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PEARCE moved to calendar all versions of SB 133.  There                                                                 
being no objection, the motion carried.