Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205

02/03/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

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*+ SB 156 PROHIBIT COVID-19 VACCINE DISCRIMINATION TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
*+ SB 142 SOVEREIGNTY OF STATE ELECTIONS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
*+ HB 148 ALASKA COORDINATE SYSTEM OF 2022 TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
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Heard & Held
-- Testimony <Time Limit May Be Set> --
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**Streamed live on AKL.tv**
            HB 148-ALASKA COORDINATE SYSTEM OF 2022                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:23:48 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 148                                                                  
am "An Act relating to the Alaska Coordinate System of 2022."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:24:23 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  LADDIE SHAW,  Alaska  State Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, sponsor  of HB 148, introduced  the legislation providing                                                               
highlights  from the  following  sponsor statement  that read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          HB  148  House  Bill 148  revises  Alaska  Statute                                                                    
     chapter 38.20,  known as the Alaska  Coordinate System,                                                                    
     to reflect changes in the  federal datum used as a base                                                                    
     for  the  coordinate system  and  to  allow for  future                                                                    
     updates.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
          The  system  is  comprised  of  rectangular  plane                                                                    
     coordinates  used  to   define  accurate  positions  or                                                                    
     locations of points on the surface of the earth.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
          Currently, forty-eight  states have  adopted state                                                                    
     plane  coordinate  systems  into their  statutes.  This                                                                    
     bill  revises  the  Alaska Coordination  System  as  an                                                                    
     ongoing  modernization  of  the  U.S  National  Spatial                                                                    
     Reference System  to reduce the distortions  present in                                                                    
     the  current  system.  In  addition  to  improved  zone                                                                    
     locations,  that will  cover  population and  resources                                                                    
     areas,  a  new  statewide  zone  will  be  created  for                                                                    
     Alaska.  This   will  reduce  the  distortion   of  the                                                                    
     projection currently in use and  improve the display of                                                                    
     statewide geographic data.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
          This  is  an  important  and  practical  step  for                                                                    
     Alaska  to adapt  to this  coordination system.  Alaska                                                                    
     will  have   the  advantage  of  improvements   in  the                                                                    
     geodetic  positioning, and  with the  new gravity-based                                                                    
     elevation. This  will dramatically improve  the ability                                                                    
     to  measure elevations  in  Alaska. This  modernization                                                                    
     effort  will  benefit   scientists,  surveyors,  design                                                                    
     professionals,  GIS  specialists,  and  the  geospatial                                                                    
     community.  The  improved coordinate  system  minimizes                                                                    
     linear   distortions  and   is   designed  to   include                                                                    
     population centers and resource development.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
          I encourage your support in  the passage of HB 148                                                                    
     as  it is  critical to  Alaska maintaining  accuracy to                                                                    
     surveying and mapping.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SHAW  deferred   further  introduction  to  Reece                                                               
Williams.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:25:58 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER  related the  ongoing joke  between the  sponsor and                                                               
himself  that  they  both  completely  understand  the  technical                                                               
aspects of the bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He noted the individuals available to provide testimony.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:26:55 PM                                                                                                                    
REECE WILLIAMS,  Staff, Representative Laddie Shaw,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,  stated that HB 148  seeks to revise                                                               
AS 38.20,  The Alaska  Coordinate System,  to reflect  changes in                                                               
the geodetic  datum in  the 2022  State Plane  Coordinate System,                                                               
and allow future  updates. He explained that geodetic  datum is a                                                               
tool that is used  to define the shape and size  of the earth and                                                               
the  reference  point  for various  coordinate  systems  used  in                                                               
mapping. Datum is also used  in navigation and satellite systems.                                                               
Most recent federal datums were  the North American Datum of 1983                                                               
(NAD 83) and the North American  Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAD 88).                                                               
He cited the  definition of datums from the  National Oceanic and                                                               
Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA) website, which  is "... datums                                                               
act similar to starting points  when you give someone directions.                                                               
For instance,  when you want to  tell someone how to  get to your                                                               
house, you  give them  a starting  point that  they know,  like a                                                               
crossroads or a building address."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:28:29 PM                                                                                                                    
MR.  WILLIAMS  played  a  short  teaching  video  from  the  NOAA                                                               
website.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:33:11 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. WILLIAMS stated that incorporating  new federal datum ensures                                                               
the  state  is prepared  to  make  use  of  the latest  and  most                                                               
accurate  technology for  surveying and  mapping. He  highlighted                                                               
that the deadline  for the 2020 datum is March  2022. He said the                                                               
ability  to use  these new  datums is  particularly important  in                                                               
light of  the billions of  dollars in construction money  that is                                                               
forthcoming.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WILLIAMS listed  the experts  who were  available to  answer                                                               
questions.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER requested an overview  of the sectional analysis and                                                               
fiscal note.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:34:50 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. WILLIAMS summarized that HB 148  adds language to Title 38 to                                                               
allow the addition of new datum  and the fiscal note is zero. The                                                               
full sectional analysis for HB 148 reads as follows:                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1    Amends AS 38.20.010 to add  a reference to                                                                  
     the  National  Oceanic and  Atmospheric  Administration                                                                    
     and the Alaska Coordinate System of 2022.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Section  2     Repeals  and reenacts  AS  38.20.020  to                                                                  
     remove references to the  ten different zones currently                                                                    
     listed  in  the  statute,  and  states  that  the  zone                                                                    
     parameters  of the  Alaska Coordinate  Systems are  now                                                                    
     the  zone  parameters  defined  by  the  NGS.  Removing                                                                    
     specific   parameters  ensures   legislation  will   be                                                                    
     accurate  according   to  past,  current,   and  future                                                                    
     datums.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3    Amends AS 38.20.030 to add  a reference to                                                                  
     the  "Alaska Coordinate  System  of 2022,  Zone ?"  for                                                                    
     purposes  of   drafting  land  descriptions   that  use                                                                    
     coordinate systems.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Section 4    Amends AS 38.20.040 to  add two references                                                                  
     to  "U.S.  Survey"  and one  reference  to  the  Alaska                                                                    
     Coordinate   System  of   2022.   Also   added  is   an                                                                    
     explanation  that  one  U.S.   Survey  foot  means  the                                                                    
     quotient  of  1,200 and  3,937  meters.  There are  two                                                                    
     standards used in the U.S.  to convert between feet and                                                                    
     meters.  States such  as Alaska  support both  feet and                                                                    
     meters  and legislate  which feet-to-meters  conversion                                                                    
     they use. The U.S. survey  foot is 1200/3937 meters, or                                                                    
     .3048006096. The  international foot is  0.3048 meters.                                                                    
     The difference  between the two conversions  can become                                                                    
     noticeable.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section  5     Repeals  and reenacts  AS  38.20.060  to                                                                  
     remove the references to, and  descriptions of, the ten                                                                    
     different zones  currently listed  in the  statute, and                                                                    
     instead states  that the  characteristics of  the zones                                                                    
     of  the Alaska  Coordinate Systems  are defined  by the                                                                    
     NGS.  Removing   specific  zone   descriptions  ensures                                                                    
     legislation will  be accurate and relevant  under past,                                                                    
     current, and future datums.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section  6      Amends  AS  38.20.090  to   add  a  new                                                                  
     subsection  (c)  stating  that  the  use  of  the  term                                                                    
     "Alaska Coordinate System of 2022"  on a map, report of                                                                    
     the   survey,  or   other   document   is  limited   to                                                                    
     coordinates based  on the  Alaska Coordinate  System of                                                                    
     2022.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 7    Amends AS 38.20.100 to add  a reference to                                                                  
     the "Alaska Coordinate System of 2022."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Section 8    Amends AS 38.20.110 to add  a reference to                                                                  
     the "Alaska Coordinate System of 2022."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:36:13 PM                                                                                                                    
JAKE   MAXWELL,  PLS,   Executive  Member,   Alaska  Society   of                                                               
Professional Land  Surveyors, Anchorage, Alaska, stated  that the                                                               
statute needs  this amendment because neither  public nor private                                                               
entities can  work and support  the forthcoming system  unless it                                                               
is codified  in state  law. The expectation  is that  every state                                                               
will adopt similar updates. Washington  and Kentucky have done so                                                               
and  several other  states have  bills pending.  This goal  is to                                                               
develop  a  more  functional   statewide  coordinate  system  for                                                               
mapping  and designing  land,  infrastructure,  and resources  by                                                               
using space-based  and value measurements.  Many of  the original                                                               
oil leases are  based on the 1927 system and  other work is based                                                               
on the 1983 system; adding the  2022 system will allow the option                                                               
to use any system that is necessary.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:37:33 PM                                                                                                                    
WILL  WEBB, PE,  President,  Alaska  Professional Design  Council                                                               
(APDC),  Anchorage,  Alaska,  stated  that APDC  is  a  nonprofit                                                               
corporation  that  represents  the common  interests  of  Alaskan                                                               
design  professionals. The  membership  includes engineers,  land                                                               
surveyors, landscape architects, and  interior designers who live                                                               
and  work throughout  the state.  On  behalf of  APDC, he  stated                                                               
support for HB 148 that adds  the 2022 coordinate system to Title                                                               
38.  The  industry  benefits  when  it is  able  to  work  across                                                               
projects, disciplines, and  different clients. Incorporating this                                                               
updated coordinating  system will  help these  professionals take                                                               
advantage  of the  latest technology  and available  resources to                                                               
better  incorporate   data  from  all  sources,   whether  it  is                                                               
municipal, state, or federal.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER asked the sponsor if he had any closing comments.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:39:09 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  SHAW   stated  that   an  understanding   of  the                                                               
geopotential  datum  relative to  the  ellipsoid  model helps  in                                                               
moving this forward.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:39:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER held HB 148 in committee.                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB0156 BILL Immun Rights and Objections to C-19 Vax.PDF SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 156
SB 156 Immunization Rights and objections to C-19 vax Sponsor Statement 1.30.22.pdf SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 156
SB 156 Immunization Rights and Objection to COVID-19 Sectional 1.29.22.pdf SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 156
SB142 sponsor statement.pdf SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 142
SB142 Sectional Analysis.pdf SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 142
testimony support Kendall.pdf SSTA 2/3/2022 3:30:00 PM
SB 156