Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205
02/15/2007 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
SB41 | |
SB15 | |
SB49 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 41 | |||
= | SB 15 | ||
= | SB 49 | ||
SB 15-BOARD OF MARINE PILOTS CHAIR KOOKESH announced SB 15 to be up for consideration. 2:02:48 PM SENATOR THERRIAULT, sponsor of SB 15, explained that the bill extends the Board of Marine Pilots by eight years, to 2015. When dealing with sunset dates he typically defaults to the auditors' recommendation. He noted that the packets distributed to the committee should contain the auditors' report and that Pat Davidson, Legislative Auditor, was available to respond to questions. He said the "audit shop" had been watching a number of issues related to the operation of the board including random drug testing of marine pilots. SENATOR COWDERY asked if an eight year extension was standard. SENATOR THERRIAULT replied that extensions were shorter in the past, but the legislature decided that the frequency of the sunset dates was shorter than it needed to be. The suggestion was that the sunsets should be extended. 2:06:42 PM RICK URION, Director of the Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing for the Department of Commerce, Community, & Economic Development (DCCED), stated his support for SB 15. The Board of Marine Pilots has completed its audit period, and all suggestions that the auditors made were appropriately addressed. The board provides a valuable service and it ought to be continued, he stated. ALBERT CLOUGH, Deputy Commissioner of the DCCED and Chair of the Marine Pilots Board, stated that the board fully supports extending the sunset date, but it has no opinion on the length of the extension. CHAIR KOOKESH asked Pat Davidson to discuss the length of the extension. PAT DAVIDSON, Auditor for the Division of Legislative Audit (DLA), relayed that several years ago the suggested extension time for boards and commissions changed from four years to eight years. The sunset notion relates to whether or not a board or commission should remain in existence, but when there is a 4 year rotation only operational efficiencies are addressed to the exclusion of continuation issues. MS. DAVIDSON said the DLA recommended a six year extension for the Board of Marine Pilots. However, a concern was that the board membership includes marine pilots, industry, and public members, and there have been issues related to marine pilots and the Executive Branch Ethics Act and less directly with industry members. The result is that there is not a sufficient balance between industry and marine pilots. She said that the division conducted a survey of pilots and industry members and found that both wanted the board to remain involved in rate setting, so a six-year extension was suggested so that the division would be able to look back and see if some of the rate-setting issues were resolved. 2:11:00 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the audit division supports an eight-year extension. MS. DAVIDSON replied that that it recommended the shorter extension but that it is the legislature's decision. SENATOR COWDERY asked her to expand upon the audit's recommendations. MS. DAVIDSON said there were three operational issues: random drug testing, the administration and sample pool of which should be improved; the issue of vacant positions which led to delayed investigations; and competency in performance monitoring and peer review which the survey showed to be ineffective. 2:14:28 PM SENATOR THERRIAULT said he was comfortable with the auditors' six-year recommendation. SENATOR OLSON asked if an amended bill would impact the fiscal note. SENATOR THERRIAULT answered that it likely would not, as the fiscal note only accounts for five years. SENATOR OLSON asked if audits were done by the auditory staff or contracted out. SENATOR THERRIAULT replied that most audits are done in-house. CHAIR KOOKESH moved to adopt Amendment 1, changing the extension of the Board of Marine Pilots from eight years to six years. There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. CHAIR KOOKESH closed public testimony and asked the committee for final comments. SENATOR OLSON asked if the marine pilots had weighed in on the issue of six versus eight years. CHAIR KOOKESH said there had been a discussion with the pilots and he didn't hear any objection. 2:18:14 PM SENATOR OLSON motioned to report SB 15, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, CSSB 15(TRA) moved from committee.
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