Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/19/2004 12:45 PM House BUD
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE BUDGET AND AUDIT
February 19, 2004
12:45 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Ralph Samuels, Chair
Representative Mike Chenault
Representative Mike Hawker
Representative Beth Kerttula
Senator Gene Therriault, Vice Chair
Senator Ben Stevens
Senator Con Bunde
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Lyman Hoffman (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Vic Kohring
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
EXECUTIVE SESSION
AUDIT REQUESTS
OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS
WITNESS REGISTER
PAT DAVIDSON, Legislative Auditor
Division of Legislative Audit
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information on Representative Paul
Seaton's audit request regarding Alaska Marine Highway System
procurement.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 04-3, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR RALPH SAMUELS called the Joint Committee on Legislative
Budget and Audit meeting to order at 12:45 p.m. Representatives
Samuels, Chenault, Hawker, and Kerttula, and Senators Ben
Stevens, Wilken, and Hoffman (via teleconference) were present
at the call to order. Senators Therriault and Bunde arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Number 0026
REPRESENTATIVE HAWKER made a motion to approve the minutes of
January 15, 2004, and February 3, 2004. There being no
objection, the minutes from the meetings of January 15, 2004,
and February 3, 2004, were approved.
CHAIR SAMUELS noted the arrival of Senator Therriault.
^EXECUTIVE SESSION
Number 0053
REPRESENTATIVE HAWKER made a motion to move to executive session
for the purpose of discussing confidential audit reports under
AS 24.20.301. There being no objection, the committee went into
executive session at 12:45 p.m.
CHAIR SAMUELS brought the committee back to order at 1:13 p.m.
[Senator Bunde had arrived during executive session.]
^AUDIT REQUESTS
Number 0124
SENATOR THERRIAULT made a motion for the final audits for the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Sunset
Review (05-20026-04) and the Department of Environmental
Conservation, Village Safe Water Program, Selected Projects (18-
30028-04) to be released to the public for response. There
being no objection, it was so ordered.
Number 0146
PAT DAVIDSON, Legislative Auditor, Division of Legislative
Audit, Alaska State Legislature, presented an audit request from
Representative Paul Seaton regarding Alaska Marine Highway
System procurement. Ms. Davidson said this request asks for an
audit of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities,
Alaska Marine Highway System's compliance with procurement laws
and regulations for vessel repair and maintenance contracts.
CHAIR SAMUELS asked if there was any discussion.
Number 0207
SENATOR THERRIAULT made a motion for the Alaska Marine Highway
System procurement audit to be approved by the committee. There
being no objection, it was so ordered.
^OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS
Number 0224
SENATOR WILKEN said it was his understanding that the
administration was putting together a central travel office. He
said he sees this as the State of Alaska stealing from private
industry, and said he had asked for an audit last fall to
determine if this was in the best interest of Alaska. He asked
Ms. Davidson for the status of this audit.
MS. DAVIDSON replied [the Division of Legislative Audit] had not
initiated that audit, but said one of her staff members is
attending a finance officers' meeting today to get information
about the central travel office. She said her office is
monitoring the issue, but has not started an audit. She
explained it would probably be another four months before that
audit was begun.
Number 0348
SENATOR WILKEN stated he probably shouldn't be so "black and
white," but he has seen no evidence to show the benefit of the
state's becoming its own travel agency.
SENATOR WILKEN mentioned the [Alaska School District Cost
Study], and asked for a report on its progress.
Number 0404
CHAIR SAMUELS said after the peer review was released, [Ms.
Davidson], David Teal, and [Representative Samuels's] staff got
together with Dr. Tuck, the ISER [Institute of Social and
Economic Research] professor who presented the peer review.
They asked [Dr. Tuck] how long it would take to implement "his
fixes," how long the information in [American Institutes for
Research] was valid, and how much it would cost to complete the
project. Chair Samuels said by the next meeting he would have
the information and a proposal for the committee to look at.
CHAIR SAMUELS continued to say that Dr. Tuck stated the
information cannot be obtained by the end of this session, and
[the committee] will need to decide how to proceed.
Number 0549
SENATOR WILKEN said his understanding was that there were three
issues [to be dealt with from the ISER report]: the energy
issue, the teacher salary component, and "the leveling of the
ups and downs of some sort of grouping." He wondered if [the
committee] had talked to AIR since the last meeting.
CHAIR SAMUELS replied that he had never talked to AIR and
wondered, in the peer review, how much interaction AIR had with
Dr. Tuck.
Number 0624
MS. DAVIDSON replied that it was clear that Dr. Tuck had talked
to [AIR].
SENATOR WILKEN inquired if [the committee] would be asking Dr.
Tuck to talk to AIR, so he's not "reinventing the wheel."
Number 0643
CHAIR SAMUELS responded that Dr. Tuck would be moving forward
with information from AIR or from [Association of Alaska School
Boards] or from wherever he needs to go to get information.
REPRESENTATIVE WILKEN said he hoped this could be done sooner
than a month from now, but said he'd leave it up to Chair
Samuels.
CHAIR SAMUELS reiterated that he'd speak with Dr. Tuck and work
with Ms. Davidson.
ADJOURNMENT
Number 0719
There being no further business before the committee, the Joint
Committee on Legislative Budget and Audit meeting was adjourned
at 1:20 p.m.
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