Legislature(1997 - 1998)

05/05/1997 08:04 AM House CRA

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
      HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE                  
                            May 5, 1997                                        
                             8:04 a.m.                                         
                                                                               
                                                                               
 MEMBERS PRESENT                                                               
                                                                               
 Representative Ivan, Chairman                                                 
 Representative Fred Dyson                                                     
 Representative Joe Ryan                                                       
 Representative Reggie Joule                                                   
                                                                               
 MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                
                                                                               
 Representative Scott Ogan                                                     
 Representative Jerry Sanders                                                  
 Representative Al Kookesh                                                     
                                                                               
 OTHER HOUSE MEMBERS PRESENT                                                   
                                                                               
 Representative Tom Brice                                                      
                                                                               
 COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                            
                                                                               
 HOUSE BILL NO. 38                                                             
 "An Act relating to Statehood Act land selection conveyances to               
 boroughs and unified municipalities."                                         
                                                                               
      - MOVED CSHB 38(CRA) OUT OF COMMITTEE                                    
                                                                               
 (* First public hearing)                                                      
                                                                               
 PREVIOUS ACTION                                                               
                                                                               
 BILL:  HB 38                                                                  
 SHORT TITLE: CONVEYANCE OF LAND SELECTIONS TO BOROUGHS                        
 SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) BRICE                                           
                                                                               
 JRN-DATE      JRN-PG                 ACTION                                   
                                                                               
 01/13/97        37    (H)   PREFILE RELEASED 1/3/97                           
 01/13/97        37    (H)   READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)                 
 01/13/97        37    (H)   CRA, WTR, RESOURCES                               
 04/23/97              (H)   CRA AT  8:00 AM CAPITOL 124                       
 04/23/97              (H)   MINUTE(CRA)                                       
 04/28/97              (H)   CRA AT  8:00 AM CAPITOL 124                       
 04/28/97              (H)   MINUTE(CRA)                                       
 05/01/97              (H)   CRA AT  4:45 PM CAPITOL 408                       
 05/01/97              (H)   MINUTE(CRA)                                       
 05/05/97              (H)   CRA AT  8:00 AM CAPITOL 124                       
                                                                               
 WITNESS REGISTER                                                              
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE TOM BRICE                                                      
 Alaska State Legislature                                                      
 Capitol Building, Room 426                                                    
 Juneau, Alaska  99801                                                         
 Telephone:  (907) 465-3466                                                    
 POSITION STATEMENT:  Sponsor of HB 38.                                        
                                                                               
 CAROL CARROLL, Director                                                       
 Division of Support Services                                                  
 Department of Natural Resources                                               
 400 Willoughby Avenue                                                         
 Juneau, Alaska  99801                                                         
 Telephone:  (907) 465-3502                                                    
 POSITION STATEMENT:  Testified in favor of CSHB 38(CRA).                      
                                                                               
 ACTION NARRATIVE                                                              
                                                                               
 TAPE 97-21, SIDE A                                                            
 Number 001                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN IVAN called the House Community and Regional Affairs            
 Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:04 a.m.  Members present             
 at the call to order were Representatives Ivan, Dyson, Ryan and               
 Joule.  Members absent were Representatives Ogan, Sanders and                 
 Kookesh.                                                                      
                                                                               
 HB 38 - CONVEYANCE OF LAND SELECTIONS TO BOROUGHS                             
                                                                               
 Number 025                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN announced the first order of business to be HB 38,              
 "An Act relating to Statehood Act land selection conveyances to               
 boroughs and unified municipalities."  He stated that a                       
 subcommittee consisting of Representatives Ryan, Ogan and Joule was           
 appointed to work out a committee substitute for this bill.                   
                                                                               
 Number 092                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE FRED DYSON made a motion to adopt CSHB 38, Version             
 O-LSO233/B.                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN asked if there was an objection.  Hearing none, CSHB
 38(CRA) was adopted for discussion purposes.                                  
                                                                               
 Number 118                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE Dyson asked if the sponsor, Representative Tom                 
 Brice, was comfortable with CSHB 38(CRA).                                     
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE responded that he was.                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN asked that Representatives Ryan and Brice discuss the           
 committee substitute.                                                         
                                                                               
 Number 142                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE JOE RYAN stated that the subcommittee consisting of            
 himself, Representatives Brice and Joule and Jane Angvik, Director,           
 Division of Lands, Department of Natural Resources, met on May 1,             
 1997.  He stated that they looked at the history of municipal land.           
 He stated that a lot of the problems stem from the over selection             
 of lands and by the state and Native corporations because the                 
 federal government has not transferred the requested lands.  There            
 are some municipalities that have no land available without the               
 expansion of their boundaries.  He stated that the subcommittee               
 looked at the municipalities that were eligible under the original            
 land entitlement and have allowed them to select land up to the               
 year 2012.  The year 2012 being the selection closing date, they              
 would not have to receive entitlement to the land by that date.               
                                                                               
 Number 285                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE RYAN stated that there would be an over selection so           
 that those municipalities would be selecting over the state and               
 Native entitlements, but by adding enough land, those                         
 municipalities will have an opportunity for land.  He added that              
 they will not be able to guarantee anything, considering all the              
 different parties involved and all the previous selections.                   
                                                                               
 Number 382                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE outlined the changes that the subcommittee               
 dealt with.  The initial committee substitute dealt only with the             
 boroughs under AS 29.69.010.  The subcommittee expanded that to all           
 boroughs effective the date of the act.  The bill had previously              
 stated 50,000 acres, the subcommittee changed that to be up to                
 50,000 acres because not all boroughs have 50,000 acres available             
 of vacant unappropriated unreserved (VUU) land.  The subcommittee             
 provided the authority for the Department of Natural Resources to             
 receive program receipts up front from the municipalities, provided           
 there is legislative authority to do so.  The Department of Natural           
 Resources would also be able to implement the program and pay for             
 the administrative costs.  He stated that the clarification of the            
 land deficiency payments is dealt with in Section 4.  It is made              
 clear that land under this program would not eligible for land                
 deficiency payments.  This means that these lands do not fall under           
 the statute that requires the state to pay municipalities $1,000 an           
 acre.                                                                         
                                                                               
 Number 650                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON stated that he would like to be reassured that           
 the Administration does not have any problems with this bill.                 
                                                                               
 Number 690                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE stated that it was his understanding that Jane           
 Angvik, Director, Division of Land, Department of Natural                     
 Resources, was comfortable with all the changes.                              
                                                                               
 Number 708                                                                    
                                                                               
 CAROL CARROLL, Director, Division of Support Services, Department             
 of Natural Resources, stated that the department is in support of             
 the changes.                                                                  
                                                                               
 Number 871                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN asked if Representative Brice could speak to the                
 municipalities over selection entitlement.                                    
                                                                               
 Number 885                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE responded that the reason the remaining                  
 600,000 acres is taking so long to get conveyed is because of                 
 budgetary reasons in the Department of Natural Resources.  He                 
 stated this delay is also because of various problems within the              
 municipalities themselves, such as; land title transfers from the             
 federal government to the state government, making sure that the              
 areas that have precedence are getting their choice and because the           
 status of land changes from one year to the next as far as what is            
 available land and what is closed land.                                       
                                                                               
 Number 1033                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN indicated that Jane Angvik is available via                     
 teleconference.                                                               
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE RYAN stated that it was his understanding once an              
 area received land that they had previously wanted, land that they            
 had previously over selected then becomes available.  He stated               
 surveys of the land by the townships and the bureaucratic process             
 is what can also slow the process down.                                       
                                                                               
 Number 1139                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE REGGIE JOULE moved and asked unanimous consent to              
 pass CSHB 38(CRA) out of committee with the attached fiscal notes.            
                                                                               
 Number 1165                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN asked if there were any objections.  Hearing none,              
 CSHB 38(CRA) was moved out of the House Community and Regional                
 Affairs Standing Committee.                                                   
                                                                               
 ADJOURNMENT                                                                   
                                                                               
 Number 1183                                                                   
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN IVAN adjourned the House Community and Regional Affairs              
 Standing Committee at 8:21 a.m.                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               

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