Legislature(2011 - 2012)HOUSE FINANCE 519

04/13/2011 01:30 PM House FINANCE


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= HB 223 ALASKA RAILROAD BUDGET TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held; Assigned to a Subcommittee
+= HB 78 INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL PROVIDERS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held; Assigned to a Subcommittee
+= SB 46 BUDGET: CAPITAL TELECONFERENCED
Scheduled But Not Heard
<Pending Referral>
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                  HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                      April 13, 2011                                                                                            
                         1:55 p.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:55:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Thomas called the House Finance Committee meeting                                                                      
to order at 1:55 p.m.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bill Thomas Jr., Co-Chair                                                                                        
Representative Anna Fairclough, Vice-Chair                                                                                      
Representative Mia Costello                                                                                                     
Representative Mike Doogan                                                                                                      
Representative Bryce Edgmon                                                                                                     
Representative Les Gara                                                                                                         
Representative David Guttenberg                                                                                                 
Representative Reggie Joule                                                                                                     
Representative Mark Neuman                                                                                                      
Representative Tammie Wilson                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bill Stoltze, Co-Chair                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bob Herron, Sponsor; Joe Michel, Staff,                                                                          
Representative Bill Stoltze.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
HB 78     INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL PROVIDERS                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
          HB  78  was  HEARD  and HELD  and  referred  to  a                                                                    
          subcommittee that consisted  of  Co-Chair Stoltze,                                                                    
          Representative  Costello,   Representative  Joule,                                                                    
          Representative  Guttenberg,   Representative,  and                                                                    
          Bob Herron for further consideration.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
HB 223    ALASKA RAILROAD BUDGET                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          HB  223  was  HEARD   and  HELD  and  referred  to                                                                    
          subcommittee   consisting  of   Co-Chair  Stoltze,                                                                    
          Representative  Joule,   Representative  Costello,                                                                    
          and   Representative    Guttenberg   for   further                                                                    
          consideration.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SB 46     BUDGET: CAPITAL                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
          SB 46 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 78                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  establishing  a loan  repayment  program  and                                                                    
     employment  incentive program  for certain  health care                                                                    
     professionals employed in the  state; and providing for                                                                    
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:56:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, SPONSOR,  discussed that the bill                                                                    
provided  a solution  to the  health care  provider shortage                                                                    
and  would  help both  rural  and  urban Alaska.  He  looked                                                                    
forward  to working  on the  legislation with  the committee                                                                    
during  the upcoming  interim. He  expressed  hope that  the                                                                    
bill would report out of committee the following year.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Thomas  reported  that   the  workdraft  had  been                                                                    
adopted by  the House Finance  Committee on March  31, 2011.                                                                    
He  discussed  that   the  bill  would  be   referred  to  a                                                                    
subcommittee   that    consisted   of    Co-Chair   Stoltze,                                                                    
Representative      Costello,     Representative      Joule,                                                                    
Representative  Guttenberg  and, Representative  Bob  Herron                                                                    
[he  noted   later  in   the  meeting   that  Representative                                                                    
Guttenberg   had   requested   to  be   removed   from   the                                                                    
subcommittee and  that Co-Chair  Stoltze would  consider the                                                                    
request].                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Herron  hoped  that the  subcommittee  would                                                                    
have a minimum  of two meetings, including one  in rural and                                                                    
one in urban Alaska.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
HB  78 was  HEARD and  HELD and  referred to  a subcommittee                                                                    
that   consisted   of   Co-Chair   Stoltze,   Representative                                                                    
Costello,  Representative Joule,  Representative Guttenberg,                                                                    
Representative, and Bob Herron for further consideration.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:57:58 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:58:59 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 223                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act providing that  the Alaska Railroad Corporation                                                                    
     is subject  to the  Executive Budget Act  and providing                                                                    
     that  expenditures of  the Alaska  Railroad Corporation                                                                    
     are  subject to  appropriation;  and  providing for  an                                                                    
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:59:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair  Fairclough  moved  HB 223,  version  27-LS0771\M                                                                    
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOE  MICHEL, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE BILL  STOLTZE, explained                                                                    
that HB  223 was an  exact replica of  HB 127 that  had been                                                                    
heard the prior legislative  session. He delineated that the                                                                    
bill would  place the Alaska Railroad  Corporation under the                                                                    
Executive Budget Act.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:00:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Neuman   wondered  about  the   history  and                                                                    
purpose of the legislation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Michel replied that the  bill placed the Alaska Railroad                                                                    
Corporation under  the Executive  Budget Act to  provide the                                                                    
legislature  with  better  visibility of  the  corporation's                                                                    
actions and  because many state corporations,  including the                                                                    
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation,  had operated well under                                                                    
the act.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Neuman  believed that  the legislation  was a                                                                    
good idea.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Thomas  discussed that the  bill would  be referred                                                                    
to   subcommittee  that   consisted  of   Co-Chair  Stoltze,                                                                    
Representative    Joule,   Representative    Costello,   and                                                                    
Representative  Guttenberg. He  noted that  Co-Chair Stoltze                                                                    
would consider  a request made by  Representative Neuman for                                                                    
a  seat  on  the  HB  223  subcommittee  and  a  request  by                                                                    
Representative  Guttenberg  to be  removed  from  the HB  78                                                                    
subcommittee.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
HB 223  was HEARD  and HELD and  referred to  a subcommittee                                                                    
that  consisted of  Co-Chair Stoltze,  Representative Joule,                                                                    
Representative Costello,  and Representative  Guttenberg for                                                                    
further consideration.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:01:49 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:03:39 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 46                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  making and amending  appropriations, including                                                                    
     capital   appropriations   and  other   appropriations;                                                                    
     making   appropriations   to  capitalize   funds;   and                                                                    
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SB 46 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 2:03 PM.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:03:57 PM                                                                                                                    

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