Legislature(2015 - 2016)BILL RAY CENTER 208
05/16/2016 06:00 PM House FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB138 | |
| Public Testimony | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 138 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
May 16, 2016
6:07 p.m.
6:07:06 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Thompson called the House Finance Committee
meeting to order at 6:07 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Mark Neuman, Co-Chair
Representative Steve Thompson, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Saddler, Vice-Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Les Gara
Representative Lynn Gattis
Representative David Guttenberg
Representative Scott Kawasaki
Representative Cathy Munoz
Representative Lance Pruitt
Representative Tammie Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Paul Seaton; Representative Sam Kito III
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Bob Brodie, Self, Kodiak; Patrick Reinhart, Alaska Mobility
Coalition, Anchorage; Rick Koch, City Manager, Kenai; Mark
Schaefer, Municipality of Skagway, Skagway; Naomi Nelson,
Mat-Su Community Transit, Wasilla; Tom Begich, Coalition
for Education Equity, Anchorage; Paul Kendall, Self,
Anchorage; William Reiner, Self, Anchorage; Gerry Hope,
Alaska Mobility Coalition, Sitka; Kyan Reeve, Borough
Transit Director, Ketchikan; George Smallwood, Self, Homer;
Chris Turletes, University of Alaska, Anchorage.
SUMMARY
SB 138 BUDGET: CAPITAL
SB 138 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
6:07:34 PM
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 138(FIN)
"An Act making and amending appropriations, including
capital appropriations, supplemental appropriations,
reappropriations, and other appropriations; making
appropriations to capitalize funds; and providing for
an effective date."
6:07:34 PM
^PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Co-Chair Thompson indicated that the committee would be
hearing public testimony which would be limited to 2
minutes per person. He also welcomed written testimony and
provided the email address where it could be sent.
6:08:24 PM
BOB BRODIE, SELF, KODIAK (via teleconference),
encouraged bonding for some of the smaller projects. He
suggested implementing a personal income tax. He thought
people would begin leaving the state. He thought it was
necessary to increase taxes rather than kicking the can
down the road. He thanked the committee.
6:10:10 PM
PATRICK REINHART, ALASKA MOBILITY COALITION, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), explained that he was also the executive
director of the Governor's Council on Disabilities. Years
ago the group started the Alaska Mobility Coalition with an
effort to improve transit services across the state for
people with disabilities. He spoke in support the community
match funding that was in the governor's original budget.
He understood the funding was removed by the Senate. The
transportation match fund supported a number of communities
across the state. He listed all of the communities that
would benefit from the matching program. He spoke of
federal transit funds that were accessible in the amount of
about $3 million. He thought that many smaller services
would fail without the support. He thanked the committee.
6:12:25 PM
RICK KOCH, CITY MANAGER, KENAI (via teleconference),
thanked the committee for its hard work. He spoke to the
reappropriation to the City of Kenai in the amount of $1.4
million for the Kenai River Bluffs Stabilization Project.
The reappropriation did not change the scope but simply
extended the time period by which the appropriation be
available for the project. He explained that the project
totaled about $40 million and would help prevent further
erosion of Old Town Kenai. He provided further details of
the project. He thanked the committee for its time.
6:15:03 PM
MARK SCHAEFER, MUNICIPALITY OF SKAGWAY, SKAGWAY (via
teleconference), mentioned that the conference committee on
HB 256 [FY 17 Operating Budget] had failed to approve
authorization for the Department of Revenue (DOR) to
disperse a commercial passenger tax to the first 7 ports of
call. He encouraged members to approve an amendment to SB
138 to provide such authority. He provided additional
information about the passenger head tax and talked about
the ramifications of failing to distribute the funds. He
thanked the committee.
6:17:59 PM
NAOMI NELSON, MAT-SU COMMUNITY TRANSIT, WASILLA (via
teleconference), encouraged the committee to support a $1
million allocation for public and community state match. It
allowed and helped the organization to leverage federal
funds. She opined that public transportation was a
wonderful service and provided a solid positive economic
impact on the state and the community of Mat-Su. She
thanked the committee.
6:19:18 PM
TOM BEGICH, COALITION FOR EDUCATION EQUITY, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), mentioned that Alaska's children were
responsible for bringing forth the successful Kasayulie
lawsuit. He thanked members for their hard work. He also
thanked the committee for removing the intent language in
the House Finance Committee version. He stressed Kivalina
School funding was in the governor's version of the capital
budget, SB 138, and was the last of the funding required
under the Kivalina consent to create which followed the
successful litigation of the Kivalina Lawsuit. Including
the intent language in the final version of SB 138 could
risk reopening the litigation and returning to square one.
He emphatically encouraged members not to include the
intent language and to include the governor's original
amount for the Kivalina School in the current version of
the budget. It was critical to finally resolve the 16 year
litigation. He thanked committee members for their time.
6:21:18 PM
PAUL KENDALL, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
referred to the Constitution. He read from the constitution
in Article 1, Section 2. He was critical of the legislature
remaining in Juneau. He thought members should move back to
Anchorage and finish their job. He encouraged greater cuts
to the budget rather than maintaining the status quo. He
also thought legislators should reestablish their
priorities. He suggested that the legislature let go of all
state employees and start over.
6:23:51 PM
WILLIAM REINER, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), spoke
in opposition of SB 138. He thought it was over budget. He
believed that many of the expenses should have been
addressed and removed by senior management. He believe that
many capital projects did not end up benefiting the state.
He spoke in support of preserving the Permanent Fund (PF).
He talked of the benefits of the PFD. He appreciated the
committee's hard work.
6:26:42 PM
GERRY HOPE, ALASKA MOBILITY COALITION, SITKA (via
teleconference), thanked the committee for $1 million in
match dollars. He expressed the importance of the service
in Sitka. He really appreciated the committee's support.
Co-Chair Thompson indicated no one else was online and the
meeting would take a 10 min. break.
6:28:36 PM
AT EASE
6:42:05 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Thompson relayed that there was no one online to
testify. The committee would be taking a 15 minute at ease.
6:42:29 PM
AT EASE
7:01:46 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Thompson indicated an additional testifier online.
7:02:06 PM
KYAN REEVE, BOROUGH TRANSIT DIRECTOR, KETCHIKAN (via
teleconference), spoke in support of $1 million for the
state's match program for transit. In the current year the
intent was to purchase a bus. He made the point that any
dollar left in the program typically leveraged other
dollars. He thanked the committee.
Co-Chair Thompson reported that there was no one online. He
suggested that anyone that was not available to testify in
person or online could submit written testimony. He stated
that the committee would be taking another at ease until
7:20 pm.
7:04:23 PM
AT EASE
7:21:11 PM
RECONVENED
GEORGE SMALLWOOD, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), spoke
in favor of occupying the Atwood Building for the Anchorage
Legislative Information Office. He thought the finances
were too tight and that moving into the
Atwood Building was the Legislature's best option.
Co-Chair Thompson indicated that the committee would stand
at ease until 7:30 pm.
7:22:49 PM
AT EASE
7:28:54 PM
RECONVENED
CHRIS TURLETES, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), urged support for the $10 million funding
for deferred maintenance for the university. He explained
what type of maintenance would be conducted with the
receipt of the funds. He reviewed the benefits of
completing the deferred maintenance. He also asked for
funding for the completion of the new engineering building
which would make it usable. He claimed that the investment
was an investment in Alaska's children. He thanked the
committee for the opportunity to testify.
Co-Chair Thompson indicated there was no one else available
for public testimony.
Co-Chair Thompson CLOSED public testimony.
SB 138 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Thompson relayed that amendments for SB 138 would
be taken up the following morning at 10:00 am. He remarked
that the committee would meet the following day on the
bill. The meeting would be at 10:00 a.m. The meeting was
recessed to a call of the chair [Note: the meeting never
reconvened].
7:33:17 PM
ADJOURNMENT - Recessed to the Call of the Chair
7:33:17 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 p.m.
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