Legislature(2001 - 2002)
04/28/2001 04:58 PM House FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 28, 2001
4:58 P.M.
TAPE HFC 01 - 106, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Williams called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 4:58 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bill Williams, Co-Chair
Representative Eldon Mulder, Co-Chair
Representative Con Bunde, Vice-Chair
Representative Eric Croft
Representative John Davies
Representative Richard Foster
Representative Carl Moses
Representative John Harris
Representative Bill Hudson
Representative Ken Lancaster
Representative Jim Whitaker
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Gary Stevens; Dale Anderson, Staff,
Representative Mulder; Kevin Jardell, Staff, Representative
Green; Michael Conway, Division of Air and Water Quality,
Department of Environmental Conservation.
SUMMARY
HB 37 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain
student loans; and providing for an effective
date.
HB 37 was HEARD and HELD in Committee for further
consideration.
HB 43 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain
student loans; and providing for an effective
date.
CS HB 43 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with
a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note
by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary
Education dated 2/16/01.
HB 260 An Act requiring the owners or operators of
certain passenger vessels operating in the marine
waters of the state to register the vessels;
establishing information-gathering, record
keeping, and reporting requirements relating to
the vessels' gray water and sewage; prohibiting
the discharge of untreated sewage from the vessels
unless exempted; placing limits on discharges of
treated sewage and gray water from the vessels
unless exempted; establishing a commercial
passenger vessel coastal protection fund;
establishing a fee on commercial passenger
vessels, that are not exempt from the fee, for
each voyage during which the vessels operate in
the marine waters of the state based on the
overnight accommodation capacity of the vessels
determined with reference to the number of lower
berths; establishing penalties for failure to
comply with certain laws relating to the vessels;
authorizing the Department of Environmental
Conservation to encourage and recognize superior
environmental protection efforts related to
commercial passenger vessels; authorizing
exemptions from some laws relating to discharges
from the vessels and from the fee requirements
related to the vessels; requiring a report from
the Department of Environmental Conservation
concerning matters relating to the vessels; and
providing for an effective date.
CSHB 260 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with
a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note
by Department of Environmental Conservation.
HOUSE BILL NO. 43
An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student
loans; and providing for an effective date.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to report CS HB 43 (HES) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was
so ordered.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to RESCIND action taken on CS HB 43
(HES). There being NO OBJECTION, previous action was
rescinded. Co-Chair Mulder observed that the Committee had
been provided with a proposed committee substitute, work
draft, 22-LS0225\P, Ford, 2/13/01. [Copy on File].
KEVIN JARDELL, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GREEN, explained the
committee substitute. He noted that the HESS Committee had
expanded the language to include counselors, librarians and
private schools. The sponsor requested that language be
narrowed.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT the work draft as the version
before the Committee. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so
ordered.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to report CS HB 43 (FIN) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was
so ordered.
CS HB 43 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education dated 2/16/01.
#HB37
HOUSE BILL NO. 37
An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student
loans; and providing for an effective date.
REPRESENTATIVE GARY STEVENS spoke in support of the
legislation. He noted that the bill would allow the State
to reimburse a borrower who has received an undergraduate
degree from a college or university and was employed at a
public elementary or secondary school within the State as a
teacher and had complied with AS 14.43.120. The amount to
be reimbursed would be the portion of payments made by the
borrower for a loan made under AS 14.43.110 and equal to the
following percentages of the total loan received plus
interest, for up to a total of 50% of the total loan plus
interest:
· One year employment, 10 percent;
· Two year employment, an additional 10 percent;
· Three years employment, an additional 10 percent;
· Four years employment, an additional 10 percent;
· Five years employment, an additional 10 percent.
Representative Stevens noted that the loan amount reimbursed
to the borrower may not exceed the loan amount paid by the
borrower to the State.
He discussed that school districts throughout the State,
primarily in the rural school system, are experiencing great
difficulties recruiting teachers. Currently, the Teacher
Scholarship Loan program is available to rural Alaska high
school graduates who declare an interest in teaching in
rural Alaska and are nominated by their school districts.
HB 37 would allow students of any academic discipline to
receive reimbursement of their Alaska student loan upon
meeting the criteria of the bill.
Representative Stevens added that he was "shocked" at the
size that the fiscal note had grown too. He pointed out
that the original fiscal note did not include Anchorage or
Fairbanks.
HB 37 was HELD in Committee for further consideration.
HOUSE BILL NO. 260
An Act requiring the owners or operators of certain
passenger vessels operating in the marine waters of the
state to register the vessels; establishing
information-gathering, record keeping, and reporting
requirements relating to the vessels' gray water and
sewage; prohibiting the discharge of untreated sewage
from the vessels unless exempted; placing limits on
discharges of treated sewage and gray water from the
vessels unless exempted; establishing a commercial
passenger vessel coastal protection fund; establishing
a fee on commercial passenger vessels, that are not
exempt from the fee, for each voyage during which the
vessels operate in the marine waters of the state based
on the overnight accommodation capacity of the vessels
determined with reference to the number of lower
berths; establishing penalties for failure to comply
with certain laws relating to the vessels; authorizing
the Department of Environmental Conservation to
encourage and recognize superior environmental
protection efforts related to commercial passenger
vessels; authorizing exemptions from some laws relating
to discharges from the vessels and from the fee
requirements related to the vessels; requiring a report
from the Department of Environmental Conservation
concerning matters relating to the vessels; and
providing for an effective date.
Co-Chair Mulder provided Committee members with Amendments
#21 - #25. [Copies on File].
DALE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE MULDER, explained
Amendment #21 which would add the language, "AS 46.03.488,
or other applicable law or regulation" to Page 4, Line 6.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #21. There being
NO OBJECTION, it was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #22 on Page 5, Lines 1-4,
deleting all the material and inserting, "Sec. 46.03.465.
Logbook and sampling requirements, etc.".
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #22. There being
NO OBJECTION, it was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #23 to Page 5, Line 30,
adding the language "information gathering, gathered the
type of information required under (a), [OR] (b), or (c) of
this section,." He noted that the amendment would bring the
information gathered through testing in subsection (c) under
the same "let's not duplicate other efforts" provision in
subsection (d).
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #23. There being
NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #24, which would address
reports that the cruise ship lines would have to follow,
outlining discharging of hazardous wastes or hazardous
substances.
Co-Chair Mulder interjected that the reports would have to
be filed within 21 days.
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #24, which he noted
would provide a significant change. There being NO
OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #25 which would add
language to Page 8, Lines 13-16, "© The legislature may make
appropriations from the fund to the department to pay for
the department's operational and administrative costs
necessary to carry out activities under AS 46.03.460-
46.03.490, the assessment report required of department and
activities under department regulations establishing
standards for marine vessel visible emissions adopted under
AS 46.14."
Mr. Anderson noted that the amendment would allow the
Legislature to make appropriations from the Alaska
Commercial Passenger Vessel Coastal Protection Fund to the
Department in order to cover the costs of preparing the
assessment report. Otherwise, the Department would have no
identified funding source for the assessment work.
In response to comments made by Co-Chair Williams, Co-Chair
Mulder advised that the following language would be
inserted: "assessment report required of department, and
activities".
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #25. There being
NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted.
MICHAEL CONWAY, DIVISION OF AIR AND WATER QUALITY,
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, agreed that the
legislation had been improved with the addition of the
amendments. He added that HB 260 "falls short" of the bill
proposed by the Governor.
Representative Hudson MOVED to report CS HB 260 (FIN) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was
so ordered.
CSHB 260 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by Department of
Environmental Conservation.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 P.M.
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