Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
03/07/2023 10:00 AM House FISHERIES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB92 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 92 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
March 7, 2023
10:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Sarah Vance, Chair
Representative Kevin McCabe
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Louise Stutes
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 92
"An Act relating to claims against protection and indemnity
insurance policies of vessel owners."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 92
SHORT TITLE: FISHERMEN'S FUND: VESSEL OWNER CLAIMS
SPONSOR(s): FISHERIES
03/01/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/01/23 (H) FSH, L&C
03/07/23 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
JAKE ALMEIDA, Staff
Representative Sarah Vance
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 92 on behalf of the bill
sponsor, the House Special Committee on Fisheries, on which
Representative Vance serves as chair.
CHARLES COLLINS, Director
Central Office
Division of Workers' Compensation
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comment during the hearing on HB
92.
VELMA THOMAS, Administrator
Fishermen's Fund Advisory and Appeals Council
Division of Workers' Compensation
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comment during the hearing on HB
92.
ACTION NARRATIVE
10:00:51 AM
CHAIR SARAH VANCE called the House Special Committee on
Fisheries meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Representatives
Himschoot, McCormick, Stutes, Carpenter, and Vance were present
at the call to order. Representatives McCabe and C. Johnson
joined as the meeting was in progress.
HB 92-FISHERMEN'S FUND: VESSEL OWNER CLAIMS
10:01:23 AM
CHAIR VANCE announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 92, "An Act relating to claims against protection
and indemnity insurance policies of vessel owners."
10:02:07 AM
JAKE ALMEIDA, Staff, Representative Sarah Vance, Alaska State
Legislature, presented HB 92 on behalf of the bill sponsor, the
House Special Committee on Fisheries, on which Representative
Vance serves as chair. He stated that HB 92 would change the
vessel insurance deductible from $5,000 to $10,000 under AS
23.35.145. He began a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy
included in the committee packet], to explain vessel owner
claims with the Alaska Fishermen's Fund. He brought attention
to slide 2, titled "Increases Vessel Owner Deductible
Reimbursement to $10k," which read as follows, [original
punctuation provided]:
Establishes Equity
Vessel owners & Crew members will receive the same
reimbursement.
Potential Cost Savings
May pay less in Protection & Indemnity insurance
premiums.
Protection of Loss
May help protect against loss due to medical and legal
claims.
MR. ALMEIDA directed attention to slide 4, titled "Fishermen's
Fund Established in 1951," which read as follows, [original
punctuation provided]:
The Fishermen's Fund provides for the treatment and
care of Alaska-licensed commercial fishermen who have
been injured while fishing on or offshore in Alaska.
Benefits from the Fund are financed from revenue
received from each resident and nonresident commercial
fisherman's license and permit fees.
The Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development
oversees the administration of the program with the
assistance of the Fishermen's Fund Advisory and
Appeals Council.
10:04:28 AM
MR. ALMEIDA moved on to slide 4, titled "Worst Case Scenario to
Fishermen's Fund," which shows a histogram of the potential
decline in payments from 2024 to 2033. Slide 5, titled "Changes
to Fishermen's Fund," shows a similar histogram with the nine-
year average of what the fund would payout with an increase from
$5,000 to $10,000, as proposed under HB 92.
10:05:36 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 10:05 a.m. to 10:07 a.m.
10:07:31 AM
CHARLES COLLINS, Director, Central Office, Division of Workers'
Compensation, Department of Labor & Workforce Development,
reminded the committee that workers' compensation has nothing to
do with commercial fishers, thus the Alaska Fishermen's Fund was
established before statehood to protect its workforce.
10:08:28 AM
VELMA THOMAS, Administrator, Fishermen's Fund Advisory and
Appeals Council, Division of Workers' Compensation, Department
of Labor & Workforce Development, noted that fishers can seek
remedies under the U.S. Jones Act. She said the fund always
reimburses for medical expenses. She said HB 92 is a win-win
for fishers and vessel owners. She described a graph that
tracked vessel owner claims from 2014 to 2018, and she said
there is no significant increase and there are savings. She
spoke about average costs and said the fund is "really healthy."
She concluded, "So, we do not see a negative for this proposal."
10:12:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT expressed concern there was no stop-gap
measure to prevent [further] cost increases, and she suggested
that would be something to address "down the road."
MS. THOMAS referred back to the graph that shows the 9-year
average of the fund, and she indicated that the fund could
survive a "worst-case scenario."
10:13:34 AM
CHAIR VANCE set an amendment deadline and announced that HB 92
was held over.
10:13:58 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 10:14
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 92 - Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HFSH 3/7/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 92 |
| HB 92 - v.A.PDF |
HFSH 3/7/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 92 |
| HB 92 - Fishermen's Fund Presentation.pdf |
HFSH 3/7/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 92 |
| HB 92 - Fishermens Fund Resoultion 22-01.pdf |
HFSH 3/7/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 92 |
| HB 92 - Fisherman's Fund Report of Vessel-Site Insurance Form.pdf |
HFSH 3/7/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 92 |