Legislature(1993 - 1994)
03/23/1993 03:00 PM House HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
STANDING COMMITTEE
March 23, 1993
3:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Rep. Cynthia Toohey, Co-Chair
Rep. Con Bunde, Co-Chair
Rep. Gary Davis, Vice Chair
Rep. Al Vezey
Rep. Pete Kott
Rep. Harley Olberg
Rep. Bettye Davis
Rep. Irene Nicholia
Rep. Tom Brice
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HB 82: "An Act relating to school construction grants and
major maintenance grants to school districts;
providing for school district participation in the
cost of school construction and major maintenance;
creating a major maintenance grant fund; and
providing for an effective date."
HEARD AND HELD TO TIME CERTAIN
HB 83: "An Act making appropriations for construction and
major maintenance of schools; and providing for an
effective date."
HEARD AND HELD TO TIME CERTAIN
*HB 12: "An Act relating to health insurance for small
employers; and providing for an effective date."
NOT HEARD - POSTPONED AT SPONSOR'S REQUEST
(* First public hearing.)
WITNESS REGISTER
None
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 82
SHORT TITLE: SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE GRANTS
BILL VERSION:
SPONSOR(S): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
TITLE: "An Act relating to school construction grants and
major maintenance grants to school districts; providing for
school district participation in the cost of school
construction and major maintenance; creating a major
maintenance grant fund; and providing for an effective
date."
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
01/22/93 131 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME/REFERRAL(S)
01/22/93 132 (H) HES, FINANCE
01/22/93 132 (H) -FISCAL NOTE (DOE) 1/22/93
01/22/93 132 (H) -2 ZERO FNS (DOT, REV) 1/22/93
01/22/93 132 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
02/09/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
02/09/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/09/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
03/09/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/16/93 (H) HES AT 03:30 PM CAPITOL 106
03/16/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/23/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 83
SHORT TITLE: APPROP:SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION GRANT FUND
BILL VERSION:
SPONSOR(S): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
TITLE: "An Act making appropriations for construction and
major maintenance of schools; and providing for an effective
date."
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
01/22/93 134 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME/REFERRAL(S)
01/22/93 134 (H) HES, FINANCE
01/22/93 134 (H) -REVENUE FN (REV) 1/22/93
01/22/93 134 (H) -ZERO FISCAL NOTE (DOT) 1/22/93
01/22/93 134 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
02/09/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
02/09/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/09/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
03/09/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/16/93 (H) HES AT 03:30 PM CAPITOL 106
03/16/93 (H) MINUTE(HES)
03/23/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 12
SHORT TITLE: GROUP HEALTH INS. FOR SMALL EMPLOYERS
BILL VERSION: SSHB 12
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) B.DAVIS,Ulmer,Nordlund,Brice
TITLE: "An Act relating to health insurance for small
employers; and providing for an effective date."
JRN-DATE JRN-PG ACTION
01/04/93 27 (H) PREFILE RELEASED
01/11/93 27 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME/REFERRAL(S)
01/11/93 27 (H) HES, L&C, JUDICIARY, FINANCE
01/27/93 167 (H) COSPONSOR(S): NORDLUND
02/10/93 312 (H) COSPONSOR(S): BRICE
02/18/93 380 (H) SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE
INTRODUCED-REFERRALS
02/18/93 380 (H) HES, L&C, JUDICIARY, FINANCE
03/23/93 (H) HES AT 03:00 PM CAPITOL 106
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-43, SIDE A
Number 000
CHAIR BUNDE called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. He
announced that the meeting would adjourn at 3:30 p.m., when
a meeting of the House majority caucus was due to begin. He
then noted members present and brought HB 82 and HB 83 to
the table. He announced the meeting was being
teleconferenced.
HB 82 - SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE GRANTS
HB 83 - APPROP: SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION GRANT FUND
Number 041
CHAIR BUNDE invited testimony from those attending the
meeting in Juneau, or by teleconference at remote sites.
Hearing none, he closed public testimony and began committee
discussion. He asked Rep. Vezey, chairman of a subcommittee
appointed March 16, 1993, to give a report on the
subcommittee's work.
REP. VEZEY said the subcommittee met April 16 and 17, and
while he could not say they reached a consensus or decision,
he said they did review a draft committee substitute he had
presented. He stated he believed the subcommittee was at
the point of addressing the formula for local funding. The
subcommittee unanimously supported the idea of matching
local grants as a way to police the demand on limited state
funds, and discussed the maximum and minimum amounts for
contribution by local school districts or REAAs. He asked
Rep. G. Davis if he had made a fair assessment of the
meeting.
Number 078
REP. G. DAVIS answered yes.
REP. NICHOLIA said she had not received a copy of the
subcommittee's working draft.
Number 090
REP. VEZEY offered to have copies made for distribution.
CHAIR BUNDE asked Rep. Vezey whether the subcommittee
developed a majority opinion, if not a consensus, on any of
the several options he said the subcommittee had agreed
upon.
REP. VEZEY said the subcommittee had more than a consensus.
He stated they had a representative from an REAA (Rural
Education Attendance Area) who expressed the concerns of the
REAAs, but the subcommittee had not come up with a solution.
While all members agreed on the need for matching grants,
they did not agree on the formula; three of four votes might
have gone the same way. He said the subcommittee was unable
to find common ground between the matching grant levels in
HB 82 and the working draft of the bill considered by the
subcommittee.
Number 117
REP. G. DAVIS said the subcommittee had come to a consensus
on eliminating the sliding scale of increasing percentages
of local matching grants levels. He suggested the committee
consider the issue.
CHAIR BUNDE, as a long-time speech teacher, noted that
"consensus" meant that all members agreed, and if the
subcommittee did not have consensus, then it did not have
total agreement. He asked Rep. G. Davis if he would
introduce an amendment concerning sliding scales.
Number 140
REP. G. DAVIS moved deletion of language in HB 82 on page 2,
lines 27-31.
CHAIR BUNDE stated, "As I read that, that's for the ADM
(Average Daily Membership) of over $100,000. We do have a
percentage district participation share of $1 to $100,000."
REP. G. DAVIS said, "Yes, it creates some additional cost to
the district for those ADMs over $100,000."
(Rep. B. Davis arrived at 3:12 p.m.)
Number 168
CHAIR BUNDE notified Rep. B. Davis that the committee would
adjourn at 3:30 p.m. for the majority caucus. He asked for
a motion to accept the committee substitute considered by
Rep. Vezey's subcommittee as a working document.
REP. VEZEY made the motion.
REP. NICHOLIA asked for time to consider the committee
substitute, as it was the first time she and other committee
members had seen the document.
CHAIR BUNDE said it would be a working document for
discussion purposes and he would not ask members to make
decisions on it in a half hour. He asked for objections to
the motion.
Number 185
REP. BRICE objected for purposes of discussion. He said, as
a member of part of the subcommittee, he believed there was
not a consensus on the sliding scale issue, but he believed
the issue deserved discussion. He asked whether Rep. Olberg
had been present during discussion of that issue.
Number 196
REP. VEZEY said he recalled that there was consensus on
having a flat rate that would not vary over time. He said
he recalled that Rep. Olberg's concerns were not with the
flat rate, but with the ability of REAAs to come up with
money for their local contribution.
REP. BRICE recalled his objection.
Number 206
CHAIR BUNDE declared the motion passed upon hearing no
objection to the motion to adopt the subcommittee committee
substitute as a working committee document.
Number 210
REP. G. DAVIS announced, for the sake of the teleconference
audience which did not have copies of the work draft, that
the sliding scale provision was not included in the working
draft, and the motion he had made to cut those provisions
from the original HB 82, but which had not been voted upon,
had taken effect.
Number 219
CHAIR BUNDE announced that he did not intend to move the
bill out of committee that day and the public would have a
chance to study the bill and any adjustments the committee
made to it.
(Rep. Olberg arrived at 3:15 p.m.)
(Rep. Kott arrived at approximately 3:15 p.m.)
REP. B. DAVIS asked whether it was the chair's intention
merely to walk through the working draft.
CHAIR BUNDE answered that was correct. He asked the sponsor
of the committee substitute to begin such a discussion.
Number 229
REP. VEZEY said he was not completely ready to do a
comparison of the two bills. He said there was no change to
sections 1 and 2. In section 3, he removed the words "city
or borough" from line 15 to eliminate the distinction
between types of school districts. The committee substitute
deleted the sliding scale for local contributions for
construction grants.
Number 248
REP. OLBERG asked if the committee members could discuss the
changes.
CHAIR BUNDE answered that Rep. Vezey was presenting an
overview and that discussion would be possible at any time.
However, Rep. Bunde said that given the time limitations, it
might be better to let Rep. Vezey finish his presentation at
the meeting and hold discussion at a later meeting.
Number 256
REP. VEZEY said that Rep. Olberg's objections to the
provisions contained in lines 22-25 had been noted.
He noted the changes in the classification of school
districts, changing the first classification to $0 to
$100,000, instead of $1 to $100,000, to include areas with
no local property value.
Number 266
CHAIR BUNDE interrupted Rep. Vezey to comment on the changes
in percentages.
Number 268
REP. VEZEY noted the percentage shares had been changed in
the committee substitute to the following categories and
percentage shares: the category of $0 - $100,000 (which
included REAAs with no local property value) was changed to
20 percent from 5 percent; the category of $100,001 -
$300,000, which included most state schools, including the
Railbelt schools, was changed to 30 percent from 15 percent;
the category of $300,001 - $600,000, which included about
nine schools, was changed to 40 percent from 30 percent; and
the category of $600,000, which included four districts and
above was changed from 40 percent to 50 percent. He said
the changes were an attempt to develop a reasonable range.
Number 300
REP. VEZEY noted that the escalating clause had been deleted
in the committee substitute. He said the district's
matching funds could come from any source, including local
taxes and private, state or federal money, but the money
could not come from construction of maintenance funds
established by HB 82.
REP. NICHOLIA said, "I'd just like to put this on record
that the rewritten part of section C is totally out of line
from what we had hoped it would have been. We liked the
original form in the original bill, number 82. And I think
that it was very much in our favor. We really liked what
was written there, and don't really concur what has been
rewritten here."
Number 321
REP. VEZEY said he was just highlighting the differences in
the two bills and that change was indeed a major difference.
He said he did not believe there were no changes in sections
4, 5, 6 or 7. He said it was pointed out in the
subcommittee that those were important sections and did
warrant further attention because they established
procedures to establish priorities, involving the
legislature, local communities and school boards and the
Department of Education. He offered to entertain questions.
CHAIR BUNDE asked the committee members to examine closely
the working draft of HB 82 and to return ready to discuss it
in detail. He declared his intention to hear HB 82 on
Monday, April 29, and to take action on it. He also
declared his hope to move HB 83 at that meeting as well, if
possible.
Number 248
REP. VEZEY announced that the subcommittee would meet
Friday, March 26, at 1 p.m.
CHAIR BUNDE invited all committee members interested to
attend the subcommittee meeting, and all interested members
of the public to send in written testimony.
Number 357
REP. B. DAVIS asked if the subcommittee would consider HB 83
as well as HB 82.
REP. VEZEY answered that the subcommittee would address both
bills, as it had become clear at previous meetings that the
two needed joint consideration.
REP. B. DAVIS asked if the subcommittee had finished its
major modifications to HB 82.
REP. VEZEY said he was inclined to say no, but Rep. B. Davis
would be a better judge of whether the subcommittee had
finished its major revisions.
CHAIR BUNDE noted again that he expected that there would be
changes and adjustments to the working document, and that
nothing was cast in concrete at that time.
There being no further business before the committee, CHAIR
BUNDE apologized for the swift adjournment and ADJOURNED the
meeting at 3:27 p.m.
House Bill 12 was not heard during this meeting. It was
postponed at the request of the sponsor.
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