05/18/2020 03:00 PM House RULES

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
                 HOUSE RULES STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                               
                          May 18, 2020                                                                                          
                           3:09 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Chuck Kopp, Chair                                                                                                
Representative Jennifer Johnston, Vice Chair                                                                                    
Representative Bryce Edgmon                                                                                                     
Representative Louise Stutes                                                                                                    
Representative Steve Thompson                                                                                                   
Representative Lance Pruitt                                                                                                     
Representative DeLena Johnson                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
All members present                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 313                                                                                                              
"An Act approving  and ratifying the actions of  the governor and                                                               
executive  branch in  expending certain  federal receipts  and of                                                               
the  Legislative  Budget and  Audit  Committee  in approving  the                                                               
expenditure of certain federal receipts  during fiscal years 2020                                                               
and 2021; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     - MOVED HB 313 OUT OF COMMITTEE                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
BILL: HB 313                                                                                                                  
SHORT TITLE: APPROVING AND RATIFYING RPLS                                                                                       
SPONSOR(s): RULES                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
GRACE ERVINE, Staff                                                                                                             
Representative Chuck Kopp                                                                                                       
Alaska State Legislature                                                                                                        
Juneau, Alaska                                                                                                                  
POSITION  STATEMENT:     Presented  HB   313  by  means   of  the                                                             
accompanying  Sectional Analysis  on  behalf of  the House  Rules                                                               
Standing Committee, sponsor, on  which Representative Kopp serves                                                               
as chair.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:09:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CHUCK  KOPP  called the  House  Rules  Standing  Committee                                                             
meeting to order at [3:09]  p.m.  Representatives Pruitt, Stutes,                                                               
Edgmon,  Johnson, Thompson,  Johnston, and  Kopp were  present at                                                               
the   call   to   order.     Other   legislators   present   were                                                               
Representatives Tarr and Claman.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
              HB 313-APPROVING AND RATIFYING RPLS                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:10:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOPP  announced that  the only order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  313, "An Act approving and  ratifying the actions                                                               
of  the  governor  and  executive  branch  in  expending  certain                                                               
federal  receipts  and  of  the   Legislative  Budget  and  Audit                                                               
Committee  in  approving  the   expenditure  of  certain  federal                                                               
receipts during fiscal years 2020  and 2021; and providing for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:11:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GRACE  ERVINE, Staff,  Representative  Chuck  Kopp, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  HB  313  by means  of  the  accompanying                                                               
Sectional  Analysis  on  behalf   of  the  House  Rules  Standing                                                               
Committee,  sponsor,  on  which  Representative  Kopp  serves  as                                                               
chair.  She  paraphrased the Sectional Analysis  [included in the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided, with some formatting changes]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1      Legislative   Findings,    Purpose   and                                                                  
     Intent (pages 1-3)                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Makes   legislative  findings   related  to   COVID-19;                                                                    
     outlining actions taken by the  President of the United                                                                    
     States, Governor and Legislature  to declare a state of                                                                    
     emergency;  and describing  the RPL  process undertaken                                                                    
     by the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Delineates that the  purpose of the bill  is to approve                                                                    
     the  expenditure of  the federal  receipts outlined  in                                                                    
     the RPLs,  and that  the intent  of the  Legislature is                                                                    
     that  the  appropriations  identified by  the  RPLs  be                                                                    
     increased  as approved  by the  Legislative Budget  and                                                                    
     Audit Committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2      Approval and Ratification (page 3)                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Approves  and ratifies  the  expenditure  of the  funds                                                                    
     outlined in the RPL packages described in Section 1.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3      Suspension of Other Law (page 3)                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Allows Section 2 to go  into effect notwithstanding the                                                                    
     provisions of other law, including AS 37.07.080.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section 4      Retroactive Clause (page 3)                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Provides  for a  retroactive effective  date of  May 1,                                                                    
     2020.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 5      Effective Date Clause (pages 3-4)                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     This act has an immediate effective date.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. ERVINE noted that the  numbers related to the Revised Program                                                               
- Legislative  (RPL) package  were provided in  a handout  in the                                                               
committee packet.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:12:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOPP   directed  attention  to  language   in  Section  1,                                                               
subsection  (6), of  HB 313,  on page  2, beginning  on line  10,                                                               
which read as follows:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     (6) on April  21, 2020, in response  to the anticipated                                                                    
     receipt of additional  federal receipts appropriated to                                                                    
     states  as  part  of  the   CARES  Act  that  were  not                                                                    
     specifically  accounted for  in passage  of the  fiscal                                                                    
     year  2020 or  fiscal year  2021 budgets,  the governor                                                                    
     issued a revised program legislative (RPL) package                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOPP   pointed  out  that   the  ensuing   information  in                                                               
subsection (6) was  a list of the RPLs,  and detailed information                                                               
pertaining to  them, including the  agencies to which  the monies                                                               
would be directed, was included in the committee packet.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOPP  relayed that on  May 1, 2020, Governor  Mike Dunleavy                                                               
revised several  of the RPLs  and issued a  few new ones  and the                                                               
Legislative Budget  and Audit  Committee approved  six RPLs.   On                                                               
May 7,  2020, the governor revised  four RPLs.  On  May 11, 2020,                                                               
the governor revised  another RPL and the  Legislative Budget and                                                               
Audit  Committee, working  with  the  administration, approved  a                                                               
package of RPLs  "to get the money out to  the people of Alaska."                                                               
Chair Kopp explained  that the approval was  challenged in court,                                                               
so the purpose  of today's hearing of  HB 313 was "to  act in our                                                               
constitutional  authority to  remove  any uncertainty  as to  the                                                               
status of the expenditure of these  funds."  He added, "In short,                                                               
we are approving and ratifying what we have done."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:15:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOPP   opened  public   testimony  on   HB  313.     After                                                               
ascertaining  that there  was no  one who  wished to  testify, he                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:16:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOPP  pointed  out  that  there was  a  zero  fiscal  note                                                               
accompanying  the  proposed  legislation.    He  invited  closing                                                               
comments from the  committee.  There being none,  he expressed to                                                               
all   Alaskans  that   he  wanted   them  to   know  that   their                                                               
Representatives   were   working   hard  to   respond   to   "the                                                               
unprecedented  and difficult  times" facing  the state  and would                                                               
continue efforts  to get Alaskans  the assistance they need.   He                                                               
said he would entertain a motion on HB 313.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:16:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON moved  to report HB 313  out of committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and  the accompanying zero fiscal                                                               
note.  There  being no objection, HB 313 was  reported out of the                                                               
House Rules Standing Committee.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:17:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no  further business before the  committee, the House                                                               
Rules Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at [3:17] p.m.