Legislature(1997 - 1998)
04/15/1998 01:04 PM House TRA
| Audio | Topic |
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 15, 1998
1:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative William K. (Bill) Williams, Chairman
Representative Beverly Masek, Vice Chair
Representative John Cowdery
Representative Bill Hudson
Representative Jerry Sanders
Representative Kim Elton
Representative Albert Kookesh
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 153
"An Act relating to issuance of special license plates to
commemorate the arts."
- MOVED SB 153 OUT OF COMMITTEE
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 304(RLS)
"An Act relating to the bail or fine for an offense committed in a
highway work zone; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSSB 304(RLS) OUT OF COMMITTEE
* HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 67
Relating to renewal of the bilateral aviation agreement concerning
the mandatory Anchorage stopover for Russian carriers on
transpacific routes between the Russian Far East and the United
States.
- MOVED HJR 67 OUT OF COMMITTEE
* HOUSE BILL NO. 482
"An Act relating to registration of noncommercial trailers and to
registration of vehicles owned by disabled persons or persons who
are 65 years of age or older; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD AND HELD
(* First public hearing)
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: SB 153
SHORT TITLE: SPECIALIZED LICENSE PLATES FOR ARTS
SPONSOR(S): FINANCE
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
4/25/57 (S) RLS AT 10:45 AM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
3/26/97 875 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
3/26/97 875 (S) TRANSPORTATION, FINANCE
4/03/97 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
4/03/97 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
4/10/97 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
4/10/97 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
4/15/97 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
4/15/97 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
4/16/97 1165 (S) TRA RPT 3DP
4/16/97 1165 (S) DP: WARD, GREEN, WILKEN
4/16/97 1165 (S) FISCAL NOTE (ADM)
4/21/97 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
4/22/97 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
4/22/97 1384 (S) FIN RPT 6DP 1AM
4/22/97 1384 (S) DP: PEARCE, SHARP, PHILLIPS, ADAMS,
4/22/97 1384 (S) TORGERSON, DONLEY; AM: PARNELL
4/22/97 1384 (S) PREVIOUS FN (ADM)
4/25/97 (S) RLS AT 10:45 AM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
4/25/97 (S) MINUTE(RLS)
4/25/97 1478 (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 4/25/97
4/25/97 1487 (S) READ THE SECOND TIME
4/25/97 1487 (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UNAN
CONSENT
4/25/97 1487 (S) READ THE THIRD TIME SB 153
4/25/97 1488 (S) PASSED Y17 N2 A1
4/25/97 1488 (S) LINCOLN NOTICE OF RECONSIDERATION
4/28/97 1529 (S) RECONSIDERATION NOT TAKEN UP
4/28/97 1531 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
4/30/97 1393 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
4/30/97 1393 (H) TRANSPORTATION, FINANCE
4/08/98 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17
4/08/98 (H) MINUTE(TRA)
4/15/98 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17
BILL: SB 304
SHORT TITLE: REGULATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES & HWYS
SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) DONLEY, Wilken, Taylor, Duncan, Kelly,
Pearce
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
2/16/98 2524 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
2/16/98 2524 (S) TRA, JUD
2/24/98 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
2/24/98 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
3/12/98 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
3/12/98 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
3/19/98 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH ROOM 205
3/19/98 (S) MINUTE(TRA)
3/20/98 2916 (S) TRA RPT CS 1DP 3NR SAME TITLE
3/20/98 2916 (S) DP: WARD NR: WILKEN, HALFORD, GREEN
3/20/98 2916 (S) ZERO FISCAL NOTE TO SB & CS (DOT)
3/25/98 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BELTZ ROOM 211
3/25/98 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
3/26/98 3006 (S) JUD RPT 1DP 3NR (TRA)CS
3/26/98 3006 (S) DP: TAYLOR; NR: PARNELL, MILLER,
PEARCE
3/26/98 3006 (S) PREVIOUS ZERO FN (DOT)
3/30/98 (S) RLS AT 4:00 PM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
3/30/98 (S) MINUTE(RLS)
4/01/98 (S) RLS AT 12:10 PM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
4/01/98 (S) MINUTE(RLS)
4/03/98 (S) RLS AT 12:00 PM FAHRENKAMP RM 203
4/03/98 (S) MINUTE(RLS)
4/06/98 3159 (S) RLS TO CALENDAR CS NEW TITLE 4/6/98
4/06/98 3159 (S) PREVIOUS ZERO FN APPLIES (DOT)
4/06/98 3163 (S) READ THE SECOND TIME
4/06/98 3163 (S) RLS CS ADOPTED UNAN CONSENT
4/06/98 3163 (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UNAN
CONSENT
4/06/98 3163 (S) READ THE THIRD TIME CSSB 304(RLS)
4/06/98 3163 (S) COSPONSOR(S): WILKEN, TAYLOR, DUNCAN
4/06/98 3163 (S) KELLY, PEARCE
4/06/98 3164 (S) PASSED Y19 N- E1
4/06/98 3164 (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
4/06/98 3167 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
4/07/98 2898 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
4/07/98 2898 (H) TRANSPORTATION, JUDICIARY
4/15/98 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17
BILL: HJR 67
SHORT TITLE: AIR FLIGHTS RUSSIAN FAR EAST
SPONSOR(S): TRANSPORTATION
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
4/09/98 2942 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
4/09/98 2942 (H) TRANSPORTATION
4/15/98 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17
BILL: HB 482
SHORT TITLE: MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
SPONSOR(S): TRANSPORTATION
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
4/06/98 2886 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRAL(S)
4/06/98 2886 (H) TRANSPORTATION
4/15/98 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17
WITNESS REGISTER
KRAG JOHNSEN, Legislative Administrative Assistant
to Senator Drue Pearce
Alaska State Legislature
Capitol Building, Room 518
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-6594
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided sponsor statement for SB 153.
JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services
Division of Motor Vehicles
Department of Administration
P.O. Box 10200
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0200
Telephone: (907) 465-4361
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on SB 153, SB 304 and HB 482.
SENATOR DAVE DONLEY
Alaska State Legislature
Capitol Building, Room 508
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-3892
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SB 304.
DENNIS POSHARD
Legislative Liaison/Special Assistant
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
3132 Channel Drive
Juneau, Alaska 99801-7898
Telephone: (907) 465-3904
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on SB 304.
PETER ECKLUND, Legislative Assistant
to Representative William K. (Bill) Williams
Alaska State Legislature
Capitol Building, Room 424
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 465-3424
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented sponsor statement for HJR 67 and
HB 482.
RICH WILSON, Development Manager
Anchorage International Airport
P.O. Box 196960
Anchorage, Alaska 99519
Telephone: (907) 266-2525
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information and answered questions
on HJR 67.
TIM ROGERS, Legislative Program Coordinator
Municipality of Anchorage
P.O. Box 196650
Anchorage, Alaska 99519
Telephone: (907) 343-4467
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 482.
KEVIN RITCHIE, Executive Director
Alaska Municipal League
217 Second Street, Suite 200
Juneau, Alaska 99801
Telephone: (907) 586-1325
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 482.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 98-18, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIRMAN WILLIAM K. (BILL) WILLIAMS called the House Transportation
Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:04 p.m. Members present
at the call to order were Representatives Williams, Masek, Cowdery,
Hudson, Sanders, Elton and Kookesh.
SB 153 - SPECIALIZED LICENSE PLATES FOR ARTS
Number 0120
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS said the committee would hear SB 153, "An Act
relating to issuance of special license plates to commemorate the
arts."
Number 0135
KRAG JOHNSEN, Legislative Administrative Assistant to Senator Drue
Pearce, Alaska State Legislature, provided the sponsor statement
for SB 153. He informed the committee that the bill would create
a new specialized license plate to benefit the Alaska State Council
on the Arts (ASCA). He said the fee for the specialty license
plate would be $150 for the first year and the subsequent fees
would be dependent on the type of vehicle. He stated that there a
number of specialty plates that have been created over the years.
He said the Senate Finance Committee does realize that there is a
proliferation of license plates and the one thing that makes ASCA
stand out is that they have the ability to promote such a program
to a success.
Number 0234
REPRESENTATIVE JERRY SANDERS noted that there is a fiscal note
attached and asked if the license plates pay for themselves. He
asked if the money goes into the general fund and then back out.
MR. JOHNSEN said that is correct. He pointed out that the Division
of Motor Vehicles (DMV) submitted a fiscal note in the amount of
$19.9 thousand. He said the way that it would work is the funds
that are generated would pay back the cost of the plates first, and
then any funds above that amount would be appropriated to the ASCA.
He added that it would make up that cost first.
REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS commented that it seems like the legislature
gets a lot of similar bills like this one a year. He asked if the
legislature could submit a bill that would let anyone make any kind
of a plate they want to as long as they pay for it. He said, "This
gets old."
MR. JOHNSEN said they did look into something like what
Representative Sanders just described. He said there are other
programs across the nation that do things such as a tag, and not
such a specialty plate, then the money goes toward a specific
group. He said there's other ways to do it, but at this point, it
would take a major clean-up. He noted there are at least a dozen
specialty plates.
REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS he said, for the record, he hopes that the
next person who wants a specialty plate will make it blank. He
said, "Let's have specialty plates for everybody in Alaska, and as
long as they pay for them, we won't have to be involved in this all
the time."
MR. JOHNSEN told the committee members that ASCA will be
responsible for creating the plate, designing the plate; for the
most part, everything will be on their shoulders to promote and
create the program. He indicated that the DMV will act as
(indisc.).
REPRESENTATIVE BILL HUDSON asked where the cost of the plates is
included in the fiscal note.
MR. JOHNSEN informed Representative Hudson that on page 2 of the
fiscal note, there's a breakdown of the costs.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON noted that according to the fiscal note it's
$2.43 for a set of plates.
Number 0457
JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor
Vehicles, Department of Administration, came before the committee
to testify. She explained that the $2.43 is for the personnel
services costs to reissue the plates. She said the division has to
order a minimum of 900 sets of plates, whether or not they sell all
of them and she said the cost is for the new sheeting is $10,000
and there's a design cost on top of that. She said DMV will have
a representative working with ASCA on designing the plate, and they
will also have the design artist from 3M Corporation who makes
their sheeting who will work with them to make sure that the plates
are readable.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON asked how many different speciality plates
does the state currently issue.
MS. HENSLEY responded that the state has 46 different license
plates they issue, which include passenger plates, personalized
plates, veterans plates, motorcycle plates, et cetera.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON clarified that he wanted to know how many
specialty plates the state issues that designate the payment of
them to a specific purpose.
MS. HENSLEY said she did not know, but that they have multiple
plates such as university plates, veterans plates, dealer plates,
et cetera. She said DMV does not have any objection to any of
these plates as long as they're funded. She noted that a bill
passed two years which was for the sport of dog mushing and that
they never ordered those plates because the fiscal note was not
funded, which was zeroed out in conference committee. She pointed
out that DMV never received the funds in order to design and make
those plates.
Number 0763
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COWDERY asked about the design of the plates.
He said, as he understands it, ASCA deals with the design and asked
if all 900 of the plates would be of the same design. He asked,
"Is there intent of distinguish in one form of art from another?"
MS. HENSLEY replied that there would only be one design which would
cost approximately $20,000.
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY clarified that he wants to know if there
would be license plates with performing arts type of designs.
MR. JOHNSEN interjected and said this would be a blanket arts
council license plate, which supports all of the arts.
REPRESENTATIVE KIM ELTON noted that the design would be done by
ASCA for $5,000, according to the fiscal note. He also noted that
there is also a separate $10,000 in the fiscal note for the set-up
cost for the new sheeting. He asked if the $5,000 would go to
ASCA.
MR. JOHNSEN said the $5,000 is for the 3M Corporation for
implementing the design. He said ASCA would be responsible for
coming up with the design, and he believes that it's their
intention to hold some sort of a contest.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON said the projected revenue is $135,000 as
noted in the fiscal note and asked if that is a one-time revenue.
He asked if the annual registration fee for specialty plates costs
more than the normal license tags.
Number 0918
MS. HENSLEY replied that the cost of the plate itself, and the
$135,000 in revenue that is projected in the fiscal note is if they
sell "x" number of set of plates. She said if DMV sells all 900
sets of plates at $150 a set, it will generate a lot of revenue for
the general fund to be reappropriated back to the arts.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON said that's a one-time revenue for the plates
and asked if there is an enhanced cost for the annual tags so that
that plate continues to generate revenue for ASCA.
MS. HENSLEY responded yes, that it is included in the cost of the
registration fee; however, this is a one-time cost of $150.
Therefore, the registration tag is just a normal operating cost for
DMV, which would not go back to ASCE.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON commented he thinks this is a good bill and
that he will probably vote to move it. He said the problem though
is that this is a one-time shot that doesn't continue to provide
ongoing benefits to ASCA. He said, from his recollection, the
appropriation last year was between $400-500,000 for ASCA and he
hopes that down the road the legislature doesn't say that they
don't need to appropriate as much money for ASCA.
MS. HENSLEY told the committee if DMV sold 50 plates this year then
that would generate that money for this year, if they sold 50
plates next year, then that money would be generated for next year.
She said DMV has no way of projecting the number of plates they are
going to sell each year. She said that the fiscal note should have
shown asterisks across the row after the first year, unfortunately
she can't project the actual amount of revenue that would be
generated. But DMV would be able to identify that amount so that
could be identified to the legislature to reappropriate the funds
to the arts.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON asked, "You're saying that the $135,000
estimated revenues could conceivably come in over four years, or
something like that?"
MS. HENSLEY replied it could conceivable be $135,000 a year, or it
may be more. She said she doesn't have any way of projecting that
amount. It depends on how many individuals purchase the plates on
a yearly basis.
Number 1127
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON moved and asked unanimous consent to move SB
153 out of committee with individual recommendations and with the
attached fiscal note. There being no objection, SB 153 moved out
of the House Transportation Standing Committee.
CSSB 304(RLS) - REGULATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES & HWYS
Number 1156
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS announced the next order of business would be
CSSB 304 (RLS), "An Act relating to the bail or fine for an offense
committed in a highway work zone; and providing for an effective
date," sponsored by Senator Dave Donley.
SENATOR DAVE DONLEY came before the committee to testify. he
stated that SB 304 does one thing, which doubles the fines for
traffic violations in construction zones. He noted that 26 other
states have already done this. He explained that there is a very
significant danger, both nationally and in Alaska, to the people
who work on the roadways from people who don't follow the traffic
controls. He said there have been fatalities in Alaska and when
those occur, of course, they're tragic to the families, and they
are also very expensive and costly to businesses because it raises
workers' compensations rates, which creates lots of problems that
way. He concluded he believes this bill will be a good public
policy.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON commented that he observed this type of
situation on a recent visit to Montana and said he believes it does
work. He stressed that there has to be proper signs indicating
that the fines are doubled in a construction zone. He's assuming
that DMV would include that. He stated that he does not see it in
the fiscal note, but he is assuming that it won't be too expensive.
SENATOR DONLEY said they discussed at length the signage and DMV
has extensive regulations relating to signage, which is written
into the contracts so that the contractors can comply.
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY said his understanding is that any sign
company working in the right-of-way is licensed and has to pass a
test in order to work in that right-of-way. He said for a lane
change, you can't put one cone out and say change lanes, has to be
done by a certain federal standards that the legislature has
adopted. He asked who would be responsible for posting the signs
regarding fines.
Number 1317
DENNIS POSHARD, Legislative Liaison/Special Assistant, Department
of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT/PF), came before the
committee to testify. He informed the committee that DOT/PF will
be responsible for signage when it's a maintenance-type project and
that they do not contract out for this type of work. He said when
the department does contract out, they try and write that into the
specifications for the bid so that they require the contractors to
take care of the signage the same way they would with other
signage.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON asked about the effective date. He commented
that it might be too late for the upcoming construction season.
SENATOR DONLEY replied that the original bill's effective date was
delayed until the year 2000, but DOT/PF wanted to make it a date
that gave the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and DOT/PF enough
time to gear up for it and also to catch the next road construction
season. He said he believes DOT/PF supports that effective date.
MR. POSHARD replied DOT/PF does support the effective date.
REPRESENTATIVE BEVERLY MASEK asked if there is information on the
number of highway construction workers injured by reckless
motorists in Alaska.
MR. POSHARD said the department doesn't keep records of injuries
that occur within a particular work zone. He said he did some
research and found that in 1987 on the old Nenana and Parks
Highway, a worker was struck by a truck and killed. In the same
accident, another worker was severely injured with a head injury.
In 1994 on Badger Road, a paving crew worker was working beside a
paving lay down machine and was struck by a vehicle and received
major leg and knee injuries and will have lifetime injuries as a
result. He gave more examples of workers injured on the job. He
concluded that it is a problem that they recognize and
unfortunately DOT/PF has not kept statistics on injuries that have
occurred within a work zone. He noted that they have statistics on
injuries in total within the department from workers' compensation,
and they have statistics on accidents all over the state, but there
is no marriage of the information in the database.
Number 1515
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK asked why DOT/PF didn't keep records on
injuries that have occurred in a work zone.
MR. POSHARD said he is not sure that DOT/PF ever realized that
there was a need to differentiate. He said that is something the
department intends to try and keep records on in the future so that
any future considerations about laws relating to work zones, then
they will have that information. He said their databases are
mostly geared toward federal compliance and that the federal
government has never requested that type of information.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK asked why there is a zero fiscal note.
MR. POSHARD reiterated that the department's only expense would be
for signage. In the cases of new construction, the department will
try and require that the signage be done by the contractor. He
referred to the department's workers and said DOT/PF felt that the
expense for signs is already in their operating budget and that
they will try and shift a portion of that money to obtain some of
the work zone signs.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK asked if there any signs that are put out by
DPS dealing with violations in construction areas.
MR. POSHARD responded he is not aware of any information regarding
violations because there is no current law that increases fines for
work zones. He indicated he does not believe that DPS keeps track
of those records that differentiate between work zones. He said he
did not want to speak on behalf of DPS.
Number 1633
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK said she was referring to traffic fines that
deal with moving car violations. She said if DOT/PF had that
information, they would be able to see what type of increase in
revenue there would be and that is the reason for her questions
regarding the fiscal note.
MR. POSHARD said that question would be better answered by DPS. He
said he does not have that information. It's not the
responsibility of DOT/PF to issue the violations and then collect
those fees. He said he believes from earlier committee meetings
that DPS testified that they do not maintain information that
differentiates between a work zone and another location on a
particular highway.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK requested that DOT/PF provide information
regarding the fiscal note and the impacts, and also what DPS has to
say about it since it involves them. She commented that she is not
feeling very comfortable with SB 304 without that information. She
asked if there is a plan to begin a "give me a break" public
education campaign similar to Washington State or Alaska indicating
that this bill should become law.
MR. POSHARD replied there will be some public education that would
go along with this bill alerting people of the increased fines. He
said he is not sure exactly what form that would take if it would
be "give me a break" specifically campaign, but there would have to
be some sort of public information campaign. He said they would
produce some sort of a video, as well as have some television and
radio spots that would hopefully run as a public service alerting
drivers to the increase in fines. He said he will contact DPS
regarding the fiscal note and if there is a reason why they have
not put in for increased revenues or what their projections would
be. He said DPS testified at a earlier committee meeting and they
indicated they did not plan to increase enforcement within a work
zone and that they were not going to suddenly, because this law
passes, put more troopers watching out at work zones. They would,
however, continue monitoring work zones as they currently do, they
would just collect more fines for a violation that would occur
within that work zone.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK pointed out that a lot of work was done last
year on the Parks Highway between Big Lake and Houston and there
was an incident that happened there and she received numerous phone
calls regarding the troopers and a high speed chase that they did
through a construction site zone. She indicated she would like
information on how it would affect a high speed chase if it were
done in a construction area. She reiterated that the troopers sped
through the construction zone without regard to the people's
safety. She suggested that DOT/PF and DPS address this problem.
Number 1826
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY stated that it's probably not a function of
DOT/PF to keep records regarding injuries within a particular work
zone. He said he would hope that this bill wouldn't add a
bureaucracy on to DOT/PF to try and track the number of injuries
properly.
SENATOR DONLEY said SB 304 is not intended as a revenue generator.
It's really intended as a deterrent to protect the employees as
they are exposed to working on the roadways. He noted the bill is
supported by the construction industry and by the people who
represent the workers. He indicated he has not heard any
opposition to this bill through the process.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON said he believes that the data regarding these
kinds of offenses in a work zone will be easily collected with the
passage of this bill because the enhanced fines will be part of the
court record. Data collection will be much easier at that point in
time.
Number 1930
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON made a motion to move CSSB 304(RLS) out of
committee with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal
note. He noted that the Judiciary Committee has already considered
a bill similar to this one which passed out of committee.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK objected because of her concerns with the bill
stating that she wants some information regarding the topics she
discussed. She commented she would not have a problem moving the
bill out of the committee after the information she requested is
provided. She said there are pieces missing to this bill that she
would like to see included before she is able to vote in favor of
moving it out.
Number 1985
JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor
Vehicles, Department of Administration, told the committee the way
that the records are kept is if someone speeds in a construction
zone, it's still a speeding ticket and it's not coded as such that
DOT/PF would maintain any records that it was identified as a work
zone. However, with this bill, there is a special speed in a
construction zone code that they can use which will identify those
violations when they occur in a work zone. If there is a traffic
crash within in a work zone, there are several ways of tracking
those violations. If there's a serious injury or fatality, those
records are kept in the trauma registry. She said DOT/PF has a
highway analysis system which is a traffic accident database that
monitors and tracks all traffic crashes in the state and it will
tell you exactly what mile post the accident happened at, what the
contributing factor was, whether it was in a construction zone,
whether it was speed related, et cetera. She said that database
reports those types of accidents to the federal government. She
noted that there is another database in DOT/PF within the
Governor's Highway Safety office through the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration called the FAR System which is the
Fatal Accident Reporting System that tracks traffic crashes
throughout the United States. She said the data base identifies
whether the crash was fatal, if the driver caused the fatal
accident, or whether it was a construction person. She said the
information is all there, it's just a matter of extrapolating it
out of those databases. She stated that SB 304 will allow DOT/PF
to code violations that occur in construction zones, and not just
code them as speeding tickets, but can code them as a violation
within a construction zone.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK removed her objection. She said she hopes
that DOT/PF and DPS will be able to provide more information to the
committee on the number of highway construction workers injured on
the job.
Number 2125
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS asked if there are any other objections to moving
the bill out of committee. There being no objection, CSSB 304(RLS)
moved from the House Transportation Standing Committee.
HJR 67 - AIR FLIGHTS RUSSIAN FAR EAST
Number 2155
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS announced the next order of business would be HJR
67, Relating to renewal of the bilateral aviation agreement
concerning the mandatory Anchorage stopover for Russian carriers on
transpacific routes between the Russian Far East and the United
States.
PETER ECKLUND, Legislative Assistant to Representative William K.
(Bill) Williams, Alaska State Legislature, provided the sponsor
statement for HJR 67. He read the following into the record:
"HJR 67 urges the U.S. Department of Transportation to negotiate
renewal of the bilateral agreement to retain the mandatory stopover
in Anchorage for transpacific flights between the Russian Far East
and the United States. The current bilateral agreement is due to
expire in May of 1998.
"It is important to continue mandatory stopovers of Russian air
carriers to preserve the position of Anchorage as the American
gateway to the Russian Far East.
"In addition to close historical and cultural ties between the
people of Alaska and the people of the Russian Far East, the state
has established agreements with many Russian cities and territories
to help with their transition into a market-based economy.
Discontinuation of direct Alaskan air service would severely hamper
these efforts.
"Further, absent the agreement, Anchorage International Airport
could see additional decline in international air traffic and local
jobs.
"In short, continuation of mandatory Russian stopovers in Anchorage
is good for the state and good for the developing economies of the
Russian Far East. To that end, I urge your swift passage of HJR
67."
MR. ECKLUND advised the committee members that there a person on
line from Anchorage who can answer specific questions concerning
HJR 67 and what the mandatory stopover is and what it means. He
said it's his understanding that after the breakup of the communist
Soviet Union, the United States entered into an agreement with
Russia to have stopovers in Anchorage of all of their flights,
which was renegotiated in 1983 and 1985, and the mandatory stopover
was included in the renegotiation. He pointed out that some people
in Russia are pushing to not have that mandatory stopover anymore.
They want to fly directly from the West Coast of the United States
to Russia. He said that would hurt Alaska's carries such as Alaska
Airlines because they don't have the capability to make those long
flights.
Number 2256
RICH WILSON, Development Manager, Anchorage International Airport,
testified via teleconference from the Anchorage Legislative
Information Office (LIO). He said the thrust of the effort is to
retain as much economic activity in the state as we can. This is
one of the things that we can do to maintain our position and to
enhance our future opportunities and make business between Alaskans
and Russians in the Far East. He said many jobs will be directly
affected, and rates and fees to the Anchorage airport will be
directly affected if the mandatory stop is lifted.
Number 2346
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON moved and asked unanimous consent to move HJR
67 out of committee with individual recommendations and with the
attached zero fiscal note. There being no objection, HJR 67 moved
out of the House Transportation Standing Committee.
HB 482 - MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
Number 2360
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS announced the last order of business would be HB
482, "An Act relating to registration of noncommercial trailers and
to registration of vehicles owned by disabled persons or persons
who are 65 years of age or older; and providing for an effective
date."
PETER ECKLUND, Legislative Assistant to Representative William K.
(Bill) Williams, Alaska State Legislature, provided the sponsor
statement for HB 482. He read the following into the record:
"HB 42, an act relating to the registration of motor vehicles, was
introduced to make state government more efficient and user
friendly.
"Currently, the state issues thousands of vehicle registrations
yearly to seniors and disabled Alaskans. Although there is no
charge for these vehicle registrations, considerable time and
effort goes into issuing them on an annual basis. HB 482 would
remove this burden from our seniors and those with disabilities,
and help shrink the lines at our [Division of Motor Vehicles] DMV
offices as employees are redeployed.
"HB 482 also removes the annual $10 registration [fee] for
noncommercial trailers and sets a one time $10 registration fee.
When a trailer changes owners, the new owner would be responsible
for re-registering the trailer and paying a $10 fee.
"Adoption of HB 482 will increase efficiencies at DMV and promote
a user friendly atmosphere between the public and state
government."
MR. ECKLUND stated that since introduction of the bill, it's been
pointed out there's a possible problem with how taxes are collected
in relation to this bill. Currently, the state of Alaska collects
municipal taxes for municipalities at the time of registration of
commercial and noncommercial vehicles, and then 8 percent is taken
off the top and the balance is rebated to the municipalities. Part
of the intent of this legislation is to remove the annual
registration of noncommercial trailers. He indicated by doing
that, they would remove the mechanism by which the state collects
a municipal tax for municipalities and rebates that tax. He said
after talking with the drafter, one possible solution is that at
the time of registration of a noncommercial trailer, which would be
once, that's when the tax is collected and rebated to the
municipalities and it's not collected at any other time. He said
he believes that some municipalities will object to that because
they want their tax revenues. He said, "If this is a policy
question, Mr. Chairman, how the legislature wants to treat these
municipal taxes, do we want to continue collecting the municipal
taxes and rebating them to the municipalities? Do we want ...[ends
mid-speech because of tape change]."
TAPE 98-18, SIDE B
Number 0011
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON asked if a noncommercial trailer is similar
to a boat trailer?
MR. ECKLUND replied that's correct. He referred to page 2,
subsection (3) and stated that "trailer" includes a boat trailer,
baggage trailer, box trailer, utility trailer, house trailer,
travel trailer, or trailer rented or offered for rent.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON said HB 482 addresses a significant number of
trailers and motor vehicles that are registered by people who are
65 years or older, and stated that he needs some help with the
fiscal note. He said he needs to be assured that the fiscal impact
is only the size that it really is. He said he is somewhat
sympathetic to the plight of municipalities and made reference to
property taxes and stated that the state has gotten to the point
where they don't rebate anything for the municipalities for that.
"This is just another hit that they're taking," he added.
MR. ECKLUND stated that it's his understanding that currently the
state doesn't charge seniors and the disabled a fee, but the state
requires them to register annually. He said HB 482 would remove
the burden of annual registration and that there won't be any
decrease in revenue to the state, or the seniors and the disabled.
Number 0087
JUANITA HENSLEY, Chief, Driver Services, Division of Motor
Vehicles, Department of Administration, told the committee that
currently a senior citizen who is 65 years or older can apply for
an exemption one time for one vehicle and they are exempt from
paying a registration fee. She noted that individuals who are
eligible handicap license plates can apply for one plate free of
charge. She said there are approximately 14,000 vehicles in the
category of senior citizens and approximately 5,000-6,000 handicap
license plates that this bill would cover. She said that it would
reduce the number of individuals who are having to register their
vehicles every year that actually is costing the state money to
register those vehicles and the state does not receive revenue from
those vehicles. Ms. Hensley pointed out that the fiscal note was
not projected to reflect the decrease of registrations. She said
HB 482 will probably be held over and that she would like to rework
the fiscal note because she feels DMV needs to show the decrease of
registrations they would have in the future. She addressed the
biannual registration of trailers stating that half of them would
not be registered one year for a lifetime and the other half the
following year for a lifetime, and after that, only the new
trailers coming in or those that switch ownership to the trailers.
She stressed that it will be difficult for her to project the
decrease in revenue because a lot of people change ownership of
trailers who will still pay the one-time registration fee to change
ownership.
MS. HENSLEY said the other issue that she is concerned with is the
tax issue. She indicated that DMV collects the registration fees
and taxes for municipalities. She informed the committee in 1997
DMV registered 78,839 noncommercial trailers, "so when you're
looking at a decrease in one year for 40,000 registered trailers
and the next year 40,000, it's going to reduce the workload in DMV
some, but then we're going to have other people coming in and
changing those trailers over, purchasing new trailers, or selling
trailers. Those are the ones that we will actually be seeing in
the offices as opposed to seeing them in the mail room."
Number 0209
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY asked if HB 482 includes camper trailers.
MS. HENSLEY responded in the affirmative.
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY asked if the bill distinguishes house
trailers and camper trailers, and specifically, the length of
camper trailers.
MS. HENSLEY replied that DMV does not currently distinguish between
the different types of trailers.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK addressed the term "trailers" on page 2 and
asked if there is any way to include a snow machine trailer?
MS. HENSLEY replied that snow machine trailer is already included
in the bill. She said it is considered a utility trailer. She
pointed out that all noncommercial trailers are included in this
bill.
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK commented that disabled people and seniors are
already covered in statute. She stated that she feels this bill is
a housekeeping measure which will cut down costs in the long run.
She said she feels this is a good bill and offered her support for
it.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON asked for clarification that persons 65 or
older don't need to pay for car registration.
MS. HENSLEY replied that they are eligible for a one-time, one
vehicle exemption and advised the committee they don't have to pay
for the registration, but they do have to register.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON noted that trailers aren't covered, and asked
if this bill would extend the same exemption to trailers.
MS. HENSLEY responded that trailers are not covered and there is a
$10 biannual fee or $5 a year. She said under this provision
seniors would pay a one-time lifetime fee of $10.
MR. ECKLUND wanted to clarify on Ms. Hensley's point. He said the
way the bill is written, a person over 65 years of age could opt to
pay no registration on one vehicle so they could potentially decide
between their vehicle or their trailer. He said a trailer only
costs $10 and to register a vehicle would cost more, so a person
would probably opt to not have to pay on their vehicle.
REPRESENTATIVE ELTON asked if the bill would allow seniors to have
two exemptions, as long as one is a trailer and one is a vehicle.
MR. ECKLUND replied no, just one.
Number 0390
TIM ROGERS, Legislative Program Coordinator, Municipality of
Anchorage, testified via teleconference from the Anchorage LIO. He
commended the committee for attempting to simplify the DMV
functions to make them more efficient. He said the municipality
has some concerns over the collection of municipal property tax
that is collected at the same time as registration. He commented
that Mr. Ecklund very adequately described what the municipality's
concern is. He stated the only enforcement hammer the municipality
has to ensure that people comply with this requirement is the tag
on the back of their license plate that says when it expires. If
that tag is no longer required, it will be very difficult for them
to enforce the requirement to pay the tax. He indicated that for
noncommercial trailers in the Municipality of Anchorage, it's no
more than approximately $96,000 a year. It is a fairly significant
amount of money. He concluded, "I don't know that we have a
solution right now, we've got a couple of ideas and we'll be happy
to work with you to come up with something, but we're concerned
with the way it's written. It could have a significant negative
fiscal impact on the Municipality of Anchorage, as well as the
other local jurisdictions that have a tax on motor vehicles."
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS asked if he has been working with DMV regarding
taxes.
MR. ROGERS replied that he has been in contact with Ms. Hensley and
that the municipality will continue to work with her on it.
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY asked, "Did you say that the impact to the
municipality is $96,000? Is that all seniors or is that the total
impact on all the revenues?"
MR. ROGERS replied that that is the total impact on all the
revenues from noncommercial trailers.
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY asked if he knows what percentage would be
senior-owned vehicles.
MR. ROGERS said he did not know.
Number 0493
KEVIN RITCHIE, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League, came
before the committee to testify. He said, the other major
communities that take advantage of this collection program is
actually an advantage to property taxpayers because without this
program, they would be taxed and a person would have to list it as
personal property and pay approximately three times as much if they
were trying to do the assessed value. The program is a great
advantage to constituents, and it also is an extensive program as
a service to taxpayers. He told the committee DMV considers
reducing the amount of work that they do as a savings to the state,
which is technically a savings to the department, but potentially
a loss to the state. He said the money that DMV receives from
municipalities is that they take .08 cents on every dollar that is
collected, which is quite sufficient to pay for the staff effort in
doing it, and he would guess that they make a small profit. In
conclusion, he stated that from an overall perspective the state is
not losing money, the question then becomes should the state push
municipalities into taking this into account on personal property
tax and most taxpayers would say no.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON asked, "If we pass this, the seniors and the
disabled that we're trying to help may end up being pushed into
property taxes which would be greater?"
MR. RITCHIE said the only portion of the bill he is addressing is
the specific part that charges a registration tax to people who are
not seniors. He said he does not believe seniors pay a tax at all.
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON said he was referring to the local tax. He
then asked if Anchorage collects property tax on noncommercial
trailers at the present time.
Number 0622
MR. ECKLUND interjected and replied that Anchorage does because the
state collects it at the time of registration of those trailers.
He informed the committee that the state collects it, takes 8
percent off the top and then remits it to the municipality.
REPRESENTATIVE HENSLEY referred to Representative Hudson's question
and stated that of the 8 percent, it's strictly general fund
dollars that gets deposited into the general fund. She stated,
"It's not something that's subject to allocation back to the
department, so it's just part of that 36 million dollars that we
deposit for (indisc.) annual budget."
MR. ECKLUND clarified that the seniors part and the disabled
person's part really have nothing to do with the trailer part of
the bill. He said they are two separate items in the same bill and
that they don't have any connection.
MS. HENSLEY said, "This is just an efficiency measure that during
the re-engineering process and rethinking the way that government
does business, the design teams came up with this idea of giving
the seniors a break because they wouldn't have to be mailing their
registrations in every year, they wouldn't have to be doing this
additional work on DMV for something that the state does not
receive any revenue for." She informed the committee the
municipalities do not receive the taxes for those seniors and one
vehicle is exempt from the registration tax. She said the re-
engineering design teams also looked at trailers and thought that
since it was such a small amount DMV collects over a two-year
period at a cost of $5 per year, and that it costs the state more
than $5 a year to register a trailer. In conclusion, she said DMV
brought this matter before the legislature advising them that these
items could be an efficiency measure to help the state out and also
to help DMV out in its re-engineering efforts and the efficiency
efforts that they are looking at doing. Ms. Hensley noted that
DMV's budget for this year is faced with a $500,000 reduction in
their operating funds and stated that they need to look at some
ways of trying to serve the public better.
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS advised the committee members that HB 482 will be
held over for further consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
Number 0748
CHAIRMAN WILLIAMS adjourned the House Transportation Standing
Committee at 2:10 p.m.
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