04/23/1996 05:45 PM Senate CC2

                                                                               
                                                                               
                             MINUTES                                           
                      CONFERENCE COMMITTEE                                     
                             ON THE                                            
                     FY 97 OPERATING BUDGET                                    
                         April 23, 1996                                        
                            5:45 p.m.                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               
  TAPES                                                                        
                                                                               
  CC-96, #1, Side 1 (000-110)                                                  
                                                                               
  CALL TO ORDER                                                                
                                                                               
  The 1995 Conference  Committee Chairman, Representative Mark                 
  Hanley,  convened  the  first  meeting  of   the  conference                 
  committee on  the  FY  97  operating budget  in  the  Senate                 
  Finance Committee  Room, Room 532,  State Capitol  Building,                 
  Juneau, Alaska, at approximately 5:45 p.m.                                   
                                                                               
  PRESENT                                                                      
                                                                               
  All conference committee members were present:                               
                                                                               
       Senator Frank                 Representative Hanley                     
       Senator Halford               Representative Foster                     
       Senator Zharoff               Representative                            
  Grussendorf                                                                  
                                                                               
  ALSO ATTENDING:  Mike Greany, Director,  Legislative Finance                 
  Division; Nancy  Slagle, Director  of Budget  Review; fiscal                 
  analysts  from  the  Legislative  Finance  Division;  budget                 
  analysts  from   the  Office   of  Management   and  Budget;                 
  department representatives; and  aides to committee  members                 
  and other members of the legislature.                                        
                                                                               
  SUMMARY INFORMATION                                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               
  HB 412 -  APPROPRIATIONS: OPERATING BUDGET                                   
                                                                               
                                                                               
  HB 413 -  APPROPRIATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH                                   
                                                                               
       The  organizational meeting  set  forth rules  and                      
       procedures   the   committee   would   follow   in                      
       developing the conference committee budget.                             
                                                                               
  ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN FOR 1996                                                
                                                                               
  Representative Hanley  noted  traditional  rotation  of  the                 
  conference committee  chairmanship between House  and Senate                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  members  and  nominated  Senator  Steve  Frank to  serve  as                 
  chairman of  the 1996  conference committee.   No  objection                 
  having  been  raise,  it  was  so  ordered.   Senator  Frank                 
  nominated Representative Hanley  to serve as  vice-chairman.                 
  No objection having been raised, it was so ordered.                          
                                                                               
  RULES AND PROCEDURES                                                         
                                                                               
  Chairman  Frank  advised  that  the  committee   would  meet                 
  concurrently on  HB 412  and HB  413 to  develop  the FY  97                 
  conference committee budget.                                                 
                                                                               
  Directing attention to informational packets (copy on file),                 
  the  Chairman  explained that  the  committee  would operate                 
  under Uniform  Rule 42.   Committee  action and  adoption of                 
  motions  will  require a  majority  of the  members  and two                 
  affirmative votes from  each side.   Only committee  members                 
  may  make motions,  partake in  discussion,  and sit  at the                 
  table.  The exception will be the presence of staff from the                 
  Legislative Finance  Division at  one end  of the  table and                 
  staff from the Office of Management and Budget at the other.                 
  Legislators  and  witnesses  may  be  called to  respond  to                 
  questions from committee members, but public  testimony will                 
  not be heard since both  House and Senate Finance Committees                 
  and their  subcommittees held hearings  as separate versions                 
  of the budget were developed.                                                
                                                                               
  The  Chairman  next  directed that  motion  sheets  (copy on                 
  file),  prepared  by  the Legislative  Finance  Division, be                 
  distributed.  He  explained that  the sheets summarize  line                 
  item differences between the two versions of the budget.                     
                                                                               
  LIMITED POWERS                                                               
                                                                               
  Chairman Frank called for a motion requesting limited powers                 
  of  free   conference   on  both   HB   412  and   HB   413.                 
  Representative Hanley MOVED to request limited powers on SCS                 
  CSHB 412 (Fin) am  S (BRF FLD), CSHB 412 (Fin)am (BRF PFLD),                 
  SCS  CSHB  413 (Fin),  and  CSHB  413 (Fin).    The Chairman                 
  explained that  under requested  powers the  committee could                 
  select no amount greater  than the highest number in  either                 
  the House or Senate budget.  The committee may, however, "go                 
  as low as zero  or anywhere in between."   Category listings                 
  (copy on file) were distributed, and the Chairman  noted the                 
  following designations:                                                      
                                                                               
       Category I     House and Senate budgets are the same in                 
  both                     appropriations and intent.                          
                                                                               
       Category II    House and Senate budgets are the same in                 
                      appropriation amounts  but different  in                 
                      intent.  The committee  is free to adopt                 
                      either version  of intent or  insert new                 
                      intent.                                                  
                                                                               
                                                                               
       Category III   House and Senate  budgets are  different                 
  in                  appropriations and intent.                               
                                                                               
  No objection  to the motion  for limited powers  having been                 
  raised, the motion CARRIED, and  letters (copies on file) to                 
  the  Senate  President   and  Speaker  of  the   House  were                 
  circulated for signature.                                                    
                                                                               
                                                                               
  ADJOURNMENT                                                                  
                                                                               
  Chairman  Frank announced that the committee would generally                 
  meet at 3:00 p.m.   He then  scheduled the next meeting  for                 
  3:00  p.m.,  Friday,  April  26,  1996.    The  meeting  was                 
  adjourned at approximately 5:50 p.m.