Legislature(2011 - 2012)SENATE FINANCE 532

04/07/2012 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
= SB 160 BUDGET: CAPITAL
Heard & Held
+= HB 250 EXTEND RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANT FUND TELECONFERENCED
Moved SCS CSHB 250(FIN) Out of Committee
                  SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                      
                       April 7, 2012                                                                                            
                         2:35 p.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:35:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman called the Senate Finance Committee                                                                            
meeting to order at 2:35 p.m.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair                                                                                                 
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair                                                                                                  
Senator Lesil McGuire, Vice-Chair                                                                                               
Senator Johnny Ellis                                                                                                            
Senator Dennis Egan                                                                                                             
Senator Donny Olson                                                                                                             
Senator Joe Thomas                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
None                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Kaci Schroeder-Hotch, Staff, Representative Bill Thomas;                                                                        
Weston Eiler, Staff, Senator Bert Stedman.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SB 160         BUDGET: CAPITAL                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
               SB 160 was HEARD and HELD in committee for                                                                       
               further consideration.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 250(ENE) EXTEND RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANT FUND                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
               SCS CSHB 250(FIN) was REPORTED out of                                                                            
               committee with a "do pass" recommendation                                                                        
               and with a previously published fiscal                                                                           
               impact note: FN2(DCCED).                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 250(ENE)                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the renewable energy grant fund                                                                        
     and recommendation program; and providing for an                                                                           
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:36:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hoffman  MOVED  to  ADOPT  the  proposed  committee                                                                   
substitute  for  HB  250,  Work  Draft  27-LS1060\X  (Nauman,                                                                   
3/29/12) as a working document.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:37:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  OBJECTED for the purpose of  discussion. He                                                                   
explained  that the  new  committee substitute  extended  the                                                                   
sunset date  to 2023 instead  of 2018  and that it  added two                                                                   
more seats on  the advisory committee. One of  the additional                                                                   
members  would be  from the  Senate, while  another would  be                                                                   
from the House.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:37:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  REMOVED  his  OBJECTION.  There  being  NO                                                                   
FURTHER OBJECTION, Work Draft 27-LS1060\X was ADOPTED.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:37:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KASEY  SCHROEDER-HOTCH,  STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE  BILL  THOMAS,                                                                   
explained that the legislation  extended the Renewable Energy                                                                   
Grant Fund  for another 10 years  and added two seats  on the                                                                   
Renewable Energy  Advisory Committee. She furthered  that the                                                                   
advisory committee  worked with  the Alaska Energy  Authority                                                                   
to evaluate grant programs for the fund.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:38:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman discussed  the  fiscal note  in the  packet                                                                   
from  the  Department  of Commerce,  Community  and  Economic                                                                   
Development in the  amount of $2.155 million  and pointed out                                                                   
that  funding  for  the  note was  already  included  in  the                                                                   
governor's FY 13 operating budget.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:38:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman  MOVED to  report SCS  CSHB 250(FIN)  out of                                                                   
committee   with    individual   recommendations    and   the                                                                   
accompanying fiscal  note. There  being NO OBJECTION,  it was                                                                   
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SCS CSHB  250(FIN) was REPORTED  out of committee with  a "do                                                                   
pass" recommendation  and with a previously  published fiscal                                                                   
impact note: FN2(DCCED).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:39:20 PM                                                                                                                    
RECESSED                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:58:53 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 160                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  making and  amending appropriations,  including                                                                   
     capital appropriations and  other appropriations; making                                                                   
     appropriations  to capitalize  funds; and providing  for                                                                   
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:59:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  indicated  that  this  was  the  sixteenth                                                                   
meeting on the  capital budget. He furthered  that the Senate                                                                   
Finance Committee  had conducted a thorough  public review of                                                                   
the  governor's  proposed  budget  and that  upwards  of  180                                                                   
Alaskan's had called in to testify on the budget.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:59:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Ellis   MOVED  to   ADOPT  the  proposed   committee                                                                   
substitute  for  SB  160,  Work  Draft  27-GS2600\D  (Martin,                                                                   
4/7/12) as a working document.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:59:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:00:22 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:01:21 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:01:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  stated that the Senate had  worked with the                                                                   
House and  the governor  on the capital  budget and  that the                                                                   
Senate  had  placed  over  $3 billion  into  savings  in  the                                                                   
operating budget before it had  finalized the capital budget.                                                                   
He  explained  that the  ratio  of  the Senate's  savings  to                                                                   
capital spending  was $3.1  billion to  $720 million  and was                                                                   
roughly 4  to 1. He mentioned  a transportation  bond package                                                                   
was  also  being  worked  on   and  would  be  available  for                                                                   
discussion in several days.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:01:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WESTON  EILER,  STAFF,  SENATOR  BERT  STEDMAN,  presented  a                                                                   
walkthrough  of the bill  and referenced  two reports  in the                                                                   
members'  packets   that  summarized  the  budget   by  House                                                                   
district and agency. He stated  that Section 1, which was the                                                                   
FY  13 capital  budget, totaled  $2.57  billion; the  section                                                                   
included  legislative additions,  as well  as the  governor's                                                                   
projects.  Section  7  on  page   117,  which  totaled  $56.1                                                                   
million,   reflected   the   governor's   remaining   FY   13                                                                   
supplemental capital projects.  Section 10 on page 122, which                                                                   
totaled $43.5  million, represented the governor's  remaining                                                                   
FY  12  supplemental  operating   items.  He  explained  that                                                                   
Section 13  was the conglomerated  language section  and that                                                                   
it  included  fund  transfers,  capitalizations,  legislative                                                                   
reappropriations, as well as supplemental  and other language                                                                   
items.  He noted  that under  the  new committee  substitute,                                                                   
$720 million in  capital projects would be added  for a total                                                                   
of $2.63 billion in capital spending.  He pointed out that in                                                                   
Section 1  the Senate  had added 50  percent funding  for the                                                                   
Undergraduate  Engineering   Expansion  Initiative   for  new                                                                   
facilities  at  the  University  of  Alaska's  Anchorage  and                                                                   
Fairbanks  campuses, $29  million  in funding  for the  State                                                                   
Library Archives  Museum (SLAM)  building in Juneau,  as well                                                                   
as several other transportation  and infrastructure projects.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:04:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  REMOVED  his  OBJECTION.  There  being  NO                                                                   
FURTHER OBJECTION, Work Draft 27-GS2600\D was ADOPTED.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  directed  members  to look  over  the  new                                                                   
committee   substitute  and   bring  any   concerns  to   his                                                                   
attention.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
9:05:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.                                                                                           

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB 160 CSSB Version D.pdf SFIN 4/7/2012 1:30:00 PM
SB 160
SB 160 Spreadsheets 040712.pdf SFIN 4/7/2012 1:30:00 PM
SB 160