Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/15/2001 09:41 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
MINUTES
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 15, 2001
9:41 AM
TAPES
SFC-01 # 43, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Pete Kelly convened the meeting at approximately 9:41 AM.
PRESENT
Senator Dave Donley, Co-Chair
Senator Pete Kelly, Co-Chair
Senator Jerry Ward, Vice Chair
Senator Loren Leman
Senator Lyda Green
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Alan Austerman
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Also Attending: REPRESENTATIVE ELDON MULDER; HANS NEIDIG, Staff to
Senator Green
SUMMARY INFORMATION
SB 112-LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN; MENTAL HLTH AUTH
The Committee heard from the sponsor, adopted a committee
substitute and MOVED the bill from Committee.
HB 90-MUNICIPAL SCHOOL BOND REIMBURSEMENT
The Committee heard from the sponsor and the bill was HELD in
Committee.
HOUSE BILL NO. 112
"An Act relating to information and services available to
pregnant women and other persons; and ensuring informed
consent before an abortion may be performed, except in cases
of medical emergency."
This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance
Committee.
Senator Green moved for adoption of CS SB 112 22-LS0423\L, 3/12/01,
as a working draft. Without objection, it was ADOPTED.
HANS NEIDIG, Staff for Senator Green, read a statement into the
record as follows.
SB 112 would place employees of the Alaska Mental Health Trust
Authority (AMHTA) in the exempt service, while establishing a
minimum salary for the Long Term Care Ombudsman.
SB 112 was introduced at the request of the AMHTA to address
concerns about their ability to function efficiently as a
state corporation.
Unlike other state boards, commissions and authorities whose
employees are placed in the exempt service under AS
39.25.110(11), the AMHTA's employees are not in the exempt
service. This is despite the fact that the fiduciary duty owed
to the beneficiaries by the Trust requires that employees
perform at the highest levels of competency, since their
actions could jeopardize the assets and/or management of the
Trust.
Additionally, this legislation establishes a minimum salary
for the Long Term Care Ombudsman at a Range 21. Establishing a
minimum salary of the Long Term Care Ombudsman will help
ensure that a qualified individual can be hired for this
crucial position.
Senator Green pointed out that the MHTA brought a request for this
legislation to the Senate Health, Education and Social Services
Committee. She added that the request is in response to the
relocation of the Long Term Care Ombudsman position to the MHTA.
Senator Hoffman asked why Section 4 was eliminated from the
original bill in the committee substitute. This section allows the
legislation to take effect only if Executive Order 102 takes
effect.
Senator Green shared that the governor had introduced the executive
order that transfers the Long Term Care Ombudsman to the MHTA. She
explained that the deadline in which the legislature could object
to the EO has passed, and therefore the order became effective and
Section 4 is no longer necessary.
Senator Ward offered a motion to report, CS SB 112 22-LS0423\L,
3/12/01 from Committee, with accompanying zero fiscal note from the
Department of Revenue, Mental Health Trust Authority Budget Request
Item (BRU).
There was no objection and the bill MOVED from Committee.
AT EASE 9:45 AM / 9:46 AM
HOUSE BILL NO. 90
"An Act relating to reimbursement of municipal bonds for
school construction; and providing for an effective date."
This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance
Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE ELDON MULDER, Sponsor of the bill, referred to HB
281 and 282 from the previous session, authorizing a bond debt
reimbursement and school construction throughout the state. He
stressed that HB 90 is "purely a clean-up of HB 281. He explained
that when the latter bill was drafted, the intention was for bond
debt reimbursement, not only prospectively, but retroactively as
well for Anchorage and the Northwest Arctic Borough. Instead, he
pointed out, the actual language somehow excluded the retroactive
or "look-back" provision. HB 90, he stated, grants that
authorization as originally intended.
Senator Wilken asked if this fixes the incorrect date included in a
portion of HB 281, which prevented the Anchorage School District
from participating.
Representative Mulder answered that it does and pointed out that
this is the companion bill to SB 2, sponsored by Senator Torgerson
and heard by the Committee earlier in the session.
Co-Chair Kelly noted that there could be some amendments to this
bill. He ordered the bill HELD in Committee.
ADJOURNMENT
Co-Chair Pete Kelly adjourned the meeting at 09:49 AM
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