Legislature(2013 - 2014)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/13/2013 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB180 | |
| HCR6 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 180 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HCR 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 13, 2013
9:04 a.m.
9:04:55 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Vice-Chair Fairclough called the Senate Finance Committee
meeting to order at 9:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Pete Kelly, Co-Chair
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Anna Fairclough, Vice-Chair
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Mike Dunleavy
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Senator Donny Olson
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Tammie Wilson; McHugh Pierre, Deputy
Commissioner, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs;
Christine Marasigan, Staff, Senator Kevin Meyer;
Representative Shelley Hughes.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Steve Colligan, E-Terra, LLC, Mat-Su; Ro Bailey, University
of Alaska, Anchorage.
SUMMARY
CSHCR 6(EDT)
EST. LEG. TASK FORCE ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
SCS CSHCR 6(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee
with a "do pass" recommendation and with a new
indeterminate fiscal note from the Legislature.
HB 180 MILITARY YOUTH ACADEMY
HB 180 was REPORTED out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with two previously
published fiscal impact notes: FN3(MVA) and
FN4(EED).
HOUSE BILL NO. 180
"An Act relating to the Alaska Challenge Youth
Academy; and providing for an effective date."
9:05:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TAMMIE WILSON, stated that the objective of
the Alaska Military Youth Academy was to assist young
Alaskans between the ages of 16 and 19, who statistically
are headed for a troubled future, to become self-confident,
contributing citizens of the state. She shared that the
academy offered a 22 week residential program and that upon
completion the cadets were involved in a 12 month after-
care program to further their education, enter the
workforce, or enlist in the military. She said that the
academy had graduated 4000 cadets in the last 20 years; the
academy graduated approximately 300 cadets per year.
She related that the bill would change the name of the
Alaska Military Youth Academy and also change the formula
program. She explained that the academy currently received
7 times the base student allocation (BSA), but should be
funded based on performance.
9:07:27 AM
MCHUGH PIERRE, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY
AND VETERANS AFFAIRS (DMVA), related that the department
had worked closely with the bill sponsors. He stressed that
the academy was one of the best programs in the country. He
believed that the legislation would allow the department
more planning time with their budget cycle. He related that
the current funding formula had been established to allow
the division to grow, which it had. He relayed that the
division now had the ability to remove the "training
wheels" and become more independent. He hoped that the
division could work through the full budget process for the
coming fiscal year and debate the merits of the program.
9:08:48 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough noted fiscal note 3 from DMVA. She
related that the proposed operating funding for FY14 was
$11,074,600.
Mr. Pierre commented that the note reflected that the bill
would have zero impact on the FY14 budget and might not
impact FY15. He said that the bill would impact the way the
money came to the program. He noted the reduction from the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
(DEED)of approximately $4 million in FY14. He stated that
the department would come forward in FY15 to request the
appropriation from the general fund.
9:10:19 AM
Senator Hoffman wondered where the interagency receipts
were being reduced from.
Mr. Pierre explained that instead of appropriating money to
DEED, the funds would be appropriated directly to DMVA.
Senator Hoffman understood that the BSA would not need
funding for academy students.
Mr. Pierre replied in the affirmative. He furthered that
instead of receiving money from the BSA, the department
would receive it directly from the general fund.
9:11:06 AM
AT EASE
9:11:50 AM
RECONVENED
Vice-Chair Fairclough noted fiscal note 4 from DEED. She
wondered if the department was planning of returning year
after year to request the allocation and should the
committee be put on notice that there would be a general
fund request every year.
Mr. Pierre responded that every year the academy would come
back and request a certain amount based on the number of
cadets expected to graduate. He stated that the program
served students who had dropped out of public school and
that that number could fluctuate. He said that the program
served between 9 and 10 percent of the drop out population.
He relayed that the department would address the number of
students each year and how much general fund match would be
appropriate to fund the student population.
Representative Wilson interjected that the academy received
the names of drop outs from school superintendents on a
yearly basis and that the role of DEED was as a pass
through grant.
9:13:41 AM
Senator Olson understood that the students at the academy
currently received 7 times the BSA.
Mr. Pierre explained that the existing formula was 7 times
the BSA, times the number of residential students as of
October 1; plus .6 times the BSA multiplied by the number
of non-residential students as of October 1, minus the
federal match. He said the cost was roughly $35,000 per
graduated student.
9:14:49 AM
Senator Olson noted that roughly 4,000 cadets came through
the academy and 70 percent graduated.
Mr. Pierre replied that there had been a total of 4,000
graduated in 20 years. He said that the academy had
approximately 400 cadets entering the program per year,
with roughly 300 graduates.
9:15:56 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough OPENED public testimony.
Vice-Chair Fairclough CLOSED public testimony.
Senator Bishop MOVED to REPORT HB 180 out of committee with
individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes.
9:16:38 AM
HB 180 was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass"
recommendation and with two previously published fiscal
impact notes: FN3(MVA) and FN4(EED).
9:16:40 AM
AT EASE
9:19:43 AM
RECONVENED
CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 6(EDT)
Recognizing the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Integration at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks as a national leader in unmanned aircraft
research and development; and relating to a Task Force
on Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
9:19:54 AM
Senator Bishop MOVED to ADOPT the proposed committee
substitute for HCR 6, Work Draft 28-LS0655\P, (4/12/13,
Gardner) as a working document.
9:20:07 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough OBJECTED for the purpose of
discussion.
CHRISTINE MARASIGAN, STAFF, SENATOR KEVIN MEYER, discussed
the changes in the current bill. She stated that the two
major changes could be found on Pages 3 and 4 of the
legislation. She explained that on Page 3, line 11, the 15
person task force was changed to a 7 person task force. She
said that Page 4 reflected that the termination date of the
committee had been moved to July 1, 2014.
9:21:06 AM
Senator Olson queried the ultimate goal of the taskforce.
Ms. Marasigan deferred the question to the bill sponsor.
Senator Olson understood that the CS had changed the number
of people on the taskforce and the termination date, but
had not altered the original purpose of the taskforce.
Ms. Marasigan replied in the affirmative.
9:21:57 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough WITHDREW her OBJECTION. There being
NO further OBJECTION, Work Draft 28-LS0655\P was ADOPTED.
9:22:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SHELLEY HUGHES, appreciated the changes
proposed in the CS. She said that the legislative taskforce
would be responsible for providing policy recommendations
for the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Integration. She said that with emerging technology certain
laws had to be revisited in order to ensure that the safety
and privacy of Alaskans. She stated that constituents had
expressed concern about the use of military drones. She
relayed that she had researched drones and had discovered
that the technology could be used for good; she believed it
was important to embrace the technology for the purpose of
doing good. She thought that the aircraft could be used to
save lives and cited an instance where a drone was used to
locate a downed aircraft near Bethel. She stated that as
the unmanned aircraft were integrated into national
airspace the field would grow from 70,000 to 100,000 jobs
nationwide in the next three years. She stressed that
because Alaska was go far ahead in this field than the rest
of the country, the economic rewards to the state could be
substantial. She said that the taskforce would examine
privacy concerns as well as the application and use of the
unmanned aircraft and potential unmanned aircraft use in
the private sector.
9:26:03 AM
AT EASE
9:26:52 AM
RECONVENED
Vice-Chair Fairclough discussed the fiscal note.
Senator Dunleavy pointed out to the committee that the
fiscal note still reflected a 13 member taskforce.
Vice-Chair Fairclough noted that fiscal note 2 had replaced
fiscal note 1. She stated that there had been concern that
the committee would cost money; the legislation stated that
taskforce members would be allowed travel and per diem. She
understood that the costs would be absorbed and no
additional funds would be needed.
Representative Shelly Hughes agreed.
Vice-Chair Fairclough OPENED public testimony.
9:28:37 AM
STEVE COLLIGAN, E-TERRA, LLC, MAT-SU (via teleconference),
testified in support of HCR 6. He believed that the
technology would revolutionize data gathering. He said that
the evolution of the industry should be integrated into
Alaska law in order to craft meaningful legislation that
protected the public.
9:33:19 AM
Senator Olson queried the maximum altitude that the drones
could reach.
Mr. Colligan replied that the ceiling was restricted at 400
feet. He added that certain aircraft had a weight limit as
well.
9:35:30 AM
RO BAILEY, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), explained that the range and altitude
consult for unmanned aircraft system was the same as any
manned aircraft system. She said that the ones that the
university had been working with were generally much
smaller, less than 55 pounds, but capable of significant
altitudes. She stated that the drones used by the military
could go up to an excess of 60,000 feet. She stressed that
no unmanned aircraft system could enter the national
airspace system without extensive study by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). She said that test sites
were designed to completely develop the processes and
procedures to ensure that manned aviation was safe at all
times when the operation of unmanned aircraft systems was
expanded beyond public entities to private and commercial
entities.
9:37:44 AM
Senator Olson wondered about the plans for dealing with out
of control drones.
Ms. Bailey replied that jam proof communication systems
were being discussed to reduce the probability of a drone
being taken over. She added that the aircraft would undergo
significant testing and extensive, well protected software
would be used in the drone, which would cause the autopilot
to make specific and known actions. She shared that the
drones would ultimately have a system onboard with a
separate and secure communication like that would allow the
drone to be forcibly crashed.
9:41:36 AM
Senator Olson assumed that the taskforce would address the
issue of drones colliding with manned aircraft.
Representative Hughes replied in the affirmative.
Vice-Chair Fairclough returned the gavel to Senator Meyer.
9:43:17 AM
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.
Vice-Chair Fairclough MOVED to REPORT HCR 6 out of
committee with individual recommendations and a forthcoming
amended fiscal note.
SCS CSHCR 6(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with a new indeterminate fiscal
note from the Legislature.
Co-Chair Meyer discussed housekeeping.
9:44:58 AM
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
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