Legislature(1993 - 1994)
04/27/1993 02:55 PM Senate L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE LABOR AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE
April 27, 1993
2:55 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Tim Kelly, Chairman
Senator Steve Rieger, Vice Chairman
Senator Bert Sharp
Senator Georgianna Lincoln
Senator Judy Salo
MEMBERS ABSENT
All Present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CS FOR SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 249(STA) am
"An Act reestablishing the Board of Electrical Examiners and
extending the termination date of the Board of Mechanical
Examiners; relating to electrical and mechanical
administrators; and providing for an effective date."
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 158(L&C)
"An Act making appropriations for contract settlement costs
and cost-of-living adjustments for public employees who are
members of certain collective bargaining units; and
providing for an effective date."
HOUSE BILL NO. 54
"An Act relating to eavesdropping, telephone caller
identification, and telephone directory listings and
solicitations."
SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 196
"An Act relating to the state employment preference for
veterans and prisoners of war."
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
HB 249 - No previous action to record.
HB 158 - See Labor & Commerce minutes dated 4/22/93.
HB 54 - No previous action to record.
HB 196 - No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Representative Gary Davis
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99811-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 249
Charles Mahlen, Commissioner
Department of Labor
P.O. Box 21149
Juneua, Alaska 99802-1149
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 249.
Josh Fink, Legislative Aide
to Senator Kelly
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99811-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 249.
Mr. White
Unidentified
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HB 249.
Nancy Usera, Commissioner
Department of Administration
P.O. Box 110200
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0200
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HB 158.
Represenatative Kay Brown
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99811-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 54.
Tom Roy, Executive Director
Alaska Telephone Association
3305 Arctic Blvd., #102
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed HB 54.
Cindy Smith
Alaska Network on Domestic Violence &
Sexual Assault
419 6th, #116
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported HB 54.
George Dozier, Legislative Aide
to Representative Pete Kott
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99811-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 196.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-30, SIDE A
Number 001
SENATOR KELLY called the Senate Labor and Commerce meeting
to order at 2:55 p.m. and announced CSSSHB 249(STA)
(ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, TRADESPERSONS) to be up for
consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE GARY DAVIS, prime sponsor of HB 249, said
this bill addresses a problem that he sees as an emergency.
On August 31, 1993 all electrical administrators licensed in
the state, about 600, will expire. He said an electrical
administrator is a master tradesperson who is above the
journeyman level in electrical installations. He insures
that electrical systems are installed according to code.
CHARLES MAHLEN, Commissioner, Department of Labor, explained
that the Electrical Examiners Board sunseted June 30, 1992.
Since then there has been no method to regulate or supervise
the people in the field.
Number 142
SENATOR SALO wanted to know the reason for the two year
period for having a lapsed license. COMMISSIONER MAHLEN
said it is hard to get the examination and there are a lot
of people whose licenses have expired since last year.
SENATOR SALO commented that even if the Board is
reestablished, there is still a long period of allowable
lapse time in statute.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked him to comment on the difference in
the two fiscal notes. COMMISSIONER MAHLEN explained the
latest fiscal note was lower because they added a clerk
rather than an inspector.
JOSH FINK, Legislative Aide for Senator Kelly, explained the
Senate Labor & Commerce SCS. He said there were basically
four changes. It transfers the Board of Mechanical
Examiners and the Board of Electrical Examiners from the
Department of Commerce and Economic Development to the
Department of Labor. Secondly, it would reduce the
extension of the Boards from June 30, 1996 to June 30, 1994.
A representative from the Department of Commerce said the
Governor's office made a decision on this legislation so
they had no position.
Speaking to the third change, MR. FINK explained that there
was a repealer in the previous version that eliminated the
requirement that electrical administrators be limited to one
licensed contractor. It also repealed the requirement that
mechanical administrators be limited to one licensed
contractor. It repealed the class B misdemeanor for failure
to appear in court to answer a citation.
The fourth change was the addition of an immediate effective
date.
Number 279
SENATOR LINCOLN commented that by taking out the language,
"shall reside in different judicial districts" leaves the
appointees to be from one community. She wanted an
amendment saying that each member shall reside in a
different judicial district of the state.
REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS said that although the district are
structured very strange, they didn't have a problem with it
per se.
SENATOR KELLY suggested inserting that one of the three has
to be from a community with a population of less than 5,000
people.
SENATOR KELLY made a conceptual amendment that the
appointees had to come from different geographical areas.
There were no objections and the amendment was adopted.
MR. WHITE supported HB 249.
SENATOR SALO asked why the sunset period was shortened. MR.
FINK explained it was the intent that next year the powers
of the Board would be transferred to the Department of Labor
as part of the effort to reduce the number of Boards.
SENATOR KELLY asked if there should be concern over the
four-year licensing term. REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS explained
there have been attempts to renew licenses from various
individuals. Four years would cover those that he is
personally aware of that have made these attempts. The
licenses would be renewed upon proof of continued
competency.
Number 392
SENATOR SHARP moved to adopt SCS CSSS HB 249(L&C) as
amended. SENATOR SALO objected because she liked the other
version of the bill better than the SCS. SENATOR SHARP,
SENATOR RIEGER, and SENATOR KELLY voted to adopt the SCS and
SENATOR SALO and SENATOR LINCOLN voted against its adoption.
The Chairman stated the Labor & Commerce SCS was adopted.
SENATOR SHARP moved to pass SCS CSSS HB 249(L&C) from
committee. There were no objections and it was so ordered.
Number 429
SENATOR KELLY announced CSHB 158(L&C) (APPROP: CONTRACT
SETTLEMENT COSTS) to be up for consideration.
NANCY USERA, Commissioner, Department of Administration,
explained the Labor & Commerce SCS. It includes the terms
and conditions of the Centralized Correspondence Education
Association Contract which was agreed to and ratified by the
membership of that group within the last couple of weeks.
SENATOR RIEGER moved to adopt SCS CSHB 158(L&C). There were
no objections and it was so ordered.
SENATOR RIEGER moved to pass SCS CSHB 158(L&C) from
committee. There were no objections and it was so ordered.
Number 480
SENATOR KELLY announced HB 54 (TELEPHONE CONSUMER
PROTECTION)
to be up for consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE KAY BROWN said there was a need to pass this
legislation so that the caller I.D. service could be
provided without charge to the customer for both blocking
the line on a per call and per line basis. She said the
bill was requested by the people in the domestic violence
community. It is also of concern to doctors, law
enforcement, and other professionals, who for various
reasons, may not want their number divulged.
REPRESENTATIVE BROWN said this is mainly a service for the
use of telemarketing. She thinks it reasonable that people
who don't want to participate can have their privacy
protected without having to pay extra for not having the
service.
TOM ROY, Executive Director, Alaska Telephone Association,
said that the telephone industry stands in the forefront of
privacy protection. He said they wouldn't allow any entity
to suffer unduly from any service they provide them.
TAPE 93-30, SIDE B
Number 580
He asked if every new service or feature would be subject to
legislative treatment the way this one has, before the
telephone industry can even propose delivery. He said they
also have to answer to the APUC.
MR. ROY said a recent survey conducted by the Anchorage
Telephone Utilities said 80.3 percent of their customers
believed they had the right to view the telephone number of
the caller before answering the phone.
If this bill does move forward, the telephone utilities have
no problem with blocking on a per call basis or per line
blocking. They asked, however, to insert the word "initial"
after the "without" on line 7. He explained that experience
in other states has taught them that people move in and out
of line blocking and there is an administrative cost to
allowing frequent movement which they would like to charge
for. They would like to be able to charge a standard
service fee for line blocking the second and third time
around.
Number 532
SENATOR SALO asked if they couldn't charge a fee for opting
back into the service after you had opted out. MR. ROY said
they would like to charge for the second and third times
around.
SENATOR RIEGER asked why there is so much movement in and
out of line blocking. MR. ROY said people who have their
lines blocked don't realize how much trouble it is and
change their minds.
SENATOR LINCOLN asked how blocking was reversed. MR. ROY
explained a technician would have to go to the "central
office" and reprogram that number. It would take about 20
minutes.
SENATOR SHARP asked if he knew of any other place that had
statutory regulation of service offered by a utility instead
of going to the APUC. MR. ROY said he didn't know of any,
although there probably was. He added that before they
offer caller I.D., they have to go through a tariffing
process that will last at least 90 days. If the APUC does
their job well, they will have to prove every facet of that
tariff. The public has ample opportunity during those times
to have all the input they want.
SENATOR SALO asked if people could testify to the APUC that
Alaska doesn't want the service at all. He answered yes.
SENATOR SALO asked what the charge was going to be. MR. ROY
said it would be an average of $4.50 per month to $6.95 per
month.
Number 392
CINDY SMITH, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual
Assault, said that 13 states offer free per line call
blocking. About five states have regulated by statute the
introduction of caller I.D. primarily because it is such a
major change in the type of service that you get from the
phone company and the privacy issues that result from it.
She said the market is very small for this service and seems
to be commercial.
The Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
relies very heavily on volunteers and phone contact with
victims. They would need to be able to block their number
so as not to endanger a client. They support the bill and
think it is real important for the safety of women and
children.
SENATOR SALO said that people should not have to pay for not
having a service.
SENATOR SHARP said he thought the APUC should handle the
whole issue. He is against statutory regulations for any
services.
SENATOR RIEGER said he didn't see how the bill would hurt
anything.
SENATOR LINCOLN said she supported the bill without
"initial" in it.
Number 292
SENATOR SHARP asked if the APUC has this scheduled. MR. ROY
said the APUC is accepting comments on it, but that is all
they have done.
SENATOR KELLY said he wanted assurance from Representative
Brown that she wouldn't allow this to turn into a phone wars
bill before going further with it.
SENATOR KELLY announced SSHB 196 (STATE EMPLOYMENT VETERANS
PREFERENCE) to be up for consideration.
GEORGE DOZIER, Legislative Aide to Representative Kott,
commented on the bill. He said HB 196 removes the
limitation on the use of the points. It has overwhelming
support in the House.
SENATOR RIEGER asked if this says a veteran gets a
preference over non-state employees, but not a preference
over state employees. MR. DOZIER said it does not mean
that. It has the effect of culling out the use of points
for promotion purposes.
Number 122
SENATOR SHARP moved to pass SSHB 196 from committee with
individual recommendations. There were no objections and it
was so ordered.
SENATOR KELLY adjourned the meeting at 4:25 p.m.
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