03/30/1994 11:36 AM Senate RLS

                     SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                    
                         March 30, 1994                                        
                           11:36 a.m.                                          
                                                                               
                                                                               
  MEMBERS PRESENT                                                              
                                                                               
 Senator Rick Halford, Chair                                                   
 Senator Steve Rieger, Vice Chair                                              
 Senator George Jacko                                                          
 Senator Suzanne Little                                                        
 Senator Fred Zharoff                                                          
                                                                               
  MEMBERS ABSENT                                                               
                                                                               
 All Members Present                                                           
                                                                               
  COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                           
                                                                               
 SENATE BILL NO. 310                                                           
 "An Act relating to the management and sale of state timber;                  
 relating to the classification of state land that would preclude              
 harvesting of timber or would designate harvesting of timber as an            
 incompatible use; relating to the administration of forest land,              
 proposals for state forest, and the determination of sustained                
 yield; and providing for an effective date."                                  
                                                                               
 HOUSE BILL NO. 529                                                            
 "An Act amending the medical assistance and community developmental           
 disabilities grants appropriations in sec. 38, ch. 65, SLA 1993;              
 and providing for an effective date."                                         
                                                                               
  PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION                                             
                                                                               
     SB 310 - See Resources minutes dated 3/2/94, 3/16/94, 3/22/94             
          and 3/28/94.                                                         
                                                                               
 HB 529 - No previous action to record.                                        
                                                                               
 WITNESS REGISTER                                                              
                                                                               
 Senator Drue Pearce                                                           
 State Capitol                                                                 
 Juneau, AK 99801                                                              
  POSITION STATEMENT:   Offered information on HB 529                          
                                                                               
  ACTION NARRATIVE                                                             
                                                                               
 TAPE 94-4 SIDE A                                                              
 Number 001                                                                    
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN RICK HALFORD called the Senate Rules Committee meeting to            
 order at 11:36 a.m.                                                           
 SENATOR JACKO moved and asked unanimous consent that    SB 310                
 (STATE/PRIVATE/MUNI TIMBER OPERATION/SALE) be approved for                    
 calendaring at the Chair's discretion.   SENATOR LITTLE objected.             
 The roll was taken with the following result:  Senators Jacko,                
 Rieger, Zharoff and Halford voted "Yea" and Senator Little voted              
 "Nay."  The Chair stated the motion carried.                                  
 CHAIRMAN HALFORD brought  HB 529  (APPROP: AMEND CERTAIN FY 94                
 APPROPS) before the committee, and he explained that the bill was             
 before the committee the previous day for a calendaring motion,               
 however, because the Rules Committee is the only committee of                 
 referral in the Senate, it requires a substantive hearing.  He also           
 noted that HB 529 is exactly the same as SB 360, which has passed             
 out of the Senate Finance Committee with all "do pass"                        
 recommendations.                                                              
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN HALFORD opened the public hearing on HB 529.                         
                                                                               
 SENATOR DRUE PEARCE, Co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee,                
 said the legislation was introduced in response to a timing                   
 problem.                                                                      
                                                                               
 In the FY 94 budget the Governor and the Legislature authorized               
 transferring $1.6 million from the Community Developmentally                  
 Disabilities grant appropriation to the Medical Assistance                    
 appropriation.  Project Choice, which is a waiver program, is to              
 finance care for individuals whose care used to funded through the            
 DD grants.  The DD grants had been in the budget of Medical                   
 Assistance.                                                                   
                                                                               
 However, implementation of the waiver program has been                        
 substantially delayed and $400,000 of the $1.6 million has been               
 used to date in FY 94.  At the beginning of 1994, DD grantees were            
 instructed by the department to spend their grants as though $1.6             
 had not been removed from the grant line.  The department assumed             
 each grantee would receive a corresponding payment from waiver                
 benefits, but implementation was delayed so the grantees have not             
 received the anticipated waiver revenue which necessitates this               
 fund transfer.                                                                
                                                                               
 Senator Pearce said there is zero net general fund impact; it                 
 restores $1.2 to the DD grant line for the Medical Assistance                 
 budget so that grantees can complete their 1994 operations.                   
 Section 22 of the FY 94 supplemental bill has been removed because            
 it is no longer necessary with the transfer of funds in HB 529.               
                                                                               
 Senator Pearce also noted that there is an April 1 deadline on the            
 legislation.  The hold-back money, which is $443,500, can only be             
 dispersed on April 1.                                                         
 There being no other witnesses present to testify on HB 529,                  
 CHAIRMAN HALFORD closed the public hearing and stated the bill was            
 available for action by the committee.                                        
                                                                               
 SENATOR RIEGER moved that HB 529 be passed out of committee with              
 individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection, it was so                  
 ordered.                                                                      
                                                                               
 SENATOR RIEGER moved and asked unanimous consent that  be approved            
 for calendaring at the Chair's discretion.  Hearing no objection,             
 it was so ordered.                                                            
 There being no further business to come before the committee, the             
 meeting was adjourned at 11:42 a.m.