HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12 Relating to the Joint Rural Assessment Task Force. Co-Chair Chenault MOVED to ADOPT work draft #24-LS0964\I, Cook, 5/3/05, as the version of the bill before the Committee. Representative Croft OBJECTED to hear the changes. 1:50:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE BILL THOMAS, SPONSOR, explained that many communities in Alaska are going into debt and/or terminating local services because of inadequate State and federal funding. With lack of a sustainable economy that generates revenue necessary to fund local services, those communities are hurting. Representative Thomas believed the Legislature would benefit from a clear picture regarding the current state of these rural communities. The proposed resolution calls on the Legislature to establish a Joint Rural Assessment Task Force. The Task Force would be charged with assessing needs of rural communities and reporting those findings to the Legislature by January 15, 2006. Membership would include: * Six legislators * One designee of the Alaskan Municipal League * One designee of the First Alaskans Institute * One public member Representative Thomas anticipated that the Task Force would draw on the work of several organizations to conduct assessments and develop findings, including recommendations made by Governor Murkowski's Rural Energy Action Council, the Denali Commission's five-Year strategic plan and a community needs assessment report completed by the Alaska Municipal League. The Task Force would conduct hearings in three to five communities across Alaska. 1:54:21 PM Vice-Chair Stoltze supported the idea and asked who the "public members" would be. Representative Thomas replied non-legislative members as chosen by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House. 1:54:58 PM Vice-Chair Stoltze inquired if Representative Thomas expected to have a role in the process. Representative Thomas replied that he would help move it and that he had been invited to three of the communities already to meet with those residents. 1:55:39 PM Representative Thomas pointed out that one meeting was planned for the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Conference scheduled in Fairbanks. Representative Joule inquired about Legislative involvement. Representative Thomas mentioned rather than attaching a fiscal note, there would be private donations coming in to reduce costs. He added that leadership on both sides are participating. 1:57:15 PM Representative Hawker commented on the idea of no fiscal note. Representative Thomas explained that the bill originally had a note; the intent is to zero it out. Representative Croft WITHDREW his OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION, the work draft was adopted. 1:58:29 PM Representative Hawker MOVED to replace fiscal note #1 with a new zero note. There being NO OBJECTION, the note was zeroed and would be accommodated from the existing legislative budget. 1:58:57 PM Representative Kelly encouraged the Task Force look at the issues for decreasing federal funds, unemployment and the sustainability of those communities. Representative Thomas said that was the intent. 2:00:44 PM Representative Hawker MOVED to REPORT CS HCR 12 (CRA) out of Committee with individual recommendations and with the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CS HCR 12 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a new zero note by the Legislative Affairs Agency. 2:02:00 PM