HOUSE BILL NO. 231 "An Act relating to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission; and providing for an effective date." 1:59:09 PM SYLVAN ROBB, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION, introduced herself. FATE PUTMAN, COMMISSIONER, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES ENTRY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, introduced himself. Representative Wilson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1, 30- GH1053\O.1 (Bullard, 4/2/18)(copy on file): Page 1, lines 4 - 5: Delete "assigning employees of the commission to the classified service;" Page 2, lines 14 - 17: Delete all material. Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. Page 2, line 30: Delete all material. 11 Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. Page 3, lines 5 - 19: Delete all material. Renumber the following bill section accordingly. Representative Kawasaki OBJECTED for discussion. Representative Wilson explained the amendment would not unionize existing employees and would leave them in their existing classification. She reported that based on a survey it appeared to be the will of the employees. Representative Kawasaki WITHDREW his OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment 1 was ADOPTED. 2:00:35 PM Co-Chair Foster MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 2, 30-OH1053\O.5 (Bullard, 4/4/18) (copy on file): Page 2, following line 8: Insert a new bill section to read: "* Sec. 4. AS 16.43.050 is amended to read: Sec. 16.43.050. Qualifications. The commission shall consist of two [THREE] members with a broad range of professional experience, neither [NONE] of whom has a vested economic interest in an interim-use permit, entry permit, commercial fishing vessel or gear, or in any fishery resource processing or marketing business." Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. Page 3, line 2: Delete "sec. 4" Insert "sec. S" Page 3, line 11: Delete "sec. S" Insert "sec. 6" Representative Wilson OBJECTED for discussion. Co-Chair Foster asked one of the departments to explain the amendment that had been brought forward by the administration. Ms. Robb explained one of the primary functions of the bill was to decrease the number of Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) commissioners from three to two. She noted that the change had inadvertently been missed in one location in the bill. The amendment corrected an error to align with the rest of the document. Representative Wilson WITHDREW her OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment 2 was ADOPTED. 2:01:56 PM Co-Chair Foster MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 3, 30-GH1053\O.4 (Bullard, 4/4/18) (copy on file): Page 2, lines 24 - 29: Delete all material and insert: "(d) Except when there is a vacancy as provided in AS 16.43.030(c), the [THE] show cause hearing shall be conducted before a quorum of commissioners and shall be presided over by a hearing officer appointed by the commission who shall rule on the presentation of evidence and other procedural matters. Hearings shall be conducted in accordance with regulations adopted under AS 16.43.110(b)." Representative Wilson OBJECTED for discussion. Co-Chair Foster asked the departments to explain the amendment. Ms. Robb explained the amendment clarified when one of the two commissioner seats was vacant, the commissioner may act alone; however, when both commissioner seats were occupied, one commissioner could not act alone. Representative Wilson WITHDREW her OBJECTION. There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment 3 was ADOPTED. Co-Chair Seaton MOVED conceptual Amendment 1, page 2, lines 12 and 13, which would change the salary range for both CFEC commissioners to 25. Co-Chair Foster asked for verification that the amendment applied to future CFEC commissioners only. Co-Chair Seaton answered in the affirmative. He thought discriminating between salary for commissioners with the same duties was not necessary. He noted there were some legislative staff at a range 24 and he believed the commissioner should be somewhat higher, but a range 27 was $40,000 more than a range 24. He thought the two commissioners should be equal in pay. Representative Wilson OBJECTED for discussion. 2:04:28 PM Co-Chair Foster asked to hear from the departments. Representative Pruitt asked for verification that the amendment would replace "Range 27" with "Range 25" on line 12 and would replace "Range 24" with "Range 25" on line 13. Co-Chair Seaton agreed. Ms. Robb did not have an objection to the conceptual amendment. Representative Wilson WITHDREW her OBJECTION. There being NO OBJECTION, conceptual Amendment 1 was ADOPTED. Representative Guttenberg remarked he had not objected to Amendment 1, which maintained the status of current classified [CFEC] employees. He referenced a letter and a survey [from CFEC employees] received by the committee. He stated it was difficult to see documents of that nature that may not be valid or were done in a way to give the committee the wrong impression. He noted the survey contained 15 or 20 signatures (copy on file). He was concerned about receiving something without a notary or other indication legitimizing the document. He stated that theoretically one person could have created and submitted a document. He thought the committee should be cognizant to make certain something was as it was represented in the future. Vice-Chair Gara reviewed the fiscal note from the Office of the Governor for the Department of Fish and Game (OMB Component Number 471). The reduction in one position resulted in a designated general fund savings of $187,000 in FY 19 through FY 22 and $228,800 starting in FY 23. He thought there would be a forthcoming fiscal note to reflect the passed amendment. Representative Wilson asked whether the bill would move forward with a forthcoming fiscal note to reflect the change of both CFEC commissioner positions to a salary range 25. 2:08:06 PM AT EASE 2:08:29 PM RECONVENED Co-Chair Foster acknowledged Representative Wilson's point. Co-Chair Seaton MOVED to REPORT CSHB 231(FIN) out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying forthcoming fiscal note. CSHB 231(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with "no recommendation" and with one new fiscal impact note from the Office of the Governor for the Department of Fish and Game. 2:09:14 PM AT EASE 2:10:59 PM RECONVENED