HB 28-REGISTRATION OF BOATS: EXEMPTION  10:05:15 AM CHAIR TARR announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 28, "An Act relating to the registration of commercial vessels; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR TARR drew attention to several supporting documents in the committee packet that answer some of the questions asked at the bill's last hearing: 2019 Division of Motor Vehicles Frequently Asked Questions information sheet that explains which boats are exempt from the registration and/or titling requirement; report from Conor Bell, Analyst, Legislative Finance Division, on how vessel receipts are used; Legislative Finance Boat Receipts Allocation Summary; and Legislative Finance Boat Receipts Fund Source Report. 10:06:43 AM THATCHER BROUWER, Staff, Representative Geran Tarr, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the bill sponsor, the House Special Committee on Fisheries, chaired by Representative Tarr, provided answers to questions asked at the previous hearing of HB 28, on 3/23/21. In regard to a question from Representative Kreiss- Tomkins about which boats are exempt from registration, he reported that the boats permanently exempt from registration are lifeboats, boats with no source of power, a boat registered in another state or country that is not operated for more than 90 [consecutive] days in Alaska, as well as a foreign documented boat. Boats exempt from titling include [an undocumented] boat less than 24 feet in length, a boat of any length documented with the U.S. Coast Guard, or a documented vessel that is also exempt from state numbering. MR. BROUWER, regarding questions about where the vessel receipts go, drew attention to the information provided by Conor Bell, Legislative Finance Division [dated 3/24/21]. He related that the total of vessel receipts collected in fiscal year 2020 (FY 20) was approximately $505,000 and the total of titling was approximately $20,000. Of that, $300,000 went to boating safety programs within the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and about $197,000 went to the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED) for the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association which runs a number of boating safety programs for commercial and recreational boaters. The $27,603 remainder went to the derelict vessel prevention program fund. 10:08:51 AM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS remarked that $27,000 is basically nothing, but "when the bill passed there was sort of an understanding." He said he thinks there was a perception when the derelict vessel bill passed that there could be a funding source to help with cleaning up, and Alaska doesn't have one. He shared that he has been thinking about this but didn't come up with any good ideas. CHAIR TARR stated that the aforementioned is helpful. She recalled an incident in Homer where $100,000 had to be spent, which adds perspective to the $27,000 that is left. REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS added that Rachel from the Alaska Harbormasters Association suggested she might follow up because he was interested why the owner was not held accountable and why that still happened given this titling requirement was in place. He offered his understanding that that was what the law was seeking to solve, and his question is why it has not solved the problem, at least in the Homer incident or a similar incident a couple months ago. He stated he does not want to forestall progress on HB 28, but that mentioning it might be helpful to the committee. MR. BROUWER said he would follow up with the Alaska Harbormasters Association and get back to the committee. 10:11:03 AM CHAIR TARR, after ascertaining there were no further questions from committee members, stated the bill was before the committee for discussion and amendments. 10:11:12 AM CHAIR STUTES moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HB 28, labeled 32- LS0229\A.1, Bullard, 3/24/21, which read as follows: Page 2, line 23: Delete "The" Insert "Beginning January 1, 2022, the" Page 3, line 7: Delete all material. Renumber the following bill section accordingly. Page 3, line 8: Delete "Except as provided in sec. 6 of this Act, this" Insert "This" 10:11:23 AM CHAIR TARR objected for purposes of discussion. She requested Mr. Brouwer provide the explanation for Amendment 1. 10:12:32 AM MR. BROUWER explained Amendment 1 was drafted at the request of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) because of concern that under the bill's language CFEC would not be able to collect fees prior to the start of the calendar year. The CFEC typically bills in November and December for coming year, he continued. Amendment 1 would still state that beginning January 1, 2022, CFEC is able to charge those fees, but in Section 6 it deletes the effective date of January 1, 2022, and that is for Section 3 which allows the CFEC to collect those fees. The opinion of the Division of Legal and Research Services was that by deleting that effective date CFEC would be able to collect its fees prior to the first of the year [2022]. 10:13:13 AM DALE KELLEY, Commissioner, Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC), offered CFEC's appreciation for bringing forward Amendment 1, and said the amendment would make it clear for the CFEC. 10:13:35 AM The committee took an at-ease from 10:13 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. to address technical difficulties with the sound system. 10:15:08 AM CHAIR TARR removed her objection to the motion to adopt Amendment 1. There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 10:15:36 AM CHAIR TARR returned to further discussion of HB 28, as amended. 10:15:47 AM REPRESENTATIVE STUTES moved to report HB 28, as amended, with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 28(FSH) was reported from the House Special Committee on Fisheries.