SENATE BILL NO. 26                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act   making  appropriations,   including  capital                                                                    
     appropriations   and   other   appropriations;   making                                                                    
     appropriations to  capitalize funds; and  providing for                                                                    
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:05:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon shared  that  the stated  was facing  an                                                                    
unprecedented  revenue  shortfall.  The most  recent  spring                                                                    
forecast  increased   the  withdrawal  from  savings   at  a                                                                    
projection of  $3.9 billion, by  June 30, 2015. There  was a                                                                    
projected  additional  $4  billion  in FY  16.  The  capital                                                                    
budget  leveraged  federal  dollars; attempted  to  complete                                                                    
projects  that were  already in  the queue;  reduced general                                                                    
fund spending; and  did not add any  additional general fund                                                                    
dollars.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Kelly  MOVED  to   ADOPT  the  proposed  committee                                                                    
substitute  for  SB  26,   Work  Draft  29-GS178\N  (Martin,                                                                    
4/1/15). Co-Chair MacKinnon OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon  thanked her  staff for  the work  on the                                                                    
capital budget.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
LAURA  PIERRE, STAFF,  SENATOR  ANNA  MACKINNON, offered  an                                                                    
overview  of the  capital and  supplemental portions  of the                                                                    
bill.   She  also   addressed  the   money  that   would  be                                                                    
reappropriated  to the  Alaska  Housing Finance  Corporation                                                                    
(AHFC)  account,  and  some  other  items  that  were  added                                                                    
without the use of general fund dollars.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Pierre stated  that the  capital  appropriation in  the                                                                    
bill was  $108.318 million in  UGF; $13.120 in  DGF; $61.233                                                                    
in other funds; and $1.271  billion in federal receipts. The                                                                    
total was $1.457 billion in the capital appropriation.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:07:56 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:09:02 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon  stated  that  the  pause  was  used  to                                                                    
distribute the work draft to those in attendance.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:09:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Pierre  explained that the  supplemental section  of the                                                                    
bill  had $225,000  in UGF  for the  Exxon Valdez  Oil Spill                                                                    
Settlement (EVOSS) funds; $1.5  million in federal receipts;                                                                    
and  $690,000 in  DGF. The  total  supplemental section  was                                                                    
$2.415   million.  She   noted  that   there  were   several                                                                    
reappropriations  that took  old project  funds to  the AHFC                                                                    
account. Those  funds totaled $131.2 million.  She explained                                                                    
that there was additional funding  to Department of Fish and                                                                    
Game (DFG) through the EVOSS  to the Kenai Peninsula Aquatic                                                                    
Ecosystem Restoration  of $8.175 million. There  was also an                                                                    
addition of $500,000 to DFG  in statutory designated program                                                                    
receipts to  leverage $11.250 million  in federal  funds for                                                                    
the  Pittman-Robertson   Act  program.  The  bill   added  a                                                                    
reappropriation request from the  Office of the Governor for                                                                    
Arctic  Policy planning.  The  Department of  Transportation                                                                    
and  Public Facilities  had an  addition of  $33 million  in                                                                    
federal receipts  for the Cape  Blossom Road  Project, which                                                                    
would complete  the road  to the port.  In exchange  for the                                                                    
$33 million,  the state  would receive  $4.1 million  in the                                                                    
Alaska Health Care Commission (AHCC) account.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon REMOVED  her objection.  There being  NO                                                                    
further OBJECTION, Work Draft 29-GS178\N was ADOPTED.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SB  26  was   HEARD  and  HELD  in   committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.