HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE April 14, 2009 2:45 p.m. 2:45:51 PM CALL TO ORDER Co-Chair Stoltze called the House Finance Committee meeting to order at 2:45 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Mike Hawker, Co-Chair Representative Bill Stoltze, Co-Chair Representative Bill Thomas, Jr., Vice-Chair Representative Allan Austerman Representative Anna Fairclough Representative Les Gara Representative Reggie Joule Representative Mike Kelly Representative Woodie Salmon MEMBERS ABSENT Representative Harry Crawford Representative Richard Foster ALSO PRESENT Speaker John Harris, Sponsor PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE Julie Saupe, President, Anchorage Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Anchorage; Melissa Freeman, Student, Pacific High School, Sitka; Ryan Hill, Teacher, Pacific High School, Sitka; Joseph Martinez, Student, Pacific High School, Sitka; Angel Dotomain, President, Alaska Native Health Board SUMMARY HCR 16 Requesting the Governor to proclaim September 7, 2009, as Senator Daniel Inouye Day. HCR 16 was REPORTED out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation. CSSB 75(FIN) "An Act making and amending appropriations, including capital appropriations, supplemental appropriations, and appropriations to capitalize funds; and providing for an effective date." CSSB 75 (FIN) was heard and HELD in Committee for further consideration. 2:49:00 PM HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 16 Requesting the Governor to proclaim September 7, 2009, as Senator Daniel Inouye Day. SPEAKER JOHN HARRIS, SPONSOR, presented the proclamation recognizing Senator Daniel Inouye. He read from a statement made by Senator Ted Stevens: When you honor Senator Daniel Inouye, you honor a true friend of Alaska. Dan is a close friend I worked closely with for forty years. We were two new Senators serving tow new off-shore states. Senator Inouye is a distinguished American who earned his Congressional Medal of Honor the hard way! It is my privilege to call him my brother - we continue to be close friends. Speaker Harris shared a statement from Senator Lisa Murkowski: Thank you for introducing legislation recognizing Senator Daniel Inouye for his dedication and friendship to Alaska. It is an honor he has earned many times over. Senator Inouye has long been our ally and great friend in the U.S. Senate. I deeply appreciate his commitment to our state and our common causes. We share many. Alaska and Hawaii share a genuine bond having entered the union together as distant territories separated from the contiguous United States. Senator Ted Stevens and Senator Inouye were both involved in the fight for statehood in their perspective territories. Senator Inouye has continued his commitment to Hawaii and Alaska and the nation ever since. He's been an outspoken advocate for the military and a great defender of the rights of Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. He's also supported us in our struggle to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and helped educate the nation on the importance of maintaining a strong military presence in Alaska. It is fitting that the state should honor Senator Inouye on his birthday. He will turn 85 this September 7. I wish him many more. We are blessed to have such an honorable friend stand with us in Congress. He truly has earned the honor of being called Alaska's third senator. Speaker Harris informed the Committee that a statement from Senator Begich was forthcoming. He requested the Committee's support for the resolution. 2:51:59 PM Co-Chair Stoltze commented that the resolution was in the Finance Committee in order to expedite the legislation. He noted that the resolution has no fiscal notes. He thanked Speaker Harris for bringing forth the resolution. 2:53:09 PM Representative Joule shared a personal story about his first encounter with Senator Inouye in 1988. He noted that the Senator has been a good friend to the Alaska Native community. 2:54:37 PM Vice-Chair Thomas MOVED to report HCR 16 out of Committee with individual recommendations. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. HCR 16 was REPORTED out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation. AT-EASE: 2:54:55 PM RECONVENED: 2:58:45 PM CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 75(FIN) "An Act making and amending appropriations, including capital appropriations, supplemental appropriations, and appropriations to capitalize funds; and providing for an effective date." PUBLIC TESTIMONY    JULIE SAUPE, PRESIDENT, ANCHORAGE CONVENTION & VISITOR'S BUREAU, ANCHORAGE, via teleconference, testified in favor of using the cruise ship funds for improvements to the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. She stressed the importance of the Egan Center to cruise line passengers. 3:02:10 PM MELISSA FREEMAN, STUDENT, PACIFIC HIGH SCHOOL, SITKA, via teleconference, testified in favor of major maintenance grants for funding school repairs. She described the repairs needed at her school. 3:04:10 PM RYAN HILL, TEACHER, PACIFIC HIGH SCHOOL, SITKA, via teleconference, agreed with the previous speaker's testimony. He spoke of the reconstruction project needed for Pacific High School which would be funded by SB 75. He described the make up and curriculum of the school. He detailed specific needs, such as new doors and repairs to a leaky ceiling. 3:07:40 PM JOSEPH MARTINEZ, STUDENT, PACIFIC HIGH SCHOOL, SITKA, via teleconference, described the deteriorating condition of the school building. He spoke in favor of funding school maintenance projects. Mr. Hill read letters from Pacific High School students. The first one was from Chris Paul; the second was from Justin Ipock. Both stated support for funds for school maintenance. Co-Chair Stoltze thought the allocation would remain in the budget. 3:11:54 PM ANGEL DOTOMAIN, PRESIDENT, ALASKA NATIVE HEALTH BOARD, via teleconference, described the focus of the Board. She spoke of the $25 million reduction to the Village Safe Water projects, a 33 percent cut. She spoke of the need for the 57 high priority projects and the importance of receiving a federal match. She shared health-related statistics in villages with limited safe water. She requested that the Committee restore the Village Safe Water general funds to half of the federal amount authorized in the governor's amended budget or approximately $26.2 million. 3:16:28 PM Co-Chair Stoltze closed public testimony. SB 75 was heard and HELD in Committee for further consideration. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 3:17 PM.