ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON JHB104  April 15, 2012 7:48 p.m. HOUSE MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Bill Thomas, Chair Representative Les Gara Representative Alan Austerman HOUSE MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT  Senator Lyman Hoffman, Chair Senator Joe Thomas Senator Kevin Meyer SENATE MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  HOUSE BILL NO. 104 "An Act renaming the Alaska performance scholarship and relating to the scholarship and tax credits applicable to contributions to the scholarship; establishing the Alaska performance scholarship investment fund and the Alaska performance scholarship award fund and relating to the funds; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED CCS HB 104 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HB 104 SHORT TITLE: ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIPS SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR 01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/18/11 (H) EDC, FIN 02/09/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/09/11 (H) Heard & Held 02/09/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 02/14/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/14/11 (H) Heard & Held 02/14/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 02/21/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/21/11 (H) Heard & Held 02/21/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 02/25/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/25/11 (H) 02/28/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/28/11 (H) Heard & Held 02/28/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 03/07/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 03/07/11 (H) Heard & Held 03/07/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 03/16/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 03/16/11 (H) Heard & Held 03/16/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 03/21/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 03/21/11 (H) Moved CSHB 104(EDC) Out of Committee 03/21/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC) 03/23/11 (H) EDC RPT CS(EDC) NT 2DP 4AM 03/23/11 (H) DP: SEATON, DICK 03/23/11 (H) AM: CISSNA, P.WILSON, PRUITT, FEIGE 03/30/11 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 03/30/11 (H) Scheduled But Not Heard 04/07/11 (H) FIN AT 8:30 AM HOUSE FINANCE 519 04/07/11 (H) Heard & Held 04/07/11 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 04/07/11 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 04/07/11 (H) Heard & Held 04/07/11 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 04/12/11 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) NT 2DP 7NR 2AM 04/12/11 (H) DP: GUTTENBERG, GARA 04/12/11 (H) NR: T.WILSON, EDGMON, JOULE, COSTELLO, DOOGAN, STOLTZE, THOMAS 04/12/11 (H) AM: FAIRCLOUGH, NEUMAN 04/12/11 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 04/12/11 (H) Moved CSHB 104(FIN) Out of Committee 04/12/11 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 04/14/11 (H) RLS AT 4:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/14/11 (H) Moved CSHB 104(RLS) Out of Committee 04/14/11 (H) MINUTE(RLS) 04/15/11 (H) RLS RPT CS(RLS) NT 1DP 5NR 1AM 04/15/11 (H) DP: GATTO 04/15/11 (H) NR: CHENAULT, AUSTERMAN, TUCK, OLSON, JOHNSON 04/15/11 (H) AM: GRUENBERG 04/15/11 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 04/15/11 (H) VERSION: CSHB 104(RLS) 04/16/11 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 04/16/11 (S) FIN 04/18/11 (H) SPECIAL SESSION BILL 04/18/11 (S) SPECIAL SESSION BILL 04/19/11 (S) FIN AT 11:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532 04/19/11 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 01/18/12 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532 01/18/12 (S) Heard & Held 01/18/12 (S) MINUTE(FIN) 02/15/12 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532 02/15/12 (S) Heard & Held 02/15/12 (S) MINUTE(FIN) 03/05/12 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532 03/05/12 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 03/30/12 (S) FIN RPT SCS 3DP 3NR NEW TITLE 03/30/12 (S) DP: THOMAS, EGAN, ELLIS 03/30/12 (S) NR: STEDMAN, HOFFMAN, OLSON 03/30/12 (S) FIN AT 9:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532 03/30/12 (S) Moved SCS CSHB 104(FIN) Out of Committee 03/30/12 (S) MINUTE(FIN) 04/12/12 (S) VERSION: SCS CSHB 104(FIN) 04/14/12 (H) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED 04/14/12 (H) THOMAS (CHAIR), AUSTERMAN, GARA 04/14/12 (S) RECEDE MESSAGE READ AND TAKEN UP 04/14/12 (S) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED 04/14/12 (S) HOFFMAN (CHAIR), MEYER, THOMAS 04/14/12 (H) HB104 AT 6:00 PM SENATE FINANCE 532 04/14/12 (S) -- MEETING CANCELED -- 04/15/12 (H) HB104 AT 8:45 AM FAHRENKAMP 203 04/15/12 (H) HB104 AT 2:00 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 WITNESS REGISTER No witnesses to record ACTION NARRATIVE 7:48:06 PM CHAIR BILL THOMAS called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. Representatives Thomas and Gara, and Austerman; and Senators Hoffman, Meyer, and Thomas were present at the call to order. HB 104-ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIPS  7:48:42 PM CHAIR THOMAS announced that the only order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 104, "An Act renaming the Alaska performance scholarship and relating to the scholarship and tax credits applicable to contributions to the scholarship; establishing the Alaska performance scholarship investment fund and the Alaska performance scholarship award fund and relating to the funds; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR THOMAS stated that the conference committee received the requested limited powers of free conference, enabling members to consider and amend the following aspects of the bill: Sections 3-7 and 30, relating to a high school diploma by examination; Sections 4 and 5, relating to the course requirement waiver; Section 11, relating to the funding "waterfall"; Sections 11 and 13, relating to the funding formula; and Section 13, relating to the payout mechanism. 7:49:01 PM SENATOR HOFFMAN moved to adopt CCS HB 104, Version 27-GH1893\G, Mischel, 4/15/12. CHAIR THOMAS objected for purposes of discussion. 7:49:23 PM The committee took an at-ease from 7:49 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. 7:50:47 PM SENATOR HOFFMAN explained the changes made to the working document, Senate Version S, as incorporated in the proposed Version G, which are: adopts the 2/3 scholarship 1/3 grants concept from Version S, as a defined split of the total funding; the payout mechanism is changed from 10 to 7 percent; the course requirement waiver provision in Section 5 allows 24 versus 12 months for students to complete academic requirements; all references to a high school diploma by examination (GED)[general educational development] have been removed; and the "waterfall" provisions are removed, thus returning all excess funds from both the scholarship and grants accounts to the Alaska Higher Education Investment Fund. 7:51:58 PM The committee took an at-ease from 7:51 p.m. to 7:55 p.m. 7:55:56 PM SENATOR HOFFMAN moved to have the following language appropriately reinserted into the proposed Version G [original punctuation provided]: (e) If an insufficient number of applicants apply for the available amount reserved under (d) of this section, the commission shall redeposit the remaining amount in the account from which the funds originated. Hearing no objection, the amendment was adopted. 7:56:50 PM CHAIR THOMAS removed his objection to CCS HB 104. There being no further objection, Version G was before the committee. 7:57:35 PM SENATOR HOFFMAN moved to report CCS HB 104, 27-GH1893\G out of committee, as amended. Without objection, it was so ordered. 7:57:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the Conference Committee on HB 104 meeting was adjourned at 7:57 p.m.