ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE  March 12, 2009 9:03 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Linda Menard, Chair Senator Kevin Meyer, Vice Chair Senator Hollis French Senator Albert Kookesh Senator Joe Paskvan MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR    SENATE BILL NO. 113 "An Act increasing the compensation of members of the Alaska Public Offices Commission; and providing for an effective date." MOVED SB 113 OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 94 "An Act relating to employment in certain facilities maintained by the United States Antarctic Program as allowable absences from the state for purposes of eligibility for permanent fund dividends; and providing for an effective date." MOVED CSSB 94(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 130 "An Act establishing the Alaska Economic Stimulus, Stability, and Job Security Taskforce; and providing for an effective date." MOVED CSSB 130(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7 am Relating to awarding the Alaska Decoration of Honor to certain members of the military. MOVED SCS HCR 7(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: SB 113 SHORT TITLE: INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR APOC MEMBERS SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) MEYER 02/19/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/19/09 (S) STA, FIN 03/11/09 (S) STA WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23 03/12/09 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 BILL: SB 94 SHORT TITLE: PFD ALLOWABLE ABSENCE: ANTARCTIC PROGRAM SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) ELTON 02/04/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/04/09 (S) STA, FIN 03/03/09 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 03/03/09 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 03/12/09 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 BILL: SB 130 SHORT TITLE: ECONOMIC STIMULUS TASKFORCE SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) MCGUIRE 02/27/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/27/09 (S) STA, FIN 03/11/09 (S) STA WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23 03/12/09 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 BILL: HCR 7 SHORT TITLE: DECORATION OF HONOR SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) DAHLSTROM 02/11/09 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/11/09 (H) MLV 02/24/09 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124 02/24/09 (H) Moved Out of Committee 02/24/09 (H) MINUTE(MLV) 02/25/09 (H) MLV RPT 6DP 02/25/09 (H) DP: LYNN, KAWASAKI, OLSON, HARRIS, BUCH, GATTO 02/25/09 (H) ENGROSSED AND SIGNED 02/27/09 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 02/27/09 (H) VERSION: HCR 7 AM 03/02/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/02/09 (S) STA 03/11/09 (S) STA WAIVED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE, RULE 23 03/12/09 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BELTZ 211 WITNESS REGISTER HOLLY HILL, Executive Director Alaska Public Offices Commission Department of Administration Anchorage AK POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of SB 113. RACHAEL PETRO, Deputy Commissioner Department of Administration Anchorage AK POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of SB 113. KRISTEN BRESSETTE, Staff to Senate District B Alaska State Legislature Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 94. LEE PARKER South Pole, Antarctica POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in favor of SB 94. WILLIAM HENDRICKSON McMurdo Station, Antarctica POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in favor of SB 94. SENATOR LESIL MCGUIRE Alaska State Legislature Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 130 as sponsor. LARRY PERSILY, Staff to the House Finance Committee Alaska State Legislature Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of SB 130. JEREMY WOODROW, Communications Coordinator Alaska Municipal League (AML) Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of SB 130. BRENDA HEWITT, President United Way of Southeast Alaska Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of SB 130. LAURA PIERRE, Staff to Representative Nancy Dahlstrom Alaska State Legislature Juneau AK POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HCR 7. MCHUGH PIERRE, Legislative Liaison Department of Military and Veteran Affairs Fort Richardson AK POSITION STATEMENT: Explained HCR 7. ACTION NARRATIVE  9:03:01 AM CHAIR LINDA MENARD called the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. Senators French, Meyer, Paskvan, and Menard were present at the call to order. Senator Kookesh arrived soon thereafter. SB 113-INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR APOC MEMBERS  CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of SB 113. SENATOR MEYER said he is the sponsor of SB 113, which will increase the honorarium received by the Alaska Public Office Commission (APOC) members from $50 to $150 per meeting day. APOC administers laws upholding the public's right to know the financial affairs of lobbyists and public officials. It is a five-member volunteer commission that oversees campaign finance laws, including issuing formal advisory opinions, adjudicating civil penalties for late filing, assessing penalties for non compliance, recommending removals, and adjudicating complaints. The work by the agency is subject to appeal by the superior court, so work must be done thoroughly. APOC's responsibilities have expanded over the years, but the pay has stayed the same since 1975. The proposed increase is in line with other state boards and commissions. The workload and the scrutiny that the board has to face deserve appropriate compensation. 9:06:55 AM HOLLY HILL, Executive Director, Alaska Public Offices Commission, Department of Administration (DOA), said last year 17 complaints were filed with APOC compared with 3 from the year before. There were 9 advisory opinion requests. This year there have already been 7 requests. SB 113 will help attract and maintain qualified and dedicated commissioners. CHAIR MENARD asked if complaints increase in election years. MS. HILL said yes, but it is still an increase over previous election years. 9:08:43 AM RACHAEL PETRO, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Administration, said the department supports SB 113. SENATOR FRENCH said he has a matter pending before APOC, and he believes he will be fined, but was also told that the commission could change its mind. He wants that on the record. SENATOR KOOKESH moved to report SB 113 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, SB 113 moved out of committee. 9:11:35 AM The committee took a brief at-ease. SB 94-PFD ALLOWABLE ABSENCE: ANTARCTIC PROGRAM  CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of SB 94. She noted there is a draft committee substitute (CS). 9:13:44 AM KRISTEN BRESSETTE, Staff, to Senate District B, Alaska State Legislature, said SB 94 would create a Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) allowable absence for Alaskans who are employed in Antarctica with the United States Antarctic Program. This small group of Alaskans works seasonally and returns to their primary residences in Alaska. The income they earn in Antarctica is predominantly spent here. These Alaskans have residences in Anchorage, Denali Park, Eagle River, Hope, Juneau, McKinley Village, Moose Pass, Soldotna, Sutton, and Talkeetna. The bill includes a provision that workers must return to Alaska within 30 days of leaving Antarctica. The Antarctic program is funded by the National Science Foundation. All but one of these Alaskans works for Raytheon Polar Services Corporation. One works for the National Science Foundation. NANA regional corporation and Alaska-based RSA Engineering are subcontractors. Work contracts average six months. Nine Alaskans are working in Antarctica this winter. PFD applicants must demonstrate the intent to return to Alaska. All of these workers do so. 9:15:48 AM SENATOR FRENCH asked how many people fit into this category. MS. BRESSETTE said she estimates there are 20 to 25 individuals. LEE PARKER, South Pole, Antarctica, said she has been a resident of Alaska for 33 years. Her vehicle is licensed in Alaska and in her Alaskan garage. She has voted in almost all Alaskan elections since 1976. Antarctica is often called "the ice." All but 140 pounds of her worldly goods and her pets are in Alaska. Jury duty can be demanded of her. She can pay resident tuition at Alaskan schools. "I'm an Alaskan." She is stationed at the South Pole and will work nine cold, dark months. She will return to Juneau, which isn't as cold and dark. She has worked in the Antarctic program since 2000 and always returned home soon after each contract ended. There is no such thing as a permanent job in Antarctica. No one can stay longer than 14 months. She gets homesick for her pets and friends. Most of her ice-earned income is spent in Alaska. One percent of her income stays in Antarctica because all her costs are covered. There is little opportunity to spend money there. She wants the PFD, which will be spent in Alaska. 9:21:45 AM WILLIAM HENDRICKSON, McMurdo Station, Antarctica, said he recently purchased a home in Eagle River, but he needed his sister to be his power to attorney. He has lived in Alaska since 1961 excluding four years. He has spent over five years in Antarctica, "but essentially I always come back to the state of Alaska." He spends his money in Alaska. He sold a home two years ago. He was working for RSA Engineering, an Anchorage firm, and was tasked to go to Antarctica to do inspections. Then he went back as the winter manager for Raytheon. He represented Alaska in that fairly significant position at South Pole Station. He came back as a station manager for the National Science Foundation in McMurdo. This is his fourth season in that job, which lasts about six and a half months. He is a registered voter in Alaska, but he has missed a few elections. The money is not that important because he makes a fairly significant amount of money. Not getting the PFD money makes a person in Antarctica feel like less of an Alaska citizen. 9:26:17 AM SENATOR FRENCH moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) to SB 94, labeled 26-LS0371\E, as the working document. There being no objection, Version E was before the committee. SENATOR FRENCH moved to report the CS of SB 94 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, CSSB 94 (STA) moved out of committee. 9:27:29 AM The committee took a brief at-ease. SB 130-ECONOMIC STIMULUS TASKFORCE  9:29:00 AM CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of SB 130. SENATOR LESIL MCGUIRE, Alaska State Legislature, said she is the sponsor of SB 130, which is a tool for analyzing the Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that contains almost $1 trillion to be spread among the states. It is coming to Alaska very rapidly with some complex rules and deadlines. The first deadline was March 10. There have been people in this building hard at work to understand this stimulus package and what Alaskans can do to respond to its deadlines. The bill is not aimed at embarrassing anyone or to imply that nothing has been done. The bill responds to the rapid nature of ARRA without a logical place for the public to turn to, and it will help communications between the administration and the legislature. Larry Persily, in the House, and Steve Porter, in the Senate, are lead staff working on ARRA. The governor has appointed Karen Rehfeld as the lead from the Office of Management and Budget. Alaska has responded to ARRA regarding transportation and infrastructure. The next deadline is April 3, and it includes education and Medicaid. 9:32:01 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said she was in Washington DC last week and discussed ARRA. She wants SB 130 to go to the finance committee where it can be considered with other tools and strategies for using ARRA. The narrower scope is the third portion of the stimulus package and pertains to competitive grants. There are grants with large pots of money to be applied for across the United States with a myriad of dates and deadlines. There are 33 pots of money for renewable energy, hunger, and more. Alaska's municipalities and nonprofits are eligible for many of these grants. The taskforce can oversee the distribution of the grants. The bill suggests that the taskforce consist of three members each from the House and Senate, two members from the administration, and one from the Alaska Municipal League. 9:34:06 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said the taskforce could be set up for the interim as a natural place for people to go for information exchange. One concern stems from individuals from outside who announced they had already begun applying for Alaska's portion of the energy funds to develop algae biomass energy. Savvy people may be ahead of the curve and in possession of information that Alaska lacks. A taskforce is not the magic answer but has gotten a lot of traction from the public. There is concern about the money from the stimulus package. 9:36:01 AM CHAIR MENARD asked how many other states have a taskforce. SENATOR MCGUIRE said many states have, including Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland. About 30 percent of the states are using the taskforce model, which are largely organized with members of the legislatures and the administrations. Some were created by an assembly or through the governor, and some states include members of the public. The committee could consider that. This is not an original idea. The majority of states have some organized method of responding to ARRA. 9:37:49 AM CHAIR MENARD said Alaska has money and skilled people. She has some reservations because she recognizes "the quality of financial people that we do have, even in this building." SENATOR FRENCH said he thinks this is a wonderful idea. There is no clear central entity steering this money and that is unfortunate. It looks like April 3 is a crucial date. He asked what the taskforce will do after that date. 9:39:26 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said this bill has been referred to two committees, which made that date null and void for the taskforce. It can deal with the myriad of deadlines for the competitive grants that occur in May, June, August, September, December, and January. At this stage, Larry Persily, Steve Porter, and the co-chairs of the finance committees will have the leadership for the April 3 date. This taskforce will begin right after legislative session on April 19 by gathering information and distributing it to communities and nonprofits. That money doesn't come through the state; it comes directly to the boroughs and nonprofits, which makes it more onerous. The taskforce will help guide folks who do not have financial savvy and experience. The legislature will be held accountable in the end. "If we want to put our hands up and say you folks out there apply for it and so on, if they miss deadlines, if the money goes to people from outside who are more savvy or snake oil salesmen ... we, the elected members of the House and Senate, are going to be held accountable anyway." 9:42:26 AM SENATOR FRENCH asked about the existing entities that could do the work, including Senator Meyer who chairs the joint Legislative Budget and Audit Committee. "Why wouldn't that be the perfect interim entity to do this work? 9:43:20 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said that could be the place, but there are no members of the public or the municipal league. She is just looking for someone to recognize the magnitude of this and take the reins. If the bill moves to the next committee it will keep the pressure and momentum for the topic. If Senator Meyer is designated the czar of Alaska competitive grants, she would be grateful. He and his committee would be well-suited. SENATOR PASKVAN asked about the act being repealed in July 2009. SENATOR MCGUIRE said that needs to be changed. SENATOR PASKVAN asked if February 1, 2010, would be better. 9:44:56 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said that is a good question. The bill was drafted to set up a framework right away. There are dates that go through 2012, but the drop-dead date is January 1, 2011. It could be left until the taskforce finishes its work. She suggested repealing it in April 2010. SENATOR PASKVAN said that is appropriate. SENATOR MEYER said this is a concept that should be considered. There are a lot of people working on this issue, including Alaska's congressional senators. Larry Persily has been working on it more than anyone and at the request of the House Finance Committee. The Senate has hired Steve Porter. The next key date is April 3, and it will be up to the administration to request the funds, and it is uncertain that if the governor doesn't request them, what role, if any, the legislature plays. Some people think the legislature has 45 days to request it. He has found that most of this will require the executive branch to make the request and apply for the grants. The role of the legislature is unknown. It may be to just oversee the administration. Thus far, Karen Rehfeld has been fairly cooperative. It is still early in the process. Things are working pretty well, but if things don't continue to work well, a taskforce should be considered. 9:48:03 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE said it will just be a tool. A taskforce doesn't have the weight of the law, but it can help if things don't progress and if the state needs more coordination. There is a lot of work being done in discreet parts, but it may not be getting out to the public. There is no fiscal note. 9:48:56 AM LARRY PERSILY, Staff to the House Finance Committee, Alaska State Legislature, said he has been trying to decipher, translate, and gather information on the economic stimulus bill for the past several weeks. He has been sending updates to all legislators and to a growing list of Alaskans who have requested them. The stimulus requires the governor of each state to certify whether the state wants the money by April 3. If a governor does not request funds then the legislature, by concurrent resolution, can request them for the state. That April deadline only applies to money going through the state. There are a lot of grant funds that the state will administer; "the feds will give money to the state; the state will then grant them out. Those would be covered by the April 3rd deadline." There are a lot of grant programs that don't go through the states. Federal agencies will administer those directly to nonprofits and other entities. The April deadline doesn't apply to those. If Alaska didn't want any funds it would eliminate the money going through the state but not the money going to nonprofits directly from federal agencies. 9:51:03 AM SENATOR PASKVAN asked the amount of the funds going to states. MR. PERSILY said if direct federal spending is subtracted, it is a little more than $800 million, but some of it is by formula, like Medicaid, and some is by formula with kickers, like an increase in unemployment. There are formula grants and competitive grants. Most of those dollars will go to airports, transportation, transit, Medicaid, and education. There is very little discretionary money for the state. 9:52:23 AM SENATOR PASKVAN asked if this taskforce or some other oversight entity will be useful. MR. PERSILY said it would depend on the public demand for information. He was supposed to be at a meeting in Anchorage for 170 representatives of nonprofits who are trying to find out what there is to apply for. There is a need for information. "People got a little hyped up from the news media that the money was instant, but there's a couple dozen programs that never existed until three weeks ago when this was signed into law. So we shouldn't blame federal agencies if they don't have the grant criteria or the applications." Alaskans want information and want to apply for the money. Whether it is a taskforce or office coordinator, the legislature needs to decide what role the state should have in assisting nonprofits and communities in getting money. The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and Medicaid can take care of themselves, but the question is for the nonprofits. It won't be tens of millions of dollars flowing to Alaska, but it will be worth applying for. 9:54:15 AM CHAIR MENARD asked if Alaska is going to be a good steward of the stimulus money. "Do you have a high confidence level that you're doing everything possible with the limited amount of people that are working on this and the caliber of people that are working on this?" MR. PERSILY said that based on his conversations with John Katz, Karen Rehfeld, the congressional delegation, and agency staff, he is confident that Alaska is doing a good job of determining what is there for Alaska, how to spend it wisely, and how to have a good shot of getting its fair share. SENATOR MEYER said there are a lot of people working on this including the legislature, several nonprofits, and a lot of mayors and municipalities. He is not convinced that a taskforce will help or hinder. The taskforce may be a central point for the public, municipalities, legislators, and nonprofits to get information. Senator Stedman "wants to level it out statewide, so he needs to know what the municipalities have already gotten through the economic stimulus program." He doesn't know how Nome got $125 million for its hospital. That is where a central point could be helpful. Do you agree that the legislative role is secondary? The administration is the lead dog, "but I do think that we can help them and probably should oversee them to make sure they are being as aggressive as possible." Legislation is needed. A joint resolution will be needed if the governor doesn't pursue the certification. What else do you see the legislature needing to do? 9:57:46 AM MR. PERSILY said he was told to not give opinions, but it's his nature. The money for the Indian Health Service hospital in Nome didn't involve the state. If the governor doesn't want funds, the legislature needs to decide if it wants them. When money comes in, the legislature has the power of appropriation for transit and transportation. There is some discretion in the fiscal stabilization funds - the 18 percent that doesn't have to be spent on education but could. That's $20 million subject to legislative appropriation. Helping nonprofits fits in a category of public policy. The legislature needs to look at how it wants to help, whether it is with a taskforce, a coordinating office, staff assignments, or any other means. 10:00:12 AM JEREMY WOODROW, Communications Coordinator, Alaska Municipal League (AML), Juneau, said the AML supports SB 130. Alaska is expected to receive more than $800 million of the ARRA funds. Numerous national and state deadlines come with the package. To make sure that these funds are fully and adequately distributed across the state will be challenging. AML supports a fair and equitable distribution that benefits all Alaska regions and municipalities. The formation of a taskforce is a step in the right direction in minimizing the effect of the recession in Alaska. Including municipalities in the process provides insight and benefit to the taskforce. AML is grateful that SB 130 includes AML as a taskforce member. 10:01:56 AM SENATOR KOOKESH asked if the AML will cover all of its transportation costs related to the taskforce. MR. WOODROW said, yes, AML has participated in many kinds of taskforces, and the board usually supports the travel costs. BRENDA HEWITT, President, United Way Southeast Alaska, Juneau, said her group includes 24 communities and over 30 nonprofit agencies. She asked all her nonprofits, and they see the taskforce as a benefit. Some of the larger agencies already belong to several organizations and they are analyzing the bill from their perspective. The national organizations are already dissecting the bill. Some smaller groups don't have that benefit. "Right here in Juneau we know that there's $990,000 that are sitting on the table unapplied for -- earned income tax credits. We've never been able to get the information out or we haven't gotten people who are below that poverty line to apply for their income tax rebates." The group wasn't coordinated enough to apply for the neighborhood stabilization grant money. There is money that sits on the table that could be spent and put into our economy and used for projects that we know we need. A taskforce or some other entity would be a coordinated effort. Karen Rehfeld has a lot on her plate, and if a nonprofit calls her to ask how to interpret this 1,000-page bill, it will be overwhelming. "I would encourage you to come forth with some avenue that nonprofits can approach." 10:05:17 AM The committee took a brief at-ease. 10:06:28 AM SENATOR PASKVAN moved to adopt Amendment 1 to change the date in section 2 to April 1, 2010. This date will allow the legislature to extend the taskforce if need be. SENATOR FRENCH said the taskforce issues its final report on July 1, 2009. SENATOR MEYER objected to Amendment 1 for discussion purposes. 10:07:44 AM SENATOR PASKVAN said the bill has a final report, but there will be additional activities that will need to be monitored. There would be time for legislators to get more information. SENATOR MCGUIRE recommended calling for a preliminary report on July 1, 2009, and a final report in April 2010. The preliminary report would provide the structure and goals of the taskforce and inform the public of its role. The final report would be issued when the taskforce ends. 10:09:42 AM SENATOR FRENCH suggested moving Amendment 1. SENATOR MEYER removed his objection. Hearing no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. SENATOR FRENCH moved Amendment 2 as follows: page 2, line 16, delete "final" and insert "initial". He will suggest a further amendment. 10:11:05 AM SENATOR MEYER objected for the purpose of discussion. SENATOR KOOKESH said in order to vote on this, he wants to know what Senator French's next amendment will be. SENATOR FRENCH said his next motion will be to add a final report in April 2010. SENATOR MEYER removed his objection. Hearing no further objection, Amendment 2 was adopted. SENATOR FRENCH moved Amendment 3 as follows: On page 2, line 16, add subsection (g) as follows: "the taskforce shall submit a final report to the legislature before April 1, 2010." SENATOR MEYER objected for the purpose of discussion. 10:12:17 AM SENATOR PASKVAN said he assumes that the legislature could extend the taskforce if it needed more time. SENATOR FRENCH said right now the taskforce goes away July 1, 2010, and if the body saw fit to extend it, it could. SENATOR MEYER removed his objection. Hearing no further objection, Amendment 3 was adopted. 10:13:42 AM SENATOR FRENCH said the bill is back for discussion. These were minor changes. It needs to be hashed out in finance committee. SENATOR MEYER moved to report SB 130, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, CSSB 130(STA) moved from committee. 10:16:47 AM The committee took a brief at-ease. HCR 7-DECORATION OF HONOR  10:18:16 AM CHAIR MENARD announced the consideration of HCR 7. [Before the committee was HCR 7 am.] SENATOR MEYER moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) to HCR 7 am, labeled 26-LS0547\R, as the working document. There being no objection, Version R was before the committee. 10:19:04 AM LAURA PIERRE, Staff to Representative Nancy Dahlstrom, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor, said the CS is from a House floor amendment. "At that time we were not aware that the members' names we were adding to this bill were veterans of the Korean War." The decoration of honor is awarded to those killed in action after statehood. The 12 members died before statehood, so they cannot receive this award and the CS removes their names. The bill goes forward with the 6 members killed in action during 2008. The resolution will take place every year to add any military members killed in action during the calendar year if they lived and were stationed in Alaska but deployed elsewhere. 10:20:11 AM SENATOR PASKVAN said he had three members in his district who were killed a month ago, and this bill doesn't include their names. He assumes their names will be added next year. MS. PIERRE said the names from 2009 will be introduced in the 2010 legislature to receive a decoration of honor. MCHUGH PIERRE, Legislative Liaison, Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, said his office has the responsibility to track down these names. The first year of doing this was 2008, and 180 names were gathered. It was his fault for not identifying the 12 members who were killed before 1959. His office will keep a list of military members killed in action and present the list before the calendar end. 10:22:39 AM SENATOR FRENCH moved to report the CS to HCR 7, labeled 26- LS0547\R, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). Hearing no objection, SCS HCR 7(STA) moved out of committee. 10:23:34 AM There being no further business to come before the committee, Chair Menard adjourned the Senate State Affairs meeting at 10:23 a.m.