02/08/2011 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

              HB 19-SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:04:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that the  only order of business  was HOUSE                                                               
BILL NO.  19, "An  Act relating  to special  request registration                                                               
plates; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN introduced  HB 19 as joint prime sponsor.   He said on                                                               
a recent trip  to Indiana, he noted there were  a great number of                                                               
license plates  on which were  the words "In  God We Trust."   He                                                               
reported  that  the  Indiana Borough  of  Motor  Vehicles  issued                                                               
250,000  of those  license plates  in the  first six  months that                                                               
they  were available.    He said  HB 19  would  create a  special                                                               
request license  plate on  which would be  the American  Flag and                                                               
the words,  "In God We Trust."   He noted that  the Indiana plate                                                               
is  pictured  in the  committee  packet.    He said  the  typical                                                               
procedure would  be followed  to have  similar plates  in Alaska;                                                               
the driver  would request  the "national motto  plate" and  pay a                                                               
[$30] fee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:07:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN  noted that  some special  license plates                                                               
in  Alaska cost  $30 and  some  cost $50,  and he  asked how  the                                                               
prices are set.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:08:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WHITNEY  BREWSTER, Director,  Division of  Motor Vehicles  (DMV),                                                               
Department  of Administration,  said the  fees associated  with a                                                               
license plate  are set  by the  legislature.   She said  the fees                                                               
vary;  sometimes  the  specialty  plate is  designed  as  a  fund                                                               
raiser, so  the fee may be  higher, for example.   In response to                                                               
Representative Keller, she  said in a majority of  cases, the DMV                                                               
works with  the impacted organization  on the development  of the                                                               
plate design.   The DMV  essentially checks with  law enforcement                                                               
to ensure the  design meets its needs.  She  said the most recent                                                               
plates made  were for firefighters and  emergency medical service                                                               
(EMS) workers and  the Iditarod plate.  She said  the DMV has the                                                               
ability  to  do less  sophisticated  design,  but does  not  have                                                               
design staff.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:11:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  noted that  in the committee  packet are  the designs                                                               
from  license  plates  not  only  from  Indiana,  but  also  from                                                               
Virginia and South Carolina.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  BREWSTER, in  response to  Representative Keller,  confirmed                                                               
that the  division would  work with the  joint prime  sponsors on                                                               
the design of the proposed plate.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:12:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN closed public testimony.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:12:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  P. WILSON  directed attention  to a  sentence [on                                                               
page 1, lines 9-10, of HB 19], which read as follows:                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     The   department  may   disapprove   the  issuance   of                                                                    
     registration  plates  under  this subsection  when  the                                                                    
     requested  plates  are  a duplication  of  an  existing                                                                    
     registration.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. BREWSTER,  in response to  Representative Wilson, said  it is                                                               
not a  problem if someone wants  to change from one  plate design                                                               
to  another.   She  explained  that  the aforementioned  language                                                               
means that if the symbols on  the plate have already been issued,                                                               
then the division will not duplicate that registration.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:13:46 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  BREWSTER,  in response  to  a  question from  Representative                                                               
Johansen,  said these  plates would  be  available to  commercial                                                               
vehicles  and  motorcycles.    In response  to  Chair  Lynn,  she                                                               
confirmed that  the design can  be shrunk  to fit on  the smaller                                                               
license plates used on motorcycles.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:14:27 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  related that  New Hampshire once  had a                                                               
plate which stated, "Live Free or  Die."  He said someone opposed                                                               
that expression  and covered  it up, and  the U.S.  Supreme Court                                                               
upheld that action.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  BREWSTER said  she  has never  dealt with  that  issue.   In                                                               
response to a  follow-up question, she confirmed that  the DMV is                                                               
a  member  of  the  American   Administration  of  Motor  Vehicle                                                               
Administrators (AAMVA),  which has membership from  all 50 states                                                               
and  the territories.    She said  she has  not  heard the  AAMVA                                                               
discuss any  occurrences where a  license plate owner  covered up                                                               
the motto on the plate.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:17:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN opined  that Representative Gruenberg has                                                               
brought  up  an  interesting  point.     He  said  someone  might                                                               
interpret "The  Last Frontier" on  their plate as  meaning Alaska                                                               
is a  place where trees should  not be cut down  or mining should                                                               
not  occur.   He suggested  the  committee may  want to  consider                                                               
amending the bill so that a person could have a "blank plate."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG clarified that  he was interested in the                                                               
legal issue and  finding out how the division addressed  it if it                                                               
had  arisen.    However,  he  said since  the  division  has  not                                                               
addressed the issue, he is not planning to pursue it.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:18:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  BREWSTER, in  response to  Representative Wilson,  estimated                                                               
that  currently  there  are  50  different  plates  available  to                                                               
Alaskans, including  specialty plates  designed for  the military                                                               
and the university.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:20:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  asked if  there is  a mechanism  in the                                                               
division  for striking  statutes concerning  license plates  when                                                               
the eligible recipients have all died,  such as a plate for Pearl                                                               
Harbor survivors.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. BREWSTER  offered her  understanding that there  is not.   In                                                               
response  to  a follow-up,  she  offered  her understanding  that                                                               
currently there  are no  plates that are  obsolete, but  she said                                                               
perhaps soon there will be,  for example, the Pearl Harbor plates                                                               
mentioned by Representative Gruenberg.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN remarked that it  amazes him that it takes legislation                                                               
to get rid of legislation.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:22:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN  predicted that "In God  We Trust" should                                                               
last.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:23:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER moved  to report  HB 19  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no further  objection, HB 19 was reported out                                                               
of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.