05/09/2024 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 19(FIN) am                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
    "An Act relating to the registration of commercial                                                                          
     vessels."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:18:54 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:21:47 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
Co-Chair  Olson asked  the  bill sponsor  and  her staff  to                                                                    
introduce the legislation.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   LOUISE   STUTES,   SPONSOR,   thanked   the                                                                    
committee for  hearing the bill.  She explained that  SB 92,                                                                    
the derelict  vessels act  of 2019,  aimed to  provide state                                                                    
and   local  municipalities   with  a   searchable  database                                                                    
containing details  of vessels  and ownership to  allow them                                                                    
to  locate derelict  vessel  owners;  however, the  database                                                                    
existed  for commercial  fishing vessels  in the  Commercial                                                                    
Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC).  The database was updated                                                                    
in  real  time  and  operators  were  required  to  register                                                                    
annually.  The database  was  publicly  accessible, and  the                                                                    
information  was  provided  under penalty  of  perjury.  The                                                                    
information included  the legal  owner of  the vessel  and a                                                                    
contact  person  if  it  was  not the  same  person  as  the                                                                    
applicant, a permanent and  mailing address, social security                                                                    
number,  phone numbers,  date of  birth, and  email address.                                                                    
The bill  would institute  an $8  annual fee  for documented                                                                    
CFEC  registered  vessels upon  renewal  and  issuance of  a                                                                    
license in lieu  of the $24 fee vessel  owners were required                                                                    
to pay to  the Division of Motor Vehicles  (DMV) every three                                                                    
years.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative Stutes explained that  the original intent of                                                                    
HB 19 was to exempt  the owners of active commercial fishing                                                                    
vessels registered with the U.S.  Coast Guard from duplicate                                                                    
registration created by the passage  of SB 92. She explained                                                                    
that  the duplicate  registration included  registering with                                                                    
CFEC and DMV. Following an  adoption of a friendly amendment                                                                    
on the  floor of the  other body,  the bill now  removed the                                                                    
requirement for  all U.S. Coast Guard  documented vessels to                                                                    
register every three  years with DMV. She  explained that it                                                                    
removed  Alaska's ability  to monitor  the vessels  owned by                                                                    
individuals  other  than  active fishermen  registered  with                                                                    
CFEC.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Stutes recommended  and welcomed  a CS  that                                                                    
would remove the  amendment language and return  the bill to                                                                    
its original  purpose to remove the  duplicative requirement                                                                    
for  active commercial  fishermen. Since  the passage  of SB
, the requirement had not  been enforced by the Department                                                                    
of Public Safety (DPS), but if  the bill did not pass in the                                                                    
current  year,  DPS  would  have   no  choice  but  to  cite                                                                    
commercial fishermen who had not  complied and would then be                                                                    
required  to  have  duplicative stickers.  She  stated  that                                                                    
Alaska's commercial  fishing fleet  was the backbone  of one                                                                    
of  the  state's most  vital  industries  and vessel  owners                                                                    
should not  be required to  register every three  years with                                                                    
DMV  at an  additional expense  only to  provide information                                                                    
that the state already had  through the CFEC license renewal                                                                    
process.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:25:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DONNA  FOX   PAGE,  STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE   LOUISE  STUTES,                                                                    
recapped the details of the  legislation. She explained that                                                                    
HB 19  would exempt owners  of CFEC registered  vessels from                                                                    
the requirement  to register with DMV  while still requiring                                                                    
annual  state   registration  through  CFEC   and  continued                                                                    
financial contributions  towards a  solution of  the problem                                                                    
of derelict vessels as well  as boating safety programs. She                                                                    
noted  it was  the change  that  occurred on  the floor  for                                                                    
which a  CS would be recommended.  The legislation satisfied                                                                    
the original intent of SB  92, which passed in 2018, without                                                                    
placing  an  additional  burden on  DMV  or  on  hardworking                                                                    
fishermen.  She   relayed  that   no  opposition   had  been                                                                    
encountered  on the  bill in  past years  and the  sponsor's                                                                    
office had worked hard with  stakeholders to ensure the bill                                                                    
provided   an  acceptable   solution   to  the   duplicative                                                                    
requirement. She  thanked the committee for  the opportunity                                                                    
to present  the bill.  She offered  to review  the sectional                                                                    
analysis.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson  noted that the  committee would  address the                                                                    
CS.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl  MOVED to ADOPT  the committee  substitute for                                                                    
CSHB 19(FIN)am, Work Draft 33-LS0251\U (Ballard, 5/8/24).                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson OBJECTED for DISCUSSION.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:27:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEN ALPER, STAFF, SENATOR DONNY  OLSON, explained the CS. He                                                                    
stated  that  it  returned  the bill  back  to  the  version                                                                    
adopted on the House floor.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson  WITHDREW  the  OBJECTION.  There  being  NO                                                                    
further OBJECTION, Work Draft 33-LS0251\U was ADOPTED.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:29:25 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:31:32 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 19(FIN)am was HEARD and HELD in committee for further                                                                      
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:31:48 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:42:32 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED