04/12/2011 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

             HB  19-SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:26:29 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the next  order of business would be                                                               
HB  19,  authorizing the  Division  of  Motor Vehicles  (DMV)  to                                                               
create a special request license  plate incorporating the phrase,                                                               
"In God We Trust."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:26:51 AM                                                                                                                    
THOMAS REIKER,  staff to Representative  Bob Lynn, said  the idea                                                               
for these plates  came when Senator Lynn visited  Indiana and saw                                                               
many "In God  We Trust" license plates. His office  asked the DMV                                                               
to come up with a format for  the "In God We Trust" license plate                                                               
for Alaska. This  bill creates an Alaska special  request "In God                                                               
We  Trust"  license plate,  which  is  available on  request.  It                                                               
follows  the typical  procedure for  issuance of  special request                                                               
license plates.  The DMV  does not  oppose the  bill; there  is a                                                               
zero fiscal note.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI noted there was a CS, version X.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:28:35 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  PASKVAN moved  to adopt  the  proposed Senate  committee                                                               
substitute (CS)  for HB 19,  labeled 27-LS0141\X, as  the working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI objected for discussion purposes.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:29:18 AM                                                                                                                    
MICHELLE SYDEMAN,  staff to Senator  Bill Wielechowski,  said the                                                               
version  X  Senate  CS,  incorporates   several  bills  into  the                                                               
underlying  HB 19.  These are  a license  plate bill  that honors                                                               
Laotians who  joined the  United States  Army during  the Vietnam                                                               
War, which had  support in the House State  Affairs Committee; an                                                               
NRA  license plate  bill  that added  a  breast cancer  awareness                                                               
license  plate; and  SB  93 that  authorizes the  DMV  to in  the                                                               
future set  up a  clear process to  gauge public  interest before                                                               
proceeding  with  a  specialty license  plate.  Whitney  Brewster                                                               
indicated  that  DMV  would  be  comfortable  administering  that                                                               
process.  That bill  passed  the Senate  unanimously  and is  now                                                               
being considered in the House.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:31:28 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI noted  that when  he presented  SB 93  to the                                                               
House State Affairs Committee he  learned that that committee did                                                               
the same thing,  except they also incorporated a  bill for Choose                                                               
Life plates and  added a three-year sunset provision.  He did not                                                               
support the sunset, because the  idea is to remove license plates                                                               
from  the legislature's  consideration.  Another  addition was  a                                                               
change in the minimum number of  plates; this was dropped from 50                                                               
to 10 in the House version. He liked that idea.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI moved Conceptual Amendment 1.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                     CONCEPTUAL AMENDMENT 1                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 4:                                                                                                            
          Delete "50"                                                                                                           
          Insert "25                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI   found  no   discussion  or   objection  and                                                               
announced that Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:33:10 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if there were any other amendments.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MEYER  moved  [Conceptual]   Amendment  2,  which  would                                                               
incorporate  SB  16, the  Choose  Life  license plate  bill.  The                                                               
committee already heard  his bill and compromised  to include Pro                                                               
Family  Pro-choice  to  avoid potential  concerns.  He  noted  he                                                               
preferred Senator  Wielechowski's bill to the  House version, but                                                               
if there  is to be  an omnibus license  plate bill he  would like                                                               
his to be included.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI said  it's a  fair way  to go;  incorporating                                                               
both views is best to avoid a potential lawsuit.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI recapped  Conceptual Amendment  2, would  add                                                               
Sections 1 and 2  of SB 16, version E, as  well as any conforming                                                               
amendments. Finding  no objection,  he announced  that Conceptual                                                               
Amendment No. 2 was adopted.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Finding no  further amendments or  discussion, he asked  the will                                                               
of the committee.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:36:14 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report Senate  CS for HB 19, version [X]                                                               
as  amended,  with  individual recommendations  and  accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal note.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI  announced  that without  objection,  SCS  HB
(STA) moved from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.