03/20/2025 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

        HB  26-STATEWIDE PUBLIC & COMMUNITY TRANSIT PLAN                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:11:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS announced  that the first order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO. 26,  "An Act  relating to  the duties  of the                                                               
Department of Transportation and  Public Facilities; and relating                                                               
to a statewide public and community transit plan."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:11:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GENEVIEVE  MINA,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  as                                                               
prime sponsor, recapped  HB 50.  She said the  bill would broaden                                                               
the Department  of Transportation  & Public  Facilities' (DOT&PF)                                                               
scope  to be  more  multi-modal and  specifically include  public                                                               
transport in its planning responsibilities.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:12:19 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT moved  to adopt Amendment 1 to  HB 26, labeled                                                               
34-LS0276\A.1, Walsh, 3/18/25, which read:                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 8, following "operators,":                                                                                
          Insert "including ferry operators,"                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:12:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT  explained that  Amendment 1  would explicitly                                                               
include  ferries  in  the  bill  by  inserting  "including  ferry                                                               
operators" after the word "operators" on page 3, line 8.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:12:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX  expressed  opposition  to  naming  specific                                                               
things within a general authority.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HIMSCHOOT stated  that  the ferry  system is  sometimes                                                               
siloed,  which   has  not  always  worked   to  their  advantage.                                                               
Including them in the bill, she  said, would help break down some                                                               
of those siloes.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  said he  received a  298-page report  on the                                                               
long-term  plan that  makes specific  reference to  ferries.   He                                                               
added that  he felt put  out that "his  road" is not  included in                                                               
that plan  and argued that  all transportation should  be treated                                                               
equally.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:14:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE said  he  shared Representative  Prax's                                                               
concern about  the underlying bill.   He cited the  DOT&PF fiscal                                                               
note, which  states that the  bill would  result in no  change to                                                               
operations,  funding, or  designation of  resources.   He pointed                                                               
out that the Alaska Marine Highway  System (AMHS) issue is one of                                                               
funding, not planning, and argued  that dollars keep being placed                                                               
into  "different   places,"  which  is  true   of  the  Statewide                                                               
Transportation  Improvement  Program (STIP)  as  well.   He  said                                                               
community  transit plans  are  expensive,  particularly in  large                                                               
spread-out  places,  and  reiterated  that  in  many  cases,  the                                                               
problem  is dollars,  not funding,  as inferenced  by the  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:17:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT shared a personal  anecdote and stated that if                                                               
funding were to come, having a plan in place is critical.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:18:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  acknowledged the concerns about  calling out                                                               
one  specific  modality  of transportation  in  the  department's                                                               
statutory responsibilities.  With  regard to the broader question                                                               
of  the bill's  necessity, she  said the  bill would  broaden the                                                               
conceptions of transportation away from  the bias of having a car                                                               
in the effort to make the  state more accessible and inclusive of                                                               
those with disabilities.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:20:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANDY MILLS,  Legislative Liaison, Department of  Transportation &                                                               
Public Facilities, confirmed that the  fiscal note is fairly well                                                               
represented   by  Representative   Ruffridge's   comments.     He                                                               
explained that  there are many  federal requirements  on planning                                                               
and the inclusion  of transit and other  intramodalities that the                                                               
department  follows, as  well  as  consultation and  coordination                                                               
with local  governments and Tribal  entities as outlined  in U.S.                                                               
Code (USC) and the associated  Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).                                                               
Prior  to the  introduction of  HB 26,  he assured  the committee                                                               
that  DOT&PF  was  already  engaging   in  area  planning,  modal                                                               
planning, the long-range  transportation plan, and the  STIP.  He                                                               
said department  activity is largely directed  by federal funding                                                               
and  reiterated  that the  activities  outlined  in the  proposed                                                               
legislation are  already being directed by  federal requirements.                                                               
One caveat,  he said, is  that the department could  benefit from                                                               
more specificity on where new  transit facilities should be added                                                               
and  urged  the  legislature  to direct  requests  for  increased                                                               
transit funding to the federal government.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:24:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND  stated his support for  Amendment 1 while                                                               
recognizing that it  creates specific focus on AMHS  in a general                                                               
plan that  he hoped would continue  to cover all modalities.   He                                                               
opined that  the ferry  system is  being highlighted  because its                                                               
integral to public transit and tends to be overlooked.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT said she wanted  to make sure that ferries are                                                               
part  of the  conversation  because in  discussions on  community                                                               
planning and transit, they're not usually included.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS removed her objection.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:26:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A  roll call  vote  was taken.    Representatives Hall,  Holland,                                                               
Himschoot,   and   Mears  voted   in   favor   of  Amendment   1.                                                               
Representatives Prax and Ruffridge  voted against it.  Therefore,                                                               
Amendment 1 was adopted by a vote of 4-2.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS sought  final comment from the bill  sponsor on HB
, as amended.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:27:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA stated  that  enshrining  public transit  in                                                               
statute would not only highlight  DOT&PF's work on transit plans,                                                               
but  also  ensure  that  these   efforts  would  continue  to  be                                                               
prioritized if  leadership were  to change.   She  emphasized the                                                               
importance  of   highlighting  the  integral  nature   of  public                                                               
transportation to Alaskans.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEARS sought final comment from committee members.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:28:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE said  he understood  the need  for this                                                               
conversation;  nonetheless,   from  Mr.  Mills's   testimony,  he                                                               
inferred that  a lack  of federal funding,  not planning,  is the                                                               
reason that  things aren't getting  done.   He opined that  HB 26                                                               
would be better  suited as a resolution  that highlights Alaska's                                                               
differences  or requests  an  exception.   He  spoke to  planning                                                               
efforts in Kenai  that have fallen through because  there were no                                                               
dollars  attached.   He  said he  would not  object  to the  bill                                                               
moving forward  but shared  his belief  that HB 26  is more  of a                                                               
conversation tool and not a solution.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:31:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX opined  that the  bill is  counterproductive                                                               
because  the  department   is  driven  by  federal   funds.    He                                                               
distinguished dreaming from planning,  and said planning requires                                                               
funding.  In the Interior, he  said there is too much talking and                                                               
not  enough action  in compliance  with  the STIP.   Although  he                                                               
appreciated  the  intent,  he  reiterated  his  belief  that  its                                                               
counterproductive.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:34:27 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT said she is  grateful for the bill because the                                                               
amount  of federal  funding is  unknown.   She shared  her belief                                                               
that  more would  be asked  of  states going  forward and  Alaska                                                               
should be ready.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  MEARS agreed  on the  importance  of understanding  the                                                               
state's needs.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:35:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MINA  noted   that  stakeholder   engagement  is                                                               
integral to ensure that plans  are reflective of community needs.                                                               
She  said  the  bill  would codify  stakeholder  engagement  with                                                               
public   and   community   transit  operators,   without   which,                                                               
department  plans would  not be  as strong  as they  could be  to                                                               
serve Alaskans.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:36:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HIMSCHOOT moved  to report  HB 26,  as amended,  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.  There being  no objection, CSHB 26(CRA) moved from                                                               
the House Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.