03/30/2021 10:00 AM House FISHERIES

             HB 28-REGISTRATION OF BOATS: EXEMPTION                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:05:15 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TARR  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  28,  "An  Act relating  to  the registration  of                                                               
commercial vessels; and providing for an effective date."                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TARR drew attention to  several supporting documents in the                                                               
committee packet that  answer some of the questions  asked at the                                                               
bill's last hearing:  2019  Division of Motor Vehicles Frequently                                                               
Asked Questions  information sheet that explains  which boats are                                                               
exempt from  the registration and/or titling  requirement; report                                                               
from Conor  Bell, Analyst, Legislative  Finance Division,  on how                                                               
vessel  receipts  are  used; Legislative  Finance  Boat  Receipts                                                               
Allocation Summary;  and Legislative  Finance Boat  Receipts Fund                                                               
Source Report.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:06:43 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
THATCHER BROUWER, Staff, Representative  Geran Tarr, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of  the bill  sponsor, the  House Special                                                               
Committee on Fisheries, chaired  by Representative Tarr, provided                                                               
answers to questions  asked at the previous hearing of  HB 28, on                                                               
3/23/21.   In regard  to a  question from  Representative Kreiss-                                                               
Tomkins  about  which  boats are  exempt  from  registration,  he                                                               
reported that the boats permanently  exempt from registration are                                                               
lifeboats, boats  with no source  of power, a boat  registered in                                                               
another state  or country that is  not operated for more  than 90                                                               
[consecutive] days  in Alaska,  as well  as a  foreign documented                                                               
boat.  Boats  exempt from titling include  [an undocumented] boat                                                               
less than  24 feet  in length,  a boat  of any  length documented                                                               
with the  U.S. Coast Guard, or  a documented vessel that  is also                                                               
exempt from state numbering.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. BROUWER, regarding questions  about where the vessel receipts                                                               
go, drew  attention to  the information  provided by  Conor Bell,                                                               
Legislative Finance  Division [dated  3/24/21].  He  related that                                                               
the total  of vessel receipts  collected in fiscal year  2020 (FY                                                               
20)  was approximately  $505,000  and the  total  of titling  was                                                               
approximately $20,000.  Of that,  $300,000 went to boating safety                                                               
programs within  the Department of  Natural Resources  (DNR), and                                                               
about $197,000 went to the  Department of Commerce, Community and                                                               
Economic  Development  (DCCED)  for   the  Alaska  Marine  Safety                                                               
Education  Association  which runs  a  number  of boating  safety                                                               
programs for  commercial and recreational  boaters.   The $27,603                                                               
remainder went to the derelict vessel prevention program fund.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:08:51 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS remarked  that $27,000 is basically                                                               
nothing,  but  "when  the  bill  passed  there  was  sort  of  an                                                               
understanding."   He said he  thinks there was a  perception when                                                               
the derelict  vessel bill  passed that there  could be  a funding                                                               
source to  help with  cleaning up, and  Alaska doesn't  have one.                                                               
He shared  that he has been  thinking about this but  didn't come                                                               
up with any good ideas.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  TARR  stated that  the  aforementioned  is helpful.    She                                                               
recalled an  incident in  Homer where $100,000  had to  be spent,                                                               
which adds perspective to the $27,000 that is left.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS  added that Rachel from  the Alaska                                                               
Harbormasters Association  suggested she might follow  up because                                                               
he was interested why the owner  was not held accountable and why                                                               
that still happened given this  titling requirement was in place.                                                               
He  offered his  understanding that  that  was what  the law  was                                                               
seeking to solve,  and his question is why it  has not solved the                                                               
problem, at least  in the Homer incident or a  similar incident a                                                               
couple  months ago.   He  stated he  does not  want to  forestall                                                               
progress on  HB 28, but  that mentioning  it might be  helpful to                                                               
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.   BROUWER  said   he  would   follow  up   with  the   Alaska                                                               
Harbormasters Association and get back to the committee.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:11:03 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TARR,  after ascertaining there  were no  further questions                                                               
from committee members, stated the  bill was before the committee                                                               
for discussion and amendments.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:11:12 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  moved to adopt  Amendment 1  to HB 28,  labeled 32-                                                               
LS0229\A.1, Bullard, 3/24/21, which read as follows:                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 23:                                                                                                           
          Delete "The"                                                                                                          
          Insert "Beginning January 1, 2022, the"                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 7:                                                                                                            
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill section accordingly.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 8:                                                                                                            
          Delete "Except as provided in sec. 6 of this Act,                                                                     
     this"                                                                                                                      
     Insert "This"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:11:23 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TARR  objected for purposes  of discussion.   She requested                                                               
Mr. Brouwer provide the explanation for Amendment 1.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
10:12:32 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. BROUWER explained  Amendment 1 was drafted at  the request of                                                               
the  Commercial  Fisheries  Entry Commission  (CFEC)  because  of                                                               
concern that under the bill's language  CFEC would not be able to                                                               
collect fees prior  to the start of the calendar  year.  The CFEC                                                               
typically  bills in  November and  December for  coming year,  he                                                               
continued.  Amendment 1 would  still state that beginning January                                                               
1, 2022, CFEC is  able to charge those fees, but  in Section 6 it                                                               
deletes the  effective date of January  1, 2022, and that  is for                                                               
Section  3 which  allows the  CFEC to  collect those  fees.   The                                                               
opinion of the  Division of Legal and Research  Services was that                                                               
by deleting  that effective  date CFEC would  be able  to collect                                                               
its fees prior to the first of the year [2022].                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:13:13 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
DALE KELLEY, Commissioner,  Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission                                                               
(CFEC),   offered  CFEC's   appreciation  for   bringing  forward                                                               
Amendment 1, and  said the amendment would make it  clear for the                                                               
CFEC.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:13:35 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The committee  took an at-ease from  10:13 a.m. to 10:15  a.m. to                                                               
address technical difficulties with the sound system.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:15:08 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  TARR  removed  her  objection   to  the  motion  to  adopt                                                               
Amendment 1.   There being no further objection,  Amendment 1 was                                                               
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:15:36 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TARR returned to further discussion of HB 28, as amended.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:15:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES  moved to  report HB  28, as  amended, with                                                               
individual recommendations and the  attached fiscal notes.  There                                                               
being  no objection,  CSHB 28(FSH)  was reported  from the  House                                                               
Special Committee on Fisheries.