03/12/2025 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 31                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act relating  to  the  registration of  commercial                                                                    
     vessels;   and   relating   to  the   derelict   vessel                                                                    
     prevention program fund."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:40:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LOUISE STUTES, SPONSOR, reviewed the bill                                                                        
with prepared remarks:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Before you  is House  Bill 31 "An  Act relating  to the                                                                    
     registration  of commercial  vessels;  and relating  to                                                                    
     the derelict vessel prevention program fund."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Most of you  are likely familiar with this  bill, as it                                                                    
     passed both  bodies last  session but  was subsequently                                                                    
     vetoed  due to  constitutional concerns  of it  passing                                                                    
     after midnight  on the final  night of session.  We are                                                                    
     back and hoping for some  better timing this year. This                                                                    
     legislation contains  the same language that  the House                                                                    
     concurred with last session.                                                                                               
     House  Bill 31  would  remove duplicative  registration                                                                    
     requirements  created by  the  passage of  SB 92,  "the                                                                    
     derelict  vessel bill,"  in 2018.  Specifically, HB  31                                                                    
     would  remove  the  requirement for  U.S.  Coast  Guard                                                                    
     documented vessels with  a current Commercial Fisheries                                                                    
     Entry Commission license to  register every three years                                                                    
     with  the  Division of  Motor  Vehicles.  Prior to  the                                                                    
     passage  of  SB 92  in  2018,  documented vessels  were                                                                    
     exempt from  DMV registration; however,  that exemption                                                                    
     was  repealed  in the  bill  and  as a  result,  larger                                                                    
     vessels fell under the DMV's purview.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The rationale  behind SB  92 was  to provide  the State                                                                    
     and local  municipalities with a state  database on who                                                                    
     owns and  operates vessels in  Alaskan waters,  as well                                                                    
     as  how  to   contact  those  individuals;  overlooked,                                                                    
     however,   was    the   Commercial    Fisheries   Entry                                                                    
     Commission's database,  or CFEC as  I will refer  to it                                                                    
     from  here  on  out.  Vessel licensure  with  the  CFEC                                                                    
     already  requires  annual   renewal  and  provides  the                                                                    
     necessary   ownership   information   in   a   publicly                                                                    
     accessible,  state-maintained   database.  It   is  our                                                                    
     intent  that active  commercial vessels  should not  be                                                                    
     required  to register  every three  years with  the DMV                                                                    
     only to provide information  that the State already has                                                                    
   through the vessel's annual license renewal process.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Additionally, in  its current  form, HB 31  repeals the                                                                    
     Derelict  Vessel Prevention  Program  Fund, created  in                                                                    
     SB92,  and transfers  the balance  of the  fund to  the                                                                    
     general fund. It also repeals  duties and powers of the                                                                    
     department related to expenditures  out of the fund and                                                                    
     establishing the program.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:44:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Tomaszewski  asked if it was  essentially the                                                                    
same bill as was passed the previous year.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Stutes agreed it was exactly the same.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MATT  GRUENING, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE LOUISE  STUTES, noted                                                                    
there were individuals online to address the fiscal note.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
GLENN  HAIGHT,  COMMISSIONER,   COMMERCIAL  FISHERIES  ENTRY                                                                    
COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND  GAME, stated there was a                                                                    
zero fiscal note, OMB component 471.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
KATHLEEN  WALLACE,   ACTING  DIRECTOR,  DIVISION   OF  MOTOR                                                                    
VEHICLES,     DEPARTMENT      OF     ADMINISTRATION     (via                                                                    
teleconference), reviewed fiscal note 2348.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SALLY   COX,  LOCAL   GOVERNMENT  SPECIALIST,   DIVISION  OF                                                                    
COMMUNITY  AND  REGIONAL  AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE,                                                                    
COMMUNITY  AND  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  (via  teleconference),                                                                    
noted there were zero fiscal notes.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:48:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ARRON  TIMIAN, NATURAL  RESOURCE  SPECIALIST, DEPARTMENT  OF                                                                    
NATURAL  RESOURCES (via  teleconference),  reviewed the  DNR                                                                    
fiscal note OMB component 3002.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Johnson thought they should move the bill.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:50:22 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:52:13 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bynum MOVED to REPORT  HB 31 out of committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
There  being  NO  OBJECTION,  HB  31  was  REPORTED  out  of                                                                    
committee  with eight  "do pass"  recommendations and  three                                                                    
"no recommendation"  recommendations and  with one  new zero                                                                    
impact  fiscal   note  from  the  Department   of  Commerce,                                                                    
Community   and   Economic   Development;   two   previously                                                                    
published zero  fiscal notes: FN1  (DFG) and FN3  (DNR); and                                                                    
one previously published fiscal impact note: FN2 (ADM).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative Stutes thanked the committee.