05/01/2005 01:00 PM Senate FINANCE

                                                                                                                                
     SENATE CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 35(L&C)                                                                                       
     "An Act  extending the termination  date of the State  Board of                                                            
     Registration  for Architects,  Engineers,  and Land  Surveyors;                                                            
     extending the term of a temporary member of the State Board of                                                             
     Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors;                                                                
     and providing for an effective date."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This  was the first  hearing  for this  bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  VIC KOHRING,  the bill's sponsor,  stated that  this                                                            
"simple  bill" would  extend  the State  Board of  Registration  for                                                            
Architects, Engineers,  and Land Surveyors for four  years. The ten-                                                            
member  Board,  whose members  are  appointed  by the  Governor,  is                                                            
charged with  adopting regulations  and providing oversight  for the                                                            
issuance  of  licenses  to  the aforementioned   professionals.  The                                                            
Legislative  Audit Division  recently conducted  an audit [copy  not                                                            
provided]  and  recommended  that  the  Board  be  continued  as  it                                                            
"successfully  carries out its mission"  and operates in  the public                                                            
interest.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative Kohring  noted that the Senate Labor & Commerce (L&C)                                                            
committee substitute contains  a change that would best be explained                                                            
by the  organization that  lobbied for it.  In conclusion,  he asked                                                            
for the Committee's support of the bill.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green identified  SCS CS HB 35(L&C), Version 24-LS0273\Y as                                                            
being before the Committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SAM  KITO   JR.,  Chair,  Legislative   Liaison  Committee,   Alaska                                                            
Professional  Design  Council, spoke  in support  of  the bill.  The                                                            
Senate L&C committee substitute  "added the temporary extension of a                                                            
Landscape  Architect  position"  on  the Board.  However,  the  bill                                                            
drafter inadvertently  omitted a paragraph that provided  transition                                                            
language  in this regard.  The desire would  be that this  Committee                                                            
address that inadvertent language omission.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Green   asked  whether  the  addition  of  the   Landscape                                                            
Architect position  to the Board would increase the  Board to eleven                                                            
members.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Kito  explained  that action  in the House  of Representative's                                                             
Finance Committee  had changed the temporary Landscape  Architect to                                                            
a  permanent   position.   Concerns  that   that  action  might   be                                                            
"premature" were expressed  by other House members as well as by the                                                            
Alaska Professional  Design Council.  The bill adopted by  the House                                                            
Finance Committee,  CS HB35 (FIN) would have increased  the Board to                                                            
eleven members. The Senate  L&C committee substitute would specify a                                                            
ten  member  Board "plus  the  one  non-voting  Landscape  Architect                                                            
position".                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green stated that  the Senate L&C bill, Version "Y", before                                                            
the Committee  did not specify the make-up of the  ten-member Board.                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Wilken moved to  adopt the Version "Y" committee substitute                                                            
(L&C) as the working document.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
PAT  DAVIDSON,  Legislative  Auditor,  Legislative  Audit  Division,                                                            
Legislative Agencies &  Offices, affirmed that the Audit recommended                                                            
a four-year  extension of  the Board, as the  Board operated  in the                                                            
public's interest and the  license fees were "sufficient to maintain                                                            
the operations  of the  Board". In addition,  the audit recommended                                                             
that  the  Board  consider  "the  use  of  sub-specialties  or  sub-                                                            
disciplines in  the engineering field". Such action  is occurring in                                                            
other states,  and thought was that  a study should be conducted  in                                                            
this regard to  determine what costs and benefits  such action might                                                            
provide.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green asked for further information about the study.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Davidson  stated  that  the study  would  examine  the  use  of                                                            
specialties  in engineering  fields  or sub-disciplines.   Currently                                                            
licenses  are provided  to  the core  areas of  Civil, Engineering,                                                             
Chemical, Electrical,  and Mechanical Engineering  as well as Mining                                                            
and  Petroleum  Engineering.  Continuing,  however, she  noted  that                                                            
there is  a list  of approximately  13 actual  specialties and  sub-                                                            
disciplines.  It is unknown whether  the activities associated  with                                                            
those areas would  warrant their being licensed. That  determination                                                            
would be the purpose of the study.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
[NOTE: No  formal action  regarding the motion  to adopt the  Senate                                                            
L&C Committee Version "Y" committee substitute occurred.]                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green ordered the bill HELD in Committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:40:56 PM