05/13/2019 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

             HB 44-AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES: FEES                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:34:51 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  REINBOLD   reconvened  the  meeting.  She   announced  the                                                               
consideration of  HB 44. HOUSE BILL  NO. 44, "An Act  relating to                                                               
fees for using an automated  teller machine; and providing for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:35:08 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  DAN  ORTIZ,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
paraphrased from the sponsor's statement.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     The intent  of this bill  is to allow  retail automatic                                                                    
     teller  machines (ATMs)  to charge  a  withdraw fee  on                                                                    
     transactions made by international bank card holders.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Currently,  independently owned  ATMs are  not able  to                                                                    
     charge  a fee  on  transactions  made by  international                                                                    
     card  holders. Our  current law  only pertains  to ATMs                                                                    
     owned by  state-sponsored banks  or credit  unions, and                                                                    
     does not  include retail  and individually  owned ATMs.                                                                    
     Because  of  this  gap, retail  ATMs  cannot  charge  a                                                                    
     withdraw fee  on transactions  from bank  cards outside                                                                    
     of the United States.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Alaska welcomes millions of visitors  each year, with a                                                                    
     large  percentage of  those visitors  from  out of  the                                                                    
     country. In  the summer of  2016 alone,  nearly 300,000                                                                    
     international  visitors  came  to  Alaska.  Retail  ATM                                                                    
     owners   cannot   charge   fees  on   these   tourists'                                                                    
     transactions.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Multiple  other  states  have already  passed  laws  to                                                                    
     close this gap and allow  retail ATM owners to charge a                                                                    
     transaction fee to international card holders                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
5:36:48 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if she has seen the bill previously.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ answered yes. He  said that the bill did not                                                               
quite make it through the process during the last legislature.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:37:08 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BIRCH recalled  the bill. He characterized the  bill as a                                                               
good bill. He thanked Representative  Ortiz for bringing the bill                                                               
forward.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
He remarked  on a mid-air  crash that happened in  Ketchikan that                                                               
resulted   in   loss  of   life.   He   offered  condolences   to                                                               
Representative Ortiz and members of the family and community.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ replied that  he appreciated the support and                                                               
condolences.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
5:37:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   REINBOLD  opened   public  testimony   and  after   first                                                               
determining no one wished to  testify, closed public testimony on                                                               
HB 44.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:39:36 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BISHOP reviewed the fiscal note for HB 44 as follows:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The Department  of Commerce,  Community and  Economic Development                                                               
(DCCED),  Banking and  Securities prepared  the fiscal  note. The                                                               
Office of Management and Budget component number was 2808.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:40:04 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
5:40:12 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR REINBOLD called the committee back to order.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BISHOP continued  to  review the  fiscal  note from  the                                                               
Department  of  Commerce,   Community  and  Economic  Development                                                               
(DCCED), Banking and Securities for HB 44 as follows:                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
He read the zero fiscal note bill analysis, as follows:                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The bill  will allow an  individual or entity  who owns                                                                    
     an automated  teller machine (ATM)  to charge a  fee to                                                                    
     conduct  a transaction  accessing  an  account from  an                                                                    
     international financial institution.  The division does                                                                    
     not  currently regulate  ATM fees.  The  bill does  not                                                                    
     require a change to regulations.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
        The Division of Banking and Securities does not                                                                         
     anticipate fiscal impact from this legislation.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BISHOP reiterated that this is a zero fiscal note.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:41:19 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to report  HB 44, version 31-LS0223\A from                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There  being no  objection, HB  44 was  reported from  the Senate                                                               
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.