Legislature(2015 - 2016)CAPITOL 106
04/01/2015 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB52 | |
| HB163 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 52 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 163 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 52-MUSEUM CONSTRUCTION GRANT PROGRAM
8:00:54 AM
CHAIR KELLER [announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 52, "An Act establishing a museum construction
grant program in the Department of Commerce, Community, and
Economic Development."]
8:01:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 52, Version 29-LS0119\W, Glover, 3/30/15,
as the working document.
[Although the question of whether there were any objections to
the motion was not properly addressed, Version W was nonetheless
treated as being before the committee as the working document.]
8:01:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of
HB 52, explained that under Version W, the bill's proposed new
AS 14.57.300(a) now contains language on page 1, lines 10-11,
stipulating that the Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development (DCCED) may not accept an application for a
grant under AS 14.57.300 unless the legislature makes an
appropriation for the grant program. The bill's proposed new
AS 14.57.300(c) now stipulates on page 2, lines 1-2, that the
DCCED shall award to an eligible applicant not more than
50 percent of the final projected costs based on accepted bids.
He said HB 52 has essentially become enabling legislation, and
offered his belief that the aforementioned changes, resulting
from discussions with the committee and DCCED staff, would give
the bill's proposed new museum construction grant program an
opportunity to move forward.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON questioned the practicality of stipulating
in the bill's proposed new AS 14.57.300(a) that the DCCED may
not accept an application for a grant unless an appropriation to
the grant program has been made, given that the legislature
isn't going to make any such appropriation until it receives a
prioritized list of the projects for which grant applications
have been accepted.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON, indicating that he'd discussed the issue
with DCCED staff, acknowledged that point but relayed that the
thought was that because of the current fiscal situation,
including such a stipulation would be the best approach to take
regardless. In response to further questions, he indicated that
if [something changes and] applications for grants ever are
accepted, they would be scored and awarded on the basis of
merit, and offered his understanding that the DCCED would be
submitting a zero fiscal note based on the inclusion of that
stipulation in Version W. House Bill 52, he reiterated, is
enabling legislation, proposing to establish in statute a
matching grant program.
8:11:23 AM
KATHERINE ELDEMAR, Director, Division Programs, Division of
Community and Regional Affairs, Department of Commerce,
Community & Economic Development (DCCED), concurred that the
DCCED would be submitting a zero fiscal note because of the
inclusion of the aforementioned stipulation in Version W; under
that stipulation, the DCCED couldn't accept applications for
such grants, and thus wouldn't have to expend resources
evaluating any such applications. She relayed, however, that
[with passage of the bill] the DCCED would still be promulgating
regulations for the proposed museum construction, expansion, and
major renovation matching grant program, in anticipation of
something possibly changing in the future and applications for
such grants then being accepted; and if at some point
applications ever are accepted, they would then be evaluated in
terms of whether they complied with the program's requirements.
8:14:48 AM
LAWRENCE BLOOD, Local Government Specialist V, Division
Programs, Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Department
of Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED), in
response to questions, explained that grants are audited if they
exceed $500,000 cumulative; additionally, the DCCED has an
internal grant review process, and so there would be oversight.
Under DCCED policy, entities that are awarded grants are
required to use their own procurement policies, or the state's
if they haven't any of their own, and the DCCED tries to ensure
transparency in that process.
CHAIR KELLER, after ascertaining that no one else wished to
testify, closed public testimony on HB 52.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO noted that under the bill's proposed new
AS 14.57.350(2), the term "museum" as used in the bill is
[partially] defined via reference to AS 14.57.290, which reads
in part:
(4) "museum" means an organized and permanent
public institution, including a historical society,
historical park, historical site, and historical
monument, that is primarily educational, scientific,
historical, artistic, or cultural in purpose and that
owns, borrows, cares for, studies, archives, or
exhibits property;
8:19:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ moved to report [the proposed CS for
HB 52, Version 29-LS0119\W, Glover, 3/30/15,] out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, CSHB 52(EDC) was reported from
the House Education Standing Committee.