02/10/1993 08:03 AM Senate FIN

                                                                               
  CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 68(FIN):                                               
                                                                               
       An Act making a supplemental appropriation for  certain                 
       elections  for  regional  educational  attendance  area                 
       school boards and coastal resource service area boards;                 
       and providing for an effective date.                                    
                                                                               
  CO-CHAIR DRUE PEARCE  directed that CSHB 68(FIN)  be brought                 
  before the committee  and that the committee  had received a                 
  like bill, SB 48.  She invited  Charlot Thickstun, Director,                 
  Division of Elections, to testify on behalf of CSHB 68(FIN).                 
                                                                               
  CHARLOT  THICKSTUN  directed attention  to  a memo  (copy on                 
  file) dated February 4, 1993, from the Division of Elections                 
  explaining  Regional Education  Attendance  Area (REAA)  and                 
  Coastal Resource Service  Area (CRSA)  elections.  She  said                 
  the  reapportionment  and  related   litigation  had  caused                 
  unexpected expense to  the division.  She  said the division                 
  needed $90.0 additional funds  in order to pay for  the cost                 
  of REAA and CRSA elections.                                                  
                                                                               
  CO-CHAIR   STEVE  FRANK  confirmed   that  money   had  been                 
  appropriated to  the Division of Election's  original budget                 
  to cover the expenses of the REAA and CRSA elections but the                 
  money  was spent  to cover  other  expenses.   Ms. Thickstun                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  agreed that was  the case.   She said  the there was  enough                 
  money in the budget to fund  the division until February 15,                 
  1993,  and  the  division  had  been  using  the  Governor's                 
  contingency fund of $25.0.  She  said cutbacks had been done                 
  wherever possible.                                                           
                                                                               
  SENATOR JAY KERTTULA alleged that  the Division of Elections                 
  had misused appropriated  funds allocated  for the REAA  and                 
  CRSA elections, and now  the state was asked to  make up the                 
  difference.                                                                  
                                                                               
  SENATOR STEVE RIEGER  asked how  advertising money had  been                 
  spent.  Ms. Thickstun said in rural communities the division                 
  advertised when and where the election was going to be held.                 
  The division also advertises to  let candidates know when to                 
  file for seats.   She  explained this was  required by  law.                 
  Senator Rieger asked if the $23.5 was for  upcoming election                 
  newspaper ads or  were there unpaid invoices that  needed to                 
  be paid.   Ms. Thickstun admitted there were existing unpaid                 
  invoices.                                                                    
                                                                               
  CHIP THOMA, representing himself, wanted to clarify that the                 
  expense of the  recall had  not caused the  overruns in  the                 
  Division  of  Elections.   He  said  that 50,000  names  and                 
  signatures  collected by  the  recall organization  had been                 
  checked  before  they  were  submitted  to the  Division  of                 
  Elections.  A calculation showed  that it took approximately                 
  one  minute to  look up  each name.   This  would amount  to                 
  approximately 800 hours,  or less than $10,000  of expenses,                 
  to check the recall signatures.                                              
                                                                               
  SENATOR TIM KELLY asked the status of the recall.  Mr. Thoma                 
  indicated approximately half of the 50,000 signatures needed                 
  for the second stage of the recall had been collected.                       
                                                                               
  Senator  Kelly  MOVED  for  passage  of  CSHB  68(FIN)  with                 
  individual  recommendations.  Co-chair  Pearce called  for a                 
  show of hands on passage of the bill, and the bill was MOVED                 
  on a  vote of 5 to  1 (Senators Pearce, Frank,  Kelly, Sharp                 
  and Rieger were in favor, Senator Kerttula was opposed).                     
                                                                               
  Co-chair Frank commented that he would like to have a better                 
  understanding of  authorizations to  spend and  supplemental                 
  appropriations that  came  before the  committee.    Senator                 
  Kerttula  said  a  report  was  due from  legislative  audit                 
  regarding this issue.