03/12/2010 09:00 AM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 73                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to honorary foreign consul license                                                                        
     plates; and providing for an effective date."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BOB  LYNN, SPONSOR, spoke to  the bill, which                                                                    
provides  for special  license plates  for firefighters  and                                                                    
emergency  service (EMS)  providers. He  thought the  plates                                                                    
acknowledged good work done by individuals.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:27:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Lynn believed  the  measure would  encourage                                                                    
volunteerism.  He  pointed to  copies  of  the petition  for                                                                    
firefighter  and  EMS  provider license  plates  (copies  on                                                                    
file). He mentioned the zero fiscal note.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  requested   more  information  about  the                                                                    
proposed committee substitute.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
NANCY MANLY, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE  BOB LYNN, explained that                                                                    
the  CS  (version  P) addresses  technical  changes  and  an                                                                    
effective date change:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
   · Page 1 line 5 - per Legal Services: there was another                                                                      
     subsection added last year to statute so the                                                                               
     subsection number changes from "(y)" to "(z)".                                                                             
   · Page 2 line 30 changes the effective date from 2009 to                                                                     
     2010.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze acknowledged  the straightforward nature of                                                                    
the  changes.  He believed  the  measure  would affect  more                                                                    
volunteer firefighters  than career firefighters  in Alaska.                                                                    
Representative Lynn agreed.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Thomas asked  whether doctors  were included  as                                                                    
respondents in rural areas.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hawker  MOVED to  adopt  the  CS  for HB  73,  26-                                                                    
LS0303\P,  Luckhaupt,  2/4/10,  as a  working  draft.  There                                                                    
being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative Salmon asked whether  doctors and nurses were                                                                    
included.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:31:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Fairclough  asked  whether the  sponsor  was                                                                    
comfortable    with     adding    volunteer    firefighters.                                                                    
Representative Lynn  agreed, as volunteer  firefighters were                                                                    
the backbone of firefighting in many Alaskan communities.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative Fairclough wanted  an amendment to explicitly                                                                    
include  volunteer firefighters.  She stated  a conflict  of                                                                    
interest as  her sons were volunteer  firefighters. She said                                                                    
her sons would be proud to have the license plate.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Manly  assured her that  the measure  included volunteer                                                                    
firefighters.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  shared concerns  regarding  institutional                                                                    
bias  against   volunteer  fire  fighters.  He   wanted  the                                                                    
language to be very clear.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:33:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JERRY LUCKHAUPT, LEGISLATIVE LEGAL  STAFF, DIVISION OF LEGAL                                                                    
SERVICES AND  VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER,  replied that  the bill                                                                    
does   not   distinguish   between  volunteer   and   career                                                                    
firefighters as long as an individual  is a member of a fire                                                                    
department.  He  explained that  the  majority  of the  fire                                                                    
departments in Alaska are volunteer  departments. Some are a                                                                    
combination  of career  and volunteer  members. Some  states                                                                    
have different  license plates  for each  group; HB  73 does                                                                    
not distinguish between the groups.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  noted that in  his community the  goal has                                                                    
been to bring the groups together.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SEAN  WISNER, CAREER  FIREFIGHTER,  ALYESKA MARINE  TERMINAL                                                                    
AND  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTER,  VALDEZ  FIRE  DEPARTMENT  (via                                                                    
teleconference),  spoke  in  support   of  the  measure.  He                                                                    
related his  history as a firefighter  and emergency medical                                                                    
technician.  He  believed  the   plates  would  help  others                                                                    
recognize  the service  of individuals  and would  encourage                                                                    
volunteerism.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SUSIE  KOKLICH,  ALASKA  DIRECTOR, NATIONAL  VOLUNTEER  FIRE                                                                    
COUNCIL, VALDEZ  (via teleconference), testified  in support                                                                    
of the measure.  She informed the committee  that there were                                                                    
approximately  7,200 firefighters  in the  state; 1,300  are                                                                    
paid  career  firefighters.  Volunteers  give  thousands  of                                                                    
hours  of  service.  She  shared  a  story  related  to  her                                                                    
husband,  a  Vietnam veteran  with  a  Purple Heart  license                                                                    
plate. Because  of the  plate, someone  had thanked  him for                                                                    
his service. The thank you meant a great deal to him.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms.   Koklich   added   that  the   bill   would   encourage                                                                    
volunteerism   in   the   state.  She   pointed   out   that                                                                    
volunteerism was  declining around  the country and  she did                                                                    
not want that to happen in Alaska.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:38:49 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Koklich noted that doctors  are not included unless they                                                                    
are an emergency responder.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative Gara  acknowledged her contributions  and her                                                                    
husband's.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  MILLER, FIRE  CHIEF, CITY  AND BOROUGH  OF SITKA  AND                                                                    
PRESIDENT,  ALASKA   STATE  FIREFIGHTERS   ASSOCIATION  (via                                                                    
teleconference), testified  in full support of  the measure.                                                                    
He believed  that volunteers  would be  more visible  in the                                                                    
community and that this would encourage volunteerism.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  suggested  adding the  term  "career"  to                                                                    
volunteers who  have offered their services  for many years.                                                                    
Mr.  Miller agreed  that many  of the  volunteers put  in as                                                                    
many hours as paid workers.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:42:14 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVE TYLER, STATE FIRE  MARSHALL (via teleconference), spoke                                                                    
in  support  of  the  bill   as  a  good  way  to  recognize                                                                    
responders.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze mentioned the fire standards council.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Fairclough   declared   her   conflict   of                                                                    
interest.  Co-Chair Stoltze  did  not think  it  would be  a                                                                    
problem.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hawker MOVED to report  HB 73 out of Committee with                                                                    
individual  recommendations  and   the  accompanying  fiscal                                                                    
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 73(FIN) was REPORTED out  of Committee with a "do pass"                                                                    
recommendation  and  with  attached  new zero  note  by  the                                                                    
Department of Administration.