Legislature(2007 - 2008)BELTZ 211
05/10/2007 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB151 | |
| HB132 | |
| HB159 | |
| HB75 | |
| HB184 | |
| SB151 | |
| HB184 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 171 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 151 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 132 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 159 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 75 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 184 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
CSHB 75(STA) - DRIVERS LICENSE: ALCOHOL AWARENESS/MINOR
9:42:42 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced consideration of HB 75. [Before the
committee was CSHB 75(STA).]
BARBARA COTTING, staff, to Representative Jay Ramras, bill
sponsor, introduced CSHB 75(STA) to the committee. The bill
stipulates that a driver's license issued to a person under
twenty-one will expire ninety days after the person turns
twenty-one. A twenty-one-year-old person applying for a new
license after the expiration date must pass an alcohol and drug
awareness and safety test. The test will be designed by the DMV
and Representative Ramras hopes Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
(MADD) will also participate in the process. Licenses for
persons over twenty-one and under twenty-one would look
different making it easier for alcohol servers and sellers to
detect minors. The goal of the bill is to significantly reduce
under-age drinking in Alaska and improve alcohol awareness in
the state. She noted that a committee substitute (CS) at the
request of Mr. Bannock of the DMV, adds an effective date of
January 1, 2008. Also included is a small fiscal note of a one-
time $5,000 charge to initiate the process.
9:46:24 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked if the bill had a finance referral.
MS. COTTING answered yes.
SENATOR GREEN asked if an alcohol awareness test existed for
first time license applicants.
MS. COTTING replied not that she was aware of.
DUANE BANNOCK, Director, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department
of Administration, Anchorage, said there are currently questions
in the knowledge section of the driving test regarding drinking
and driving.
SENATOR GREEN asked for clarification of the difference between
the current test and the test proposed in the bill.
MR. BANNOCK said the bill would create a separate test at a
different time from when most people take the knowledge test.
Most applicants take the test at fourteen-years-old when they
get an instruction permit. This bill would require a second test
at the expiration of the driver license when a driver turns
twenty-one.
9:48:49 AM
SENATOR FRENCH asked what the cost of the test would be.
MR. BANNOCK said DMV would charge a $15 fee for a duplicate
license, but the test itself would be free of charge.
SENATOR FRENCH asked where the driver would get the information
necessary to pass the test.
MR. BANNOCK said it would not be proper for the DMV to provide
the information. However, it would be appropriate for the DMV to
be the distribution point of a booklet or pamphlet.
9:50:19 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE noted that Representative Ramras does not want the
CS adopted today. She said the committee should work off the
original bill labeled 25-LS0348\K.
SENATOR GREEN asked how the requirement would apply to a forty-
seven-year-old from out of state seeking a license.
REPRESENTATIVE JAY RAMRAS, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
said the requirement would not apply to people older than
twenty-one or people moving into the state older than twenty-
one.
9:51:31 AM
SENATOR FRENCH asked how the provision would apply to twenty-
one-year-old out of state military personnel or college
students.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS said Mr. Bannock of the DMV could speak to
this question.
MR. BANNOCK said licenses held by active duty military personnel
have no expiration date while they are out of the State of
Alaska. However, their license will expire 90 days after
returning to the state or after separating from active duty
service, whichever comes first. The DMV has statutory authority
to offer expiration extensions to college students.
9:53:16 AM
SENATOR FRENCH asked who will develop the training required by
the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS said the present general knowledge test
contains one thousand questions in the pool. An applicant is
given sixteen questions out of the pool to answer; eight on
driving, four on insurance, and four on alcohol. He would be
very comfortable if the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and
MADD put the second test together, under the direction of the
DMV. Alcohol related questions could also be generated from the
pool that already exists.
9:54:36 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE asked Representative Ramras to speak about the
policy goals of the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS said he has two objectives. One is to
clarify the age line between minors and adults. He said the
Alcohol Beverage Control Board (ABC) has conducted extensive
stings over the last few years showing "there is a leakage rate
amongst minors being served in on-premise and off-premise
establishments."
SENATOR FRENCH asked for clarification of the terms "leakage
rate" and "predator."
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS said "leakage rate" is not an industry
term but one he uses to describe the numbers of minors being
served by operators. He considers any young person under the
legal age that tries to secure an alcoholic beverage and any
licensee who sells alcohol to a minor, a predator.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS reiterated that the first half of the bill
establishes a clearer line between a minor and an adult with the
automatic expiration component. The second component addresses
the need for more comprehensive education about the risks of
consuming alcohol and driving. A twenty-one-year-old is moving
through a very influential phase of life when alcohol use is
merging with the responsibility of driving. He believes it is in
the best interest for the safety of communities and young people
to consider both halves of this bill.
10:01:21 AM
SENATOR FRENCH said he agrees with the intent of the bill to
reduce DUI citations and save lives. He also likes the landscape
versus portrait orientation to differentiate age groups.
However, he wants to see evidence that required testing would
change behavior. He mentioned DARE as an example of a program
that was supposed to work and after a couple of years found out
it had very little impact on young people's behavior.
10:02:51 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE said she agrees with Senator French's statements.
She advised Representative Ramras to provide details about what
the test will look like and how it will be administered. Other
details to consider are costs, effectiveness, and comparison to
other states that may have a similar program. She also suggested
having someone from DPS or MADD speak to the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE RAMRAS agreed those were excellent suggestions.
He said he envisions alcohol education being incorporated into
the DMV handbook. Since the general knowledge test is designed
for a fourteen-year-old to pass, he thinks this will help to
institutionalize the dissemination of more information regarding
drinking and driving.
10:05:03 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE said Representative Ramras should outline costs
and how the program will work for the Finance Committee.
10:06:06 AM
SHIRLEY MARSHAL, representing herself, said she supports HB 75.
She said seven years pass between the time a fourteen-year-old
takes the written test and when they renew their license at
twenty-one. At twenty-one, the driver renews with no written or
driving test. She believes a written test regarding current
alcohol awareness is a great idea when a driver turns twenty-
one.
10:08:11 AM
CHAIR MCGUIRE closed public testimony on HB 75.
SENATOR STEVENS moved to report HB 75 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes. There
being no objection, CSHB 75(STA) moved from the Senate State
Affairs Committee.
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