03/08/2011 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

               HB  92-LAO VETERANS LICENSE PLATES                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:05:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced that the first order of business was HOUSE                                                                 
BILL NO. 92, "An Act relating to special request Lao veteran                                                                    
registration plates; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:05:32 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER moved  to adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS) for  HB 92,  Version 27-LS0375\B,  Luckhaupt, 2/28/11,  as a                                                               
work draft.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion purposes.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:05:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVE  BREMER,   Staff,  Representative  Petersen,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented   HB  92  on  behalf   of  Representative                                                               
Petersen,  sponsor.   He said  the proposed  bill would  create a                                                               
special license plate for Lao veterans.   He said Version B would                                                               
make  the  following  changes:    allow  for  U.S.  and  non-U.S.                                                               
veterans  to request  plates,  as  long as  they  served in  Laos                                                               
[sometime  between  2/28/61  to   5/15/75];  change  "combat"  to                                                               
"military  operations"  to  include  those who  may  have  served                                                               
without bearing arms; and change  "Hmong" to "Southeast Asian" to                                                               
accommodate  all ethnic  groups  in military  operations in  Laos                                                               
during the aforementioned period.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. BREMER  addressed concerns  that had been  brought up  by the                                                               
committee  during the  previous hearing  on HB  92.   He directed                                                               
attention to the  word "evidence", on page 1, line  11, and noted                                                               
that the  bill drafter said that  requirement is not used  in any                                                               
other license plate legislation.   Another concern had to do with                                                               
whether or not  people who lease cars would still  be able to get                                                               
the  special  request  plates,  and   he  said  the  answer  from                                                               
Legislative  Legal  and Research  Services  is  yes, because  the                                                               
person leasing the vehicle would be the registered owner.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:08:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. BREMER, in  response to Chair Lynn, listed  guidelines set up                                                               
by the  federal government by  which former citizens of  Laos who                                                               
moved to  the U.S. could  prove that they  fought on the  side of                                                               
the U.S. during the war.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:10:47 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON withdrew  his objection  to the  motion to                                                               
adopt  the  committee substitute  (CS)  for  HB 92,  Version  27-                                                               
LS0375\B, Luckhaupt,  2/28/11, as a  work draft.  There  being no                                                               
further objection, Version B was before the committee.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:11:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER  moved  to  report CSHB  92,  Version  27-                                                               
LS0375\B, Luckhaupt,  2/28/11, out  of committee  with individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no  objection, CSHB  92(STA) was  reported from  the House  State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.