03/13/2017 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

         HB 121-OCC. HEALTH AND SAFETY CIVIL PENALTIES                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:44:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN announced  that the only order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  121, "An Act relating to  occupational safety and                                                               
health  enforcement penalties;  and  providing  for an  effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:45:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEBORAH KELLY,  Director, Division  of Labor Standards  & Safety,                                                               
Department of  Labor & Workforce Development  (DLWD), in response                                                               
to Chair  Claman, replied  that the  short version  of HB  121 is                                                               
that it will require the  department to set maximum penalties for                                                               
safety and  health standard violations  by regulation,  and limit                                                               
those  penalties  to the  federal  equivalent  for those  penalty                                                               
types.    This will  allow  the  department  to comply  with  its                                                               
federal requirement, she said.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:46:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  asked whether there was  concern that the                                                               
current regulations  were not adequately taking  care of workers,                                                               
or whether there are some safety concerns.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. KELLY  responded that she  had not heard any  complaints that                                                               
the standards  were not adequate  and, she explained,  as needed,                                                               
the department  does conduct  the public  process to  develop new                                                               
safety and  health standards  for the state  based on  input from                                                               
its local industries.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN,  after ascertaining no  one wished to  testify, did                                                               
not reopen public testimony.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:48:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  commented that  safety is  very important                                                               
and he opined  that Alaska had done an adequate  job of attending                                                               
to that.  He related that any  time he hears an argument that "if                                                               
you  don't do  something the  federal government  is going  to do                                                               
something less desirable," it is  concerning that one of the main                                                               
reasons the state would be taking  an action was due to something                                                               
the  federal government  was doing.   There  are concerns  of the                                                               
federal  government doing  this or  that, and  he asked  that the                                                               
committee put Alaska's  best interests as primary, if  not as the                                                               
sole consideration.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:49:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FANSLER  moved  to  report HB  121,  Version  30-                                                               
LS0362\), out  of committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being no objection, HB 121                                                               
moved from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.