Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519

04/15/2024 01:30 PM House FINANCE

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= HB 154 AK HOUSING FINANCE CORP: SUSTAIN ENERGY TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
-- Public Testimony --
+= HB 223 TAX & ROYALTY FOR CERTAIN GAS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 154                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to subsidiary corporations of the                                                                         
     Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; and establishing                                                                       
     the Alaska energy independence fund."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:37:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AKIS  GIALOPSOS, DEPUTY  EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,  ALASKA HOUSING                                                                    
FINANCE CORPORATION,  introduced himself and  the PowerPoint                                                                    
presentation  "House Bill  154: Alaska's  Energy Subsidiary"                                                                    
dated April  15, 2024 (copy on  file). He began on  slide 4,                                                                    
which outlined the policy objectives of the bill.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:40:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos continued on slide  5. He stated that the U.S.                                                                    
Environmental Protection  Agency's Greenhouse  Gas Reduction                                                                    
Fund  (GGRF)   announced  $14  billion  in   National  Clean                                                                    
Investment Fund  grants and a  $6 billion  Clean Communities                                                                    
Investment Accelerator.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos advanced to slide 6  and noted that one of the                                                                    
funds that had gone under the radar.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:46:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  continued  to  slide  8,  which  showed  the                                                                    
renovation  loan option  which allowed  for improvements  to                                                                    
increase  a   home's  value,  its  energy   efficiency,  and                                                                    
incorporated  universal  design principles  to  age-in-place                                                                    
thereby while improving Alaska's aging housing stock.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Galvin  asked   about  the   timeline,  and                                                                    
wondered whether  the number meant  homes or other  types of                                                                    
properties. She  wondered whether  someone could get  a loan                                                                    
with the  presumption that  the energy  savings would  be so                                                                    
high so they would see a net positive after the funding.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  responded  that the  new  home  construction                                                                    
program which existed between 2008  to 2016 operated in that                                                                    
manner.  He  stated  that  an  individual  could  receive  a                                                                    
certificate  of  a  five-star energy  rating  to  receive  a                                                                    
rebate.  He  remarked  that   the  legislature  funded  that                                                                    
program. He furthered that the  home buyer would receive the                                                                    
rebate  instead  of the  home  builder,  in order  to  delay                                                                    
gratification and make a strategic investment.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Galvin asked about the renovation loans.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  replied that the  renovation loan  would use,                                                                    
because  their current  mortgage may  have a  lower interest                                                                    
rate.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:53:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Galvin  understood that the idea  was to grow                                                                    
more than 434  renovation loans with an  extension of longer                                                                    
than 15 years.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos agreed.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  continued on  slide 9.  He stressed  that the                                                                    
policy required to adhere to building management code.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:57:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos moved  to  slide 10.  He  commented that  the                                                                    
slide showed the  issue of the labor shortage,  which had an                                                                    
impact on new homes being built currently.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  continued to  slide  11.  He was  cautiously                                                                    
optimistic about the program.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:02:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  advanced to  slide  12.  He stated  that  an                                                                    
entity that  collaborated with  federal, state,  local, non-                                                                    
profit, and  private sector organizations could  have access                                                                    
to the program.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos continued  to slide  13. He  remarked on  the                                                                    
tradition of  working collaborate  with sister  agencies and                                                                    
organizations,  stepping  up,  and  meetings  the  needs  of                                                                    
Alaskans.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:05:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Stapp  asked if  the units in  Fairbanks were                                                                    
referring to the large complex off of Hamilton Acres.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  responded  that he  wanted  to  confirm  the                                                                    
information in writing.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Hannan   noticed   in   standing   up   the                                                                    
subsidiary, it  did not appear  that the board  of directors                                                                    
was altered in any way.  she thought the board should change                                                                    
and  asked  if  it  was  talked  about  in  the  legislation                                                                    
development.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos responded  thanked Representative  Hannan for                                                                    
asking  the same  question in  the prior  year. He  believed                                                                    
that the board was properly constituted.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:09:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Coulombe    asked   about    the   regional                                                                    
aggregators.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  returned to slide  5 to answer  the question.                                                                    
He  stated that  one  of the  regional  aggregators was  the                                                                    
Coalition  For  Green  Capital,  which  was  an  established                                                                    
national organizations.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Coulombe  surmised  that the  coalition  was                                                                    
based in Washington DC.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos responded  agreed, and  stated that  he would                                                                    
follow up.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Coulombe  queried  the role  of  the  Alaska                                                                    
Municipal League.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  replied that they understood  the capacity of                                                                    
the state in understanding the tax code.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Coulombe asked  who was  deciding where  the                                                                    
grants were going.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos  replied  that the  Environmental  Protection                                                                    
Agency (EPA) made those decisions                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:13:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Coulombe  asked  what would  happen  to  the                                                                    
federal money without the green bank.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos responded that in some cases it was unclear.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Galvin  wondered whether the  "middleman" had                                                                    
a take on the money.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  replied that EPA  would finalize  their award                                                                    
negotiations  with  the  aggregators, which  would  conclude                                                                    
near the end of June.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative Galvin  stated that  her biggest  concern was                                                                    
how  each entity  was receiving  what was  needed to  ensure                                                                    
that Alaska was getting as much funding as possible.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos responded  that he could not  quantify what it                                                                    
looked like until the passage of the bill.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:20:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Johnson wondered  whether there  were any  missing                                                                    
pieces in the presentation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos replied  that there  were suggestions  at the                                                                    
end of the presentation.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson queried  the  original purpose  of                                                                    
the $20 million fiscal note.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos responded that feedback  showed that there was                                                                    
a  risk of  the parent's  corporate veil  to be  lifted, and                                                                    
could jeopardize the mortgages.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:24:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson felt  that  there  should at  some                                                                    
future date be some state cooperations in the investments.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.   Gialopsos   responded   that   it  was   up   to   the                                                                    
administration   and   legislature    to   determine   those                                                                    
requirements.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:25:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CURTIS THAYER, EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR, ALASKA ENERGY AUTHORITY,                                                                    
ANCHORAGE (via  teleconference), continued  the presentation                                                                    
on slide 14.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Thayer continued on slide 15.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Thayer advanced to slide 16.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:29:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  moved to slide  17. Hs stated that  should HB
154 pass, the corporation  anticipated that the parent board                                                                    
would create a nonprofit subsidiary government procedure.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos  reviewed the fiscal  note from  Department of                                                                    
Revenue  (DOR).                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:33:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Thayer   went  through  the   fiscal  notes   from  the                                                                    
Department of  Commerce, Community and  Economic Development                                                                    
(DCCED) for AEA.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:35:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ERIC  DEMOULIN,  ADMIN   SERVICES  DIRECTOR,  DEPARTMENT  OF                                                                    
REVENUE,  went   through  the  zero  fiscal   note  for  the                                                                    
Department of Administration (DOA).                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster OPENED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:37:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SOMMERS COLE, ALASKA GOVERNMENT  AFFAIRS MANAGER, THE NATURE                                                                    
CONSERVANCY, JUNEAU, supported  Governor Dunleavy's efforts,                                                                    
and spoke in support of the bill.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:39:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARAH  NABINYE, ALASKA  VENTURE FUND,  JUNEAU, testified  in                                                                    
support of the legislation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:41:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Hannan returned  to fiscal  notes AHFC,  and                                                                    
asked  whether  there  were two  additional  positions.  She                                                                    
wondered whether  there would be three  positions created in                                                                    
the bill.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos responded in the affirmative.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:44:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Thayer responded that the  planning department was three                                                                    
people and would require another full time position.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hannan  wondered whether  there needed  to be                                                                    
an amendment in the bill for those positions.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Gialopsos responded  that  section 4  of  the bill  was                                                                    
something that  was extricated from  the draft by  the other                                                                    
body.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Edgmon  stressed that it  was a "sleeper"  bill and                                                                    
was more  significant than  it seemed, and  he asked  if the                                                                    
state was limiting its ability to attract.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Gialopsos responded in the negative.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:51:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson //                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:52:01 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:53:59 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
HB 154 was HEARD and HELD for further consideration.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
HB 154 HFIN AHFC Presentation 041524.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 154
HB 154 Public Testimony Rec'd by 040424.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 154
HB 154 Public Testimony Rec'd by 041224.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 154
HB 223 DNR DOG Presentation to HFIN 04.15.2024.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 223
HB 223 Public Testimony Rec'd by 041524.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 223
HB154 Public Testimony Rec'd by 051524.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 154
HB 154 AHFC Response to HFIN 041724.pdf HFIN 4/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
HB 154