04/27/2021 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

              HB 166-ONE LICENSE PLATE PER VEHICLE                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:11:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS announced that the  next order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  166, "An Act relating to the  issuance of vehicle                                                               
registration plates."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:11:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE,  as prime sponsor,  presented HB 166.   He                                                               
said at its last hearing of  the bill, the committee had asked to                                                               
hear from  local members  of law  enforcement.   He said  he left                                                               
numerous messages  for the Anchorage Police  Department (APD) but                                                               
surmised he  had not  heard back because  of a  command structure                                                               
change.  He said he spoke  with Joel Smith, Chief of Police, City                                                               
of Wasilla,  and he offered  his understanding that  Chief Smith,                                                               
like the Department of Public  Safety (DPS), takes no position on                                                               
HB 166 but does not have an issue  with it since it would not put                                                               
his  officers  at  risk  and  is not  a  safety  issue,  thus  is                                                               
something that he could "work around."   He then indicated he had                                                               
contacted the  Fairbanks post  of the  Alaska State  Troopers and                                                               
understood that entity to say it  took no official position on HB
.   The person he spoke  with told him the  front license plate                                                               
is not  visible at night; only  the back plate is  required to be                                                               
lighted to  show the  registration tag.   He  was told  the front                                                               
plate provides no assistance to the troopers in Fairbanks.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCABE shared  that  he had  spoken with  Trooper                                                               
Jessica  McIntyre of  the  Ohio State  Highway  Patrol, who  said                                                               
Ohio's recent roll-out of the  single rear license plate has been                                                               
seamless,  with no  decrease  in the  troopers'  abilities to  do                                                               
their jobs.   From Alaska's  DPS Commissioner James  Cockrell, he                                                               
indicated confirmation  of DPS  having no  official stance  on HB
.   He remarked that  on a recent  trip to Anchorage,  he took                                                               
note of vehicles  and estimated 2 out of 10  had no front plates,                                                               
and of those that did, many were  muddy.  Even at slow speeds, he                                                               
said he  could not read the  front plates.  He  said he contacted                                                               
the  Department  of Corrections  (DOC)  because  at the  previous                                                               
meeting  someone had  expressed  concern that  parolees could  be                                                               
found  to  be  violating  parole  if their  front    plates  were                                                               
missing,  and Director  Jennifer  Winkleman [of  the Division  of                                                               
Pretrial, Probation  and Parole] indicated  that she knows  of no                                                               
instance when that has occurred.   Lieutenant Eric Olsen, who had                                                               
testified during the last  hearing, offered follow-up information                                                               
that DPS  cannot confirm  the number of  incidents or  cases that                                                               
originated  from a  front  license  plate or  lack  thereof.   He                                                               
reported that Kelly  Howell (ph) said the  examples provided were                                                               
an  informal survey  of troopers  in the  field and  the feedback                                                               
offered on their experience.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said he  thinks "these commonsense changes"                                                               
should be made.  He  recounted a conversation with Representative                                                               
Spohnholz  during  which  she had  recommended  a  more  surgical                                                               
approach  to  budget  trimming.   He  noted  that  Governor  Mike                                                               
Dunleavy had  proposed removing several  DMV locations,  which he                                                               
indicated the  legislature did not  support.  That  measure would                                                               
have  saved  the  state approximately  half  a  million  dollars.                                                               
Representative McCabe  pointed out that  "just by moving  a piece                                                               
of tin  from the front  of your car,"  the state could  save over                                                               
half  that  amount.   He  expressed  his  desire  to see  HB  166                                                               
reported out of committee today.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:16:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HOPKINS  relayed  that  the  committee  had  received  two                                                               
letters since its last hearing on  HB 166:  one letter of support                                                               
from the owner of Fairbanks  Nissan, and one letter of opposition                                                               
from the APD Employees Association.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:17:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HOPKINS  opened  public  testimony   on  HB  166.    After                                                               
ascertaining  no   one  wished  to  testify,   he  closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:17:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   HANNAN,  for   the  purpose   of  clarification,                                                               
explained  that  although  she would  be  offering  the  upcoming                                                               
motion, she would be  a "no" vote on HB 166.   She explained that                                                               
the Juneau Police Department (JPD)  and APD have concerns related                                                               
to removing the second license plate.   She opined this was not a                                                               
budget solution but rather "a solution looking for a problem."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:18:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HOPKINS  said he  shared concerns  for law  enforcement but                                                               
would  be  a  "yes"  vote,  because he  thinks  it  would  reduce                                                               
unwarranted traffic stops.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:19:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN  moved to  report HB  166 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:19:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN objected.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:19:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll  call vote  was taken.   Representatives  Drummond, McKay,                                                               
McCabe,  Cronk, and  Hopkins  voted  in favor  of  the motion  to                                                               
report HB  166 out of  committee with  individual recommendations                                                               
and the accompanying fiscal notes..   Representative Hannan voted                                                               
against it.   Therefore,  HB 166  was reported  out of  the House                                                               
Transportation Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.