02/06/2020 11:00 AM House FISHERIES

             HB 185-REGISTRATION OF BOATS: EXEMPTION                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
11:06:25 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  185, "An  Act  relating to  the registration  of                                                               
commercial vessels; and providing for an effective date."                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
11:07:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on HB 185.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
11:07:45 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
RICHARD DAVIS,  Member, Seafood Producers  Cooperative, testified                                                               
in support of HB  185.  He stated that he is  a 43-year member of                                                               
a fishermen's cooperative consisting  of approximately 500 Alaska                                                               
commercial  fishermen and  boat  owners, over  200  of which  are                                                               
documented vessel owners.  He  said the cooperative was formed in                                                               
1945  and  is  the  largest  and  longest  surviving  fishermen's                                                               
cooperative in North America.   He expressed that the cooperative                                                               
would  like  to  expressly  thank  the  sponsor  of  HB  185  and                                                               
encourage the passage of the  bill, and it supports any lawmakers                                                               
that would assist in its passage.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
11:09:11 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
RACHEL   LORD,  Executive   Secretary,   Alaska  Association   of                                                               
Harbormasters  & Port  Administrators (AAHPA),  offered testimony                                                               
on HB 185.   She stated that since the late  1970s, the AAHPA has                                                               
worked to connect harbormasters,  port directors, port and harbor                                                               
staff,  engineers,  fabricators,  and   others  from  the  marine                                                               
support industries  from around Alaska's working  waterfronts, to                                                               
support and improve port and  harbor facilities to the benefit of                                                               
every fleet.   She explained  that the AAHPA represents  42 ports                                                               
and harbors throughout Alaska and  over 60 companies from related                                                               
support industries.  She said that  from 2014 to 2016 she was the                                                               
facilitator of  the statewide  Ad-hoc Derelict  Vessel Taskforce,                                                               
which worked with local, state,  and federal governments, as well                                                               
as  private  stakeholders,  to  address  the  issue  of  derelict                                                               
vessels  in  Alaska's  public  waters.     She  stated  that  the                                                               
taskforce's work was  the underpinning of Senate  Bill 92 [passed                                                               
during the Thirtieth Alaska State Legislature in 2018].                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. LORD explained  that at an annual meeting  this past October,                                                               
the AAHPA membership  and board of directors  passed a resolution                                                               
supporting automatic  registration of Commercial  Fisheries Entry                                                               
Commission  (CFEC) vessels  with the  Division of  Motor Vehicles                                                               
(DMV).  She  stated that while the AAHPA does  not oppose HB 185,                                                               
it still  believes it  is most prudent  and reasonable  to reduce                                                               
bureaucratic burden,  while still  maintaining a  single database                                                               
of vessel ownership, at the  DMV, for vessels operating primarily                                                               
in  Alaska's waters.   She  likened this  to the  registration of                                                               
commercial and recreational boat  trailers and vehicles on public                                                               
roads.  As an example, she  stated that if an individual owns and                                                               
operates  a commercial  vehicle, he/she  is required  to have  an                                                               
additional commercial permit; however,  this does not exempt that                                                               
individual from  the state's DMV registration  requirements.  She                                                               
explained that  every working vessel will  one day see an  end to                                                               
its useful  life, just  like a  car or a  truck.   She summarized                                                               
that the  AAHPA desires to  balance that reality with  the desire                                                               
to reduce  paperwork and burden;  therefore, it believes  that it                                                               
is  most prudent  for  the  state to  provide  for automatic  DMV                                                               
registration when applying for a CFEC permit.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
11:11:27 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES, after  ascertaining that there was no  one else who                                                               
wished to provide testimony, closed public testimony on HB 185.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
11:11:37 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOPP moved  to adopt  [Amendment 1],  labeled 31-                                                               
LS1250\M.1, Klein, 1/31/20, which read as follows:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, following line 16:                                                                                                 
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
        "* Section 1. AS 05.25.056(a) is amended to read:                                                                   
          (a)  Except as provided under (f) of this                                                                             
     section, the  owner of an undocumented  boat subject to                                                                    
     registration  in  this  state  under  AS 05.25.055,  or                                                                
     exempt  from   registration  under  AS 05.25.055(i)(7),                                                                
     shall apply  to the Department of  Administration for a                                                                    
     certificate of title for the boat."                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
11:11:44 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES  objected  to  the   motion,  for  the  purpose  of                                                               
discussion.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
11:11:54 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MATT GRUENING, Staff, Representative  Louise Stutes, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, offered an explanation on  Amendment 1 to HB 185, on                                                               
behalf of Representative  Stutes, prime sponsor.   He stated that                                                               
it would clarify  that an undocumented CFEC  registered vessel is                                                               
exempt  from  registration  with  the  DMV  but  would  still  be                                                               
required to  be titled with  the DMV.   He explained that  it was                                                               
never the  bill sponsor's  intention for HB  185 to  exempt those                                                               
vessels   from   titling,  only   to   make   them  exempt   from                                                               
registration.     He  said  it   makes  sense  to   require  CFEC                                                               
registration in  conjunction with  either a  DMV title  or United                                                               
States  Coast Guard  (USCG)  documentation;  however, having  the                                                               
CFEC  be   the  only  agency   responsible  for   tracking  small                                                               
undocumented vessels  seems slightly  excessive.  He  pointed out                                                               
that the title will require a  one-time fee of $20.  Mr. Gruening                                                               
cited  page 3,  line  10,  of Senate  Bill  92  [included in  the                                                               
committee  packet], which  requires undocumented  vessels subject                                                               
to registration  under AS  05.25.055 to  apply for  a title.   He                                                               
explained that  the proposed amending  of AS  05.25.055(i), under                                                               
HB 185,  would inadvertently remove  the requirement  from Senate                                                               
Bill 92 to title undocumented  CFEC registered vessels, which was                                                               
not the intent of the bill sponsor  of HB 185.  He explained that                                                               
adding  the  wording  "or  exempt   from  registration  under  AS                                                               
05.25.055(i)(7)"  would clarify  that  those  vessels are  exempt                                                               
from  DMV registration  but will  continue to  title through  the                                                               
DMV.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
11:13:41 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES  removed  her  objection to  the  motion  to  adopt                                                               
Amendment 1.   There being no further objection,  Amendment 1 was                                                               
adopted.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
11:14:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  stated that she thinks  HB 185, [as amended],  is a                                                               
good   bill   that    would   remove   duplicative   registration                                                               
requirements on  commercial fishing vessels.   She expressed that                                                               
she thinks  Amendment 1  would strengthen  the bill  for tracking                                                               
undocumented  CFEC vessels.    She summarized  that  HB 185,  [as                                                               
amended] streamlines  preparations for the fishing  season, while                                                               
still collecting needed data on  vessel ownership for the state's                                                               
database.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
11:14:42 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON moved to report  HB 185, as amended, out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection, CSHB  185(FSH)  was                                                               
reported from the House Special Committee on Fisheries.