05/01/2018 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 217(FIN)                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to civil  liability for risks inherent                                                                    
     in farm  touring; relating to  the state  and municipal                                                                    
     procurement   preferences  for   agricultural  products                                                                    
     harvested   in  the   state   and  fisheries   products                                                                    
     harvested  or  processed  in  the  state;  relating  to                                                                    
     merchandise sold and certain  fees charged or collected                                                                    
     by the  Department of Natural Resources;  and providing                                                                    
     for an effective date."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:16:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DIANA RHODES, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GERAN TARR, provided a                                                                      
brief description of the bill from the sponsor statement as                                                                     
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     House Bill  217 seeks to create  more opportunities for                                                                    
     small  scale  producers,   strengthen  our  local  food                                                                    
     systems, and grow our local economies.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
          1. Authorizes  receipt authority for the  Dept. of                                                                    
          Natural Resources (Division of Agriculture) -                                                                         
          to  collect  a  fee  for  promotional  merchandise                                                                    
          related to the Alaska Grown logo;                                                                                     
          2. Encourages "farm touring,"  which is defined in                                                                    
          statute   and  provides   protection  from   civil                                                                    
          liability;                                                                                                            
          3. Encourages the  State of Alaska, municipalities                                                                    
          and schools to buy  more Alaska Grown agricultural                                                                    
          and   fisheries   products,  by   providing   more                                                                    
          flexibility in procurement rules.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   MacKinnon  related   that   she  had   previously                                                                    
sponsored many bills related to  procurement. She noted that                                                                    
the bill raised procurement from  7 percent to not more than                                                                    
15 percent.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bishop reviewed the  fiscal note. He conveyed the                                                                    
fiscal  impact  note  information   for  the  Department  of                                                                    
Natural Resources (DNR),  FN3(DNR) allocated to Agricultural                                                                    
Development  in  the amount  of  $5  thousand in  Designated                                                                    
General  Funds (DGF)  and gaining  estimated revenue  of $10                                                                    
thousand  per  year based  on  the  amount of  Alaska  Grown                                                                    
marketing materials  distributed in previous years.  He read                                                                    
from page 2 of the fiscal note:                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     The  bill allowed  DNR to  sell merchandise  and charge                                                                    
     fees associated  with the  Alaska Grown  trademark. The                                                                    
     department  will continue  to manage  the Alaska  Grown                                                                    
     program through existing  staff. Additional merchandise                                                                    
     will   be  purchased   through  program   receipts  for                                                                    
     inventory replacement.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:19:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Bishop  MOVED  to   REPORT  CSHB  217(FIN)  from                                                                    
committee  with individual  recommendation and  accompanying                                                                    
fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  217(FIN) was  REPORTED  out of  committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendation and  with one  fiscal impact  note: FN                                                                    
3(DNR).                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:19:30 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:21:38 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED