02/13/2014 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 231                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act eliminating the Department of Revenue's duty                                                                       
     to register cattle brands."                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:48:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE  CHENAULT,  SPONSOR, relayed  that  the                                                                    
bill  would   remove  AS  44.25.120(3)  that   required  the                                                                    
Department of  Revenue (DOR) to  register cattle  brands. He                                                                    
detailed that prior to statehood  all duties associated with                                                                    
the  registration of  cattle brands  had  resided under  the                                                                    
territorial  Department of  Finance,  which  had later  been                                                                    
assumed by DOR.  He noted that according  to the Legislative                                                                    
Research  Division  that  although  the  duty  of  recording                                                                    
cattle brands was delegated through  statute to the Division                                                                    
of Agriculture, legislators may  have justified the split by                                                                    
the   use  of   the  differing   terms  "recording"   versus                                                                    
"registration."   He  believed   what  was   meant  by   the                                                                    
distinction  was  unclear.  He  referred  to  a  legislative                                                                    
report in members' packets (copy  on file) that provided the                                                                    
history  and information  related to  cattle branding  under                                                                    
DOR. The elimination of the  statute would help clarify that                                                                    
the  responsibility  clearly  lay  with  the  Department  of                                                                    
Agriculture  and not  DOR. He  referred to  a book  that the                                                                    
Division of Agriculture  published and distributed annually,                                                                    
which  included existing  cattle brands.  He explained  that                                                                    
the bill  would not create substantial  savings; however, he                                                                    
believed it was prudent to  remove any statutes that were no                                                                    
longer relevant.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:52:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze pointed  to the zero fiscal  note from DOR.                                                                    
He  asked for  verification  that the  bill  would save  the                                                                    
state money.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Chenault  replied that  the savings  would be                                                                    
negligible. He believed  it cost $1.00 to  register a brand;                                                                    
the brand  could not  be sold  for a  price above  $1.99. He                                                                    
surmised that savings would not  be significant; however any                                                                    
money  saved and  the removal  of  any unnecessary  statutes                                                                    
would be beneficial.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Neuman  MOVED to REPORT  HB 231 out  of committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Guttenberg   OBJECTED  for   discussion.  He                                                                    
thanked  the  sponsor  for introducing  the  legislation  to                                                                    
remove   the  unneeded   statute.  Representative   Chenault                                                                    
replied that he was working  on another piece of legislation                                                                    
that would remove an additional superfluous statute.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Gara supported the legislation.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Guttenberg WITHDREW his OBJECTION.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There being  NO further OBJECTION,  HB 231 was  REPORTED out                                                                    
of committee  with a "do  pass" recommendation and  with one                                                                    
new zero fiscal note from the Department of Revenue.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:56:34 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:57:03 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED