04/03/2012 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 245(FIN)                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  establishing a snow  classic as  an authorized                                                                    
     form of charitable  gaming; and relating to  the use of                                                                    
     broadcasting and  the Internet to promote  a raffle and                                                                    
     lottery."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:41:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE HAWKER,  introduced HB  245 and  stated                                                                    
that it was the companion  bill to legislation that had been                                                                    
previously heard in the committee.  He communicated that the                                                                    
bill  added   another  segment  to  the   charitable  gaming                                                                    
statutes.  The legislation  would  enable  the Four  Valleys                                                                    
Community  Schools  Inc. to  conduct  a  "Snow Classic,"  in                                                                    
which a contestant would guess  or predict the date and time                                                                    
when the  snow would reach  a certain level on  Mt. Alyeska.                                                                    
He  explained that  Four Valleys  Community School  was huge                                                                    
non-profit  organization   that  was  very  active   in  the                                                                    
community  of Girdwood  and that  legislation added  a means                                                                    
for  the  organization  to  continue   to  fund  itself.  He                                                                    
explained that a House Finance  Committee amendment had been                                                                    
made  to Sections  4, 5  and  7 that  clarified the  state's                                                                    
existing gaming statutes  and specified that the  use of the                                                                    
internet   to   promote   a  raffle   was   not   considered                                                                    
broadcasting. He  observed that  there was  some convolution                                                                    
in  the  existing  statutes   regarding  the  definition  of                                                                    
broadcasting. He added that use  the of the internet was not                                                                    
viewed  as broadcasting  and that  it was  only allowed  for                                                                    
informational materials  to be  presented; the  internet did                                                                    
not allow, in  any form, the ability of a  person to acquire                                                                    
a raffle ticket or participate in a gaming event.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:43:32 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman discussed the fiscal note in the packet.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Hawker remarked  that  although people  were                                                                    
prepared to  testify on  the bill, they  had elected  not to                                                                    
out of respect for the committee's time.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hoffman  MOVED  to report  CSHB  245(FIN)  out  of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note. There being NO  OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  245(FIN) was  REPORTED  out of  committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass" recommendation  and with a  new zero fiscal  note from                                                                    
the Department of Revenue.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:44:32 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:52:59 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED