02/08/2022 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

        HB 268-DRIVER'S LICENSE RENEWAL:MILITARY MEMBERS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:02:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TUCK  announced that  the only order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  268,  "An  Act  relating  to  driver's  license                                                               
renewal."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:03:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLY MERRICK, Alaska  State Legislature, as prime                                                               
sponsor, presented HB  268.  She stated that  the current statute                                                               
allows  for  driver's  license  renewal up  to  one  year  before                                                               
expiration.  The bill  would allow  members of  the military  and                                                               
their dependents to  renew their licenses up to  two years before                                                               
expiration  if  they  had  orders  to  be  stationed  in  another                                                               
country,  to prevent  a scenario  in  which they  are in  another                                                               
country without a valid license.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:04:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SORCHA  HAZELTON,  Staff,  Representative Kelly  Merrick,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, offered  a sectional  analysis of  HB 268  on                                                               
behalf  of Representative  Merrick,  prime sponsor.   She  stated                                                               
that the bill  had two sections, the first of  which provided for                                                               
the extended renewal  time frame and limited it  to the military.                                                               
The second provided  a definition of the word  "military" for the                                                               
purposes of the statute.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:05:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NELSON  said  that  he appreciated  the  bill  as                                                               
someone with friends in the military.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:07:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATIE ROCHE,  representing self,  introduced herself as  the wife                                                               
of the  previously mentioned military  member. She said  that the                                                               
expiration  date  of  her husband's  driver's  license  made  him                                                               
unable to renew  it and subsequently unable to  obtain a European                                                               
driver's license.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:07:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  TUCK remarked  that  there was  not  model legislation  in                                                               
other states of this type.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:08:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CLAMAN  asked  for a  clarification  on  driver's                                                               
license expiration.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:09:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  HAZELTON answered  that the  license  expiration would  have                                                               
occurred while the service member  was abroad, due to the current                                                               
statute barring  the DMV from renewing  it more than 365  days in                                                               
advance.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:09:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN  asked if the  bill was giving  someone the                                                               
ability to renew  their driver's license earlier  and giving them                                                               
an extension to do so.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. HAZELTON  answered that it  provides a longer  duration prior                                                               
to expiration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:10:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR inquired  if  the bill  would  be enough  to                                                               
cover any member of the  military or their dependents potentially                                                               
in the same situation.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MERRICK responded that it would.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:10:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY asked  about  the inclusion  of a  domestic                                                               
partner  that  might be  dependent  on  but  not married  to  the                                                               
military member.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MERRICK  answered that the word  "spouse" was used                                                               
as that  is the word that  the military uses, and  that including                                                               
dependents in the bill would include domestic partners.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:12:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:12:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR TUCK opened public testimony  on HB 268. After ascertaining                                                               
that no one wished to testify, he closed public testimony.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:13:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:13:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR moved to report  HB 268 out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.  There  being no objection, HB 268 was  reported out of the                                                               
House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.