01/30/2024 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

                HB 279-LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:03:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the  first order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO. 279,  "An Act  relating to the  Local Boundary                                                               
Commission; and providing for an effective date."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:04:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE  CRONK,   Alaska  State  Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented HB  279.   He  shared  the sponsor  statement                                                               
[included in committee packets],  which read as follows [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     House Bill 279 is adding language to existing statute                                                                      
     to accomplish three goals.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     1. To ensure commissioners appointed from each of the                                                                      
        four Judicial Districts actually live and vote in                                                                       
        the Judicial District from which they are appointed.                                                                    
           2. To ensure that at least one of the five                                                                           
        Commissioners is from the unorganized Borough.                                                                          
      3. To ensure the Local Boundary Commission keeps an                                                                       
        updated record of the population of each community                                                                      
        in the state.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
        Note: The effective date is selected  so the present                                                                    
        LBC makeup  is  retained  until  the next  LBC  seat                                                                    
        becomes  open.  At  that  time  a  person  from  the                                                                    
        unorganized borough will be selected.9                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK sought questions from committee members.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:05:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HIMSCHOOT asked  whether  the updated  population                                                               
record was an issue.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:05:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVE STANCLIFF,  Staff, Representative  Mike Cronk,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Representative  Cronk, prime sponsor of                                                               
HB 279,  said he  did not  know it was  an issue.   He  shared an                                                               
anecdote in  which the community  of Tanana was asked  to provide                                                               
data  from  the   U.S.  Census  Bureau  to   the  Local  Boundary                                                               
Commission (LBC).   He  reasoned that  it would  be wise  to make                                                               
census  data  available through  the  LBC  rather than  burdening                                                               
communities by requiring them to provide it.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT questioned the  language on page 1, line                                                               
12 of the bill, which  provided that the governor shall designate                                                               
the chair of the LBC.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. STANCLIFF indicated that it  was a drafting decision to allow                                                               
the governor to select the most qualified individual.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HIMSCHOOT asked  how  the chair  was selected  on                                                               
other boards and commissions.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. STANCLIFF  shared his understanding that  typically, the body                                                               
at large  determines the  chair.   However, since  the LBC  was a                                                               
constitutionally  required commission,  it was  decided that  the                                                               
governor  should  make  that determination,  as  opposed  to  the                                                               
commissioners.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:10:03 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked whether  there had been any discussion                                                               
with the LBC about the bill and its implications.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. STANCLIFF said  [the bill sponsor's office]  had made contact                                                               
with   the  Department   of   Commerce,   Community  &   Economic                                                               
Development (DCCED)  and asked for  feedback.  At this  time, the                                                               
department had not communicated any concerns.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEARS  said  she often  utilized  community  data                                                               
through DCCED, which  includes census data.  She  opined that the                                                               
requirement for the commission to  hold census data seemed like a                                                               
duplication of effort.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. STANCLIFF  said he felt that  way too until it  appeared that                                                               
[DCCED] needed  to receive data  from the communities  as opposed                                                               
to another agency.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS  suggested that it would  be appropriate for                                                               
the department to testify at a future hearing.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:13:34 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  asked whether there was  an anticipated                                                               
cost to maintaining this record.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STANCLIFF responded  that there  should be  no cost,  as the                                                               
data can be sent electronically to the LBC at any time.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE stated,  "Them  maintaining the  record                                                               
does not  require them to  use the  record."  He  questioned what                                                               
would prevent the commission from  still requiring communities to                                                               
obtain  their own  data.   He suggested  including language  that                                                               
states, "Maintain for  each community a record and  then use that                                                               
record."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STANCLIFF  indicated  that the  bill  sponsor  preferred  an                                                               
unambiguous  approach   to  statute  changes.     He  added  that                                                               
Representative Ruffridge's comments made sense.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:17:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that HB 279 would be held over.