03/12/2020 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

            HB 285-ALASKA COORDINATE SYSTEM OF 2022                                                                         
                                                                                                                              
3:13:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 285, "An  Act relating to the Alaska Coordinate                                                               
System of 2022."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked  whether Representative Shaw's staff                                                               
consulted  surveyors or  others who  would be  using the  updated                                                               
Alaska Coordinate System.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:14:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOSHUA WALTON,  Staff, Representative  Laddie Shaw,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,   replied  that   he  heard   from  the   an  Alaska                                                               
professional  organization  for  land surveyors,  that  expressed                                                               
having  no  issue with  the  bill  but  did  point out  that  the                                                               
language  in the  bill  defines an  American foot  as  a unit  of                                                               
measurement, which is different than  an international foot.  The                                                               
difference is slight  but could be significant  when working with                                                               
surveys of a large size.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  VANCE asked  for  clarification  on the  software                                                               
implementing the transition to the updated system.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WALTON   answered  that  the  coordinate   system  is  being                                                               
developed  by the  National Geodetic  Survey (NGS);  the proposed                                                               
legislation would  make it possible  for state agencies  to adopt                                                               
the  latest version.   Alaska's  existing  equipment already  can                                                               
identify coordinates  using the new plane  coordinate system; the                                                               
transition is expected to be smooth.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked when the software would be available.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:17:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GWEN  GERVELIS,  Surveys Manager,  Division  of  Mining Land  and                                                               
Water, Department of Natural Resources  (DNR), responded that the                                                               
software vendors  are currently working  with NGS to  provide the                                                               
needed  transition.   They  are  pre-beta  testing it;  when  the                                                               
coordinate system  is rolled  out in  January 2022,  the software                                                               
will  be  available.    She  added that  users  will  access  the                                                               
functions through drop-down menus, like  they do now for the 1983                                                               
system.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE  asked whether there would  be an additional                                                               
cost to the state.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. GERVELIS answered no.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:18:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS  opened  public  testimony on  HB  285.    After                                                               
ascertaining  that there  was no  one who  wished to  testify, he                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:19:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS moved  to report HB 285  out of committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and  the accompanying zero fiscal                                                               
note.   There being no  objection, HB  285 was reported  from the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.