03/06/2014 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 297                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An   Act  recognizing   the  Alaska   Housing  Finance                                                                    
     Corporation as  the authorizing agency to  approve home                                                                    
     energy rating systems for the  state; and providing for                                                                    
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:36:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Neuman MOVED  to  ADOPT  the proposed  committee                                                                    
substitute  for  HB  297, Work  Draft  28-LS1307\N  (Nauman,                                                                    
3/5/14).                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL   GEORGE,   STAFF,   REPRESENTATIVE   BILL   STOLTZE,                                                                    
explained  the  changes  in  the  CS.  The  CS  removed  the                                                                    
findings section in the original  bill. He read the findings                                                                    
that had appeared in the original bill:                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     "The   legislature    finds   that    recognizing   the                                                                    
     corporation as  the state's  home energy  rating system                                                                    
     authorizing  energy  services,   a  public  purpose  in                                                                    
     benefitting the  people of the state.  The corporations                                                                    
     shall  act as  the authorizing  agency for  purposes of                                                                    
     approving  home  energy  rating  systems  used  in  the                                                                    
     state."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. George shared that the  second sentence was the only one                                                                    
that  carried over  into  the latest  version  of the  bill;                                                                    
additionally  the  CS  placed   the  sentence  under  a  new                                                                    
section, Article 6 of AS  18.56, entitled Home Energy Rating                                                                    
Systems.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LANCE   PRUITT,  SPONSOR,   understood  that                                                                    
Alaska Housing  Finance Corporation (AHFC) was  agreeable to                                                                    
the changes in the CS.                                                                                                          
Co-Chair  Stoltze WITHDREW  his  OBJECTION.  There being  NO                                                                    
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:38:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Pruitt explained  that the  bill would  make                                                                    
AHFC  the  authorizing  agency  for  approving  home  energy                                                                    
rating  systems. He  addressed a  prior question  related to                                                                    
authorizing raters. He  said that the system  that the state                                                                    
had invested in would be available for individuals to use.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
STACY   SCHUBERT,   ALASKA  HOUSING   FINANCE   CORPORATION,                                                                    
ANCHORAGE  (via teleconference),  thought  that the  changes                                                                    
brought greater clarity to the bill.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  pointed to the  new zero fiscal  note from                                                                    
the Department of Revenue (DOR).                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Gara MOVED  to REPORT  CSHB 297(FIN)  out of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal note.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, CSHB  297(FIN) was REPORTED out of                                                                    
committee with a  "do pass" recommendation and  with one new                                                                    
zero fiscal note from the Department of Revenue.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:41:47 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:43:00 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED