04/03/2012 03:00 PM House ENERGY

          HB 336-ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM & VOUCHERS                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:25:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PRUITT announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 336,  "An Act establishing an energy assistance                                                               
program in the  Department of Revenue to issue  an energy voucher                                                               
to  Alaska permanent  fund dividend  recipients; and  relating to                                                               
the analysis  and recommendation of an  energy assistance program                                                               
by the governor."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:25:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAUL LABOLLE,  Staff to Representative Neal  Foster, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  the  new proposed  committee  substitute                                                               
(CS)  for  HB  336,  Version   27-LS1403\E,  Nauman,  4/2/12,  by                                                               
explaining  the changes  between Version  I and  Version E.   The                                                               
language  added during  the previous  House Special  Committee on                                                               
Energy hearing  "other identifying  information" is now  found on                                                               
page 3, line 14, of Version E and he read:                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     the address or  other identifying information requested                                                                    
     by the  corporation listed on the  heating oil, natural                                                                    
     gas,  or  electricity  account that  the  voucher  will                                                                    
     credit                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  LABOLLE  referred to  three  of  the other  changes  adopted                                                               
during  the previous  hearing and  said  the drafter  recommended                                                               
incorporating those changes in "a  more complex language section"                                                               
beginning  with the  following new  language on  page 4,  line 1,                                                               
which read:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     (g) If a recipient of  an energy voucher certifies on a                                                                    
     form provided  by the corporation, bearing  notice that                                                                    
     false  statements made  on the  form are  punishable by                                                                    
     law, that the recipient                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. LABOLLE advised  that the drafter replicated  the language in                                                               
section  1, subsection  (g)  of  Version I  and  divided it  into                                                               
subsections thus on  page 4, line 1 of Version  E, subsection (g)                                                               
currently only  illustrates that  the recipient provide  a notice                                                               
that false  statements made in  this form are punishable  by law,                                                               
whereas  Version  I  subsection  (g)   cited  both  access  to  a                                                               
distributor  and that  they did  not directly  pay for  energy or                                                               
heat  costs.    The  new  section  1  in  Version  E  states  the                                                               
requirements  of  not paying  directly  for  heating oil  or  not                                                               
having reasonable access to a  qualified distributor.  Section 1,                                                               
subsection  (g)  paragraph  (1)  in Version  I  was  replaced  by                                                               
section 1,  subsection (g)  subparagraph (A)  in Version  E which                                                               
read:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     for a replacement  voucher in the name  of the landlord                                                                    
     of the  primary residence in  the state [in]  which the                                                                    
     recipient  resides, the  full value  of which  shall be                                                                    
     deducted by the landlord from the recipient's rent;                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:29:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. LABOLLE continued to section  1, subsection (g), subparagraph                                                               
(B) in Version E, which was  a replication of what was previously                                                               
found  in subsection  (g) paragraph  (2) in  Version I,  "dealing                                                               
with the  $250 for rent."   Section 1, subsection  (g), paragraph                                                               
(2) in Version E, deals with the  $500 payment for a fuel that is                                                               
not  heating  oil, natural  gas,  or  electricity.   Mr.  Labolle                                                               
reminded the committee  there were concerns about  the ability of                                                               
the  power  cost  equalization   (PCE)  program  and  condominium                                                               
associations  to respond  to the  bill.   He was  advised by  the                                                               
Alaska   Housing  Finance   Corporation  (AHFC),   Department  of                                                               
Revenue,   that  these   instances  can   be  addressed   through                                                               
regulation rather than  statute.  Returning attention  to page 4,                                                               
line  10 of  Version E,  he said  "energy or  heating costs"  was                                                               
deleted; however,  the drafter  recommended that  language should                                                               
remain, otherwise  those who live  off the road system  - without                                                               
access to  a qualified distributer  - but  who do heat  with fuel                                                               
oil,  natural gas,  or electricity,  would be  exempted from  the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:33:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON moved  to adopt the proposed CS  for HB 336,                                                               
Version  27-LS1403\E, Nauman,  4/2/12, as  the working  document.                                                               
There being no objection, Version E was before the committee.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:33:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON  moved to adopt  the fiscal  note identified                                                               
as HB336CS(ENE)-DOR-PFD-03-27-12,  fiscal note  number 1.   There                                                               
being no objection, the fiscal note was adopted.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:34:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked for clarification  on which fiscal note                                                               
was adopted.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:36:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON  moved to adopt  the fiscal  note identified                                                               
as  HB336CS(ENE)-DOR-AHFC-04-03-12.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
the fiscal note was adopted.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:37:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FOSTER moved  to report  the  proposed CS  for HB  336,                                                               
Version  27-LS1403\E,  Nauman  4/2/12,   out  of  committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being no  objection, CSHB 336(ENE) was reported  out of the                                                               
House Special Committee on Energy.