01/21/2004 02:26 PM House FIN

HOUSE BILL NO. 377                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     An  Act  making  appropriations for  the  operating  and                                                                   
     capital    expenses    of   the    state's    integrated                                                                   
     comprehensive mental  health program; and  providing for                                                                   
     an effective date.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Williams MOVED  to ADOPT  work draft  #23-GH204H\D,                                                                   
Utermohle, 1/20/04, as the version  of the legislation before                                                                   
the Committee.  There being NO OBJECTION, it was adopted.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Harris stated that the  proposed version of the bill                                                                   
attempts to take  all mental health money, placing  it into a                                                                   
specific bill.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Croft  inquired  the changes  made  from  the                                                                   
Governor's bill.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Teal  explained  the changes.    The  Governor's  mental                                                                   
health bill used some non-mental  health money and the Alaska                                                                   
Housing Finance  Corporation (AHFC)  dividend.  The  proposed                                                                   
work  draft substitutes  general fund  mental health  dollars                                                                   
for  that  money and  transfers  the  dividends back  to  the                                                                   
operating  budget.  Representative  Croft  asked if  only the                                                                   
fund sources had been switched  and nothing had been reduced.                                                                   
Mr. Teal acknowledged that was correct.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Teal  pointed out  the "traditional  change deleting  one                                                                   
project from the mental health  bill, knowing that the Senate                                                                   
would  be deleting  all  the  other projects";  thus,  making                                                                   
everything comparable.  Deleted  from the proposed version is                                                                   
a $400 thousand dollar project.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Harris  stated  that  the bill  would  be  HELD  in                                                                   
Committee for further consideration.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
HB 377 was HELD in Committee.