04/29/2022 09:00 AM House LABOR & COMMERCE

           HB 402-IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR IN ADS                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:29:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ announced  that the  final order  of business                                                               
would   be  [HOUSE   BILL   NO.  402],   "An   Act  relating   to                                                               
identification    requirements   for    contractors   and    home                                                               
inspectors."                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:30:03 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:30:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE introduced  HB 402 on behalf  of the House                                                               
Community and  Regional Affairs  Standing Committee,  sponsor, on                                                               
which he  serves as co-chair.   He deferred to Mr.  Ryan Johnston                                                               
to present the bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:31:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RYAN  JOHNSTON,  Staff,  Representative  Calvin  Schrage,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature,  presented HB  402  on  behalf of  the  House                                                               
Community and  Regional Affairs  Standing Committee,  sponsor, on                                                               
which Representative Schrage serves  as co-chair.  He paraphrased                                                               
from  the sectional  analysis included  in  the committee  packet                                                               
titled   "HB  402:   IDENTIFICATION  OF   CONTRACTORS  AND   HOME                                                               
INSPECTORS   Version  A,"   which  read   as  follows   [original                                                               
punctuation provided with some formatting changes]:                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1    AS 08.18.051(b)    Page 1, Line  3 through                                                                  
     Page 1, Line 12                                                                                                          
     Amends    AS    08.18.051   regarding    identification                                                                    
     requirements  for contractors  in advertisements.   The                                                                    
     new  language specifies  that  a contractor's  internet                                                                    
     website  or  landing  page satisfies  the  contractor's                                                                    
     identification requirements  in advertisements  so long                                                                    
     as  it  contains  the  identifiers  required  under  AS                                                                    
     08.18.051  and   the  advertisement  states   that  the                                                                    
     required information  is contained on  the contractor's                                                                    
     Internet website or landing page.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2    AS 08.18.053(b)   Page 1,  Line 13 through                                                                  
     Page 2, Line 6                                                                                                           
     Amends    AS    08.18.051   regarding    identification                                                                    
     requirements   for   registered   home   inspector   or                                                                    
     associate home  inspector in  advertisements.   The new                                                                    
     language specifies that a  registered home inspector or                                                                    
     associate  home inspector  internet website  or landing                                                                    
     page  satisfies   the  registered  home   inspector  or                                                                    
     associate  home  inspector identification  requirements                                                                    
     in   advertisements  so   long  as   it  contains   the                                                                    
     identifiers  required   under  AS  08.18.051   and  the                                                                    
     advertisement states  that the required  information is                                                                    
     contained   on  the   registered   home  inspector   or                                                                    
     associate  home inspector  Internet website  or landing                                                                    
     page.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3   AS 08.18.171    Page 2, Line 7 through Page                                                                  
     2, Line 10                                                                                                               
     Adds a  definition for "landing  page", means  a single                                                                    
     web  page that  appears in  response to  clicking on  a                                                                    
     search  engine   optimized  search   result,  marketing                                                                    
     promotion, marketing email, or online advertisement.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     MR. JOHNSTON  explained that the  root of this  bill is                                                                    
     allowing  for  another  option.    The  bill  does  not                                                                    
     require contractors  or home inspectors to  do this, it                                                                    
     just  gives  the  option.    This  is  modernizing  the                                                                    
     efforts  for advertising  licenses for  contractors and                                                                    
     home inspectors.   Currently  for a contractor  to take                                                                    
     out a  print ad the  contractor would have to  list out                                                                    
     every license  they have.  Many  small contractors have                                                                    
     multiple  licenses, so  it is  not  cost effective  for                                                                    
     them  to  do  that,  and  now  allowing  this  singular                                                                    
     website would essentially make that  a moot point where                                                                    
     at  the bottom  of the  print ad  the contractor  could                                                                    
     simply put  that all licenses  can be seen by  going to                                                                    
     their website.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:33:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SCHRAGE specified  that no  changes were  made to                                                               
the original  bill when it was  moved out of the  House Community                                                               
and Regional  Affairs Standing Committee.   He drew  attention to                                                               
the  letter of  support  from Associated  General Contractors  of                                                               
Alaska.  He stated that  this modernization would ensure that all                                                               
information is still provided but in a more efficient way.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCARTY thanked  Representative  Schrage for  the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:34:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked whether  the bill's scope covers any                                                               
contractor that  may be  considered someone  who does  work under                                                               
contract.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. JOHNSTON  responded that it  would only apply  to contractors                                                               
covered under  AS 08.18.051.   There are two sections,  he noted,                                                               
because one section is for home inspectors.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:35:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that HB 402 was held over.