05/10/1998 04:50 PM Senate FIN

HOUSE BILL 408                                                               
                                                                               
     "An Act establishing the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety                    
     Commission."                                                              
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DAVIES, SPONSOR,  reported that the bill                   
would  create  a  seismic   hazard  safety  commission.  The                   
commission  would be  a catalyst  advisory  body that  would                   
bring  together  various groups  in  Alaska  to prepare  for                   
earthquakes.   He  noted   that   Alaska   was  subject   to                   
earthquakes  and had  experienced three  of the  ten largest                   
earthquakes in the world, including  the earthquake in 1964.                   
After the 1964 earthquake, many  other states in the Western                   
U.S. had created seismic safety  commissions, but Alaska had                   
not.  He  added  that  nearly  every  state  in  the  nation                   
participated  in some  kind of  seismic safety  planning. He                   
pointed  out  that there  were  typically  40,000 to  50,000                   
deaths when there  was a large earthquake  somewhere else in                   
the world of  magnitude 5 or 6, but in  the U.S., there were                   
few  casualties because  of building  codes. The  bill would                   
prevent the  loss of  lives during  earthquakes in  the most                   
cost-effective way.                                                            
                                                                               
Senator  Pearce  referred  to work  done  by  the  statewide                   
Emergency  Planning   Commission  and  noted   that  seismic                   
emergencies were part of the statewide plan in statute.                        
                                                                               
Representative   Davies   responded    that   the   planning                   
commission  dealt with  response and  not mitigation,  which                   
was true in  all the Western states. He  stressed that there                   
was  very   little  overlap  between  the   two  activities.                   
Mitigation related to building codes and [end of tape].                        
                                                                               
[SFC 98-167, Side B]                                                           
                                                                               
Senator  Phillips  MOVED  to REPORT  CSHB  408(FIN)  out  of                   
committee  with  individual   recommendations  and  attached                   
fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                               
There was an OBJECTION to the motion.                                          
                                                                               
A roll call was taken on the motion.                                           
                                                                               
IN FAVOR: Adams, Phillips, Donley, Sharp                                       
                                                                               
OPPOSED: Pearce, Torgerson                                                     
                                                                               
Senator Parnell was absent from the vote.                                      
                                                                               
The motion PASSED (4/2).                                                       
                                                                               
CSHB  408(FIN)  was  REPORTED  out   of  committee  with  no                   
recommendation  and a  fiscal note  from the  Office of  the                   
Governor.