04/16/1996 02:20 PM House FIN

  HOUSE BILL 438                                                               
                                                                               
       "An Act relating to the  indexing of documents recorded                 
       in the state  recorder's offices; and providing  for an                 
       effective date."                                                        
                                                                               
  FRED PASCOE, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE TOM  BRICE, spoke to  HB
.    He  stated  that the  legislation  would  mandate  a                 
  geographic  location   indexing  method  within   the  State                 
  Recorder's Office.   The result will be  the continuation of                 
  an effective cataloguing system  of lands in the State,  and                 
  future possibilities  of cross referencing  that information                 
  with the resources, leases, and  claims information in other                 
  data bases.                                                                  
                                                                               
  Mr.  Pascoe stated  that under  the current  work  load, the                 
  Record's Office  does not  anticipate  a significant  fiscal                 
  impact.    Land is  an  important  asset in  our  State, and                 
  providing the  data for an eventually up-to-date, integrated                 
  system for recording and retrieving resource, ownership, and                 
  location data is in everyone's best interest.                                
                                                                               
  SHARON   YOUNG,   (TESTIFIED   VIA  TELECONFERENCE),   STATE                 
  RECORDER,   RECORDER'S   UC   COMPONENT,  SUPPORT   SERVICES                 
  DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ANCHORAGE, stated                 
  that  HB  438  would  mandate the  location  index  for  the                 
  recording system.  A location  index is currently maintained                 
  by the  State, which  has been  a  curtesy for  a number  of                 
  years.   Because it  is a "curtesy",  it gives way  to other                 
  statutory mandates.   There  are many  location gaps  in the                 
  index at this time.  She offered  to answer questions of the                 
  Committee.                                                                   
                                                                               
  Representative  Mulder  referenced the  revised  fiscal note                 
  included   by   the   Department   of   Natural   Resources.                 
  Representative Brown voiced concern with the lack of funding                 
  to implement the fiscal impact.  She suggested that these be                 
  program receipts.   Ms. Young pointed  out that the bill  is                 
  viewed as  "prospective", being too  extensive a task  to go                 
  back and capture the old information.                                        
                                                                               
  NICO  BUS, DIRECTOR,  DIVISION  OF ADMINISTRATIVE  SERVICES,                 
  DEPARTMENT OF  NATURAL RESOURCES, added,  initially when the                 
  legislation was evaluated, there were  two fiscal notes, one                 
  for the State Recorder's Office  submitted January 29, 1996,                 
  and  one  for  the  Information  Resource Management.    The                 
  revised fiscal note deals only with  the impact to the State                 
  Recorder's Office.   Now  that has  been changed  to a  zero                 
  impact.    He  added,   however,  the  Information  Resource                 
                                                                               
                               10                                              
                                                                               
                                                                               
  Management fiscal note is still valid.                                       
                                                                               
  Representative Brown MOVED to report HB 438 out of Committee                 
  with individual  recommendations and  with the  accompanying                 
  fiscal notes.  There being NO  OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  HB  438  was reported  out  of  Committee with  a  "do pass"                 
  recommendation and with  a fiscal note by the  Department of                 
  Natural  Resources dated 3/12/96 and  a new zero fiscal note                 
  by the Department of Natural Resources.