04/29/1998 01:32 PM Senate CRA

                                                                               
       CSHB 471(CRA) - REGIONAL NATIVE HOUSING AUTHORITIES                     
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN MACKIE called the Senate Community & Regional Affairs                 
Committee meeting to order at 1:32 p.m., and noted the presence of             
Senators Hoffman, Phillips and Mackie.                                         
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN MACKIE brought CSHB 471(CRA) before the committee as the              
only order of business.                                                        
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE IVAN IVAN, prime sponsor of HB 471, said he                     
originally introduced the legislation to allow the regional                    
nonprofit associations to increase the membership on the board of              
commissioners of the regional Native housing authorities from five             
up to nine.  However, since the passage of the bill in the House,              
some of the Native housing authorities have come out in opposition             
to the bill.  He noted he has two regional housing authorities in              
his district: the Association of Village Council Presidents                    
(AVCP)and  the Bristol Bay Native Housing Association.  The AVCP               
supported the bill, but the Bristol Bay Native Housing Association             
have reservations with it.  He said taking that into consideration,            
he is requesting that Section 2, which relates to the housing                  
authority board of commissioners, be removed from the bill to give             
the housing authorities the opportunity to really look into a new              
federal housing authority law.  He suggested delaying action on                
this section of the bill until next year.                                      
                                                                               
Representative Ivan noted the remaining section in the bill                    
addresses a dissolved Native village corporation.  In the last                 
several years there have been Native village corporations dissolved            
for not filing proper corporate paperwork.  Newtok Corporation is              
one of those, and they are trying to negotiate a land exchange with            
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which would allow the village to            
relocate to a more suitable area.  This legislation will give the              
Newtok Corporation a window of opportunity of approximately six                
months to reinstate as a village corporation.                                  
                                                                               
Number 075                                                                     
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN MACKIE pointed out that when he introduced the same bill              
as a committee bill on the Senate side, it was his understanding               
that it would be fairly noncontroversial with the housing                      
authorities.  However, it appears that the housing authorities are             
split on the issue, and rather than doing something that causes                
problems, he is inclined to do what Representative Ivan suggests,              
and to give the housing corporations the interim to work out the               
problem.                                                                       
                                                                               
Number 106                                                                     
                                                                               
SENATOR HOFFMAN moved the adoption of a Community & Regional                   
Affairs SCS which deletes Section 2 of the House version.  Hearing             
no objection, the motion carried.                                              
                                                                               
There being no further testimony on HB 471, CHAIRMAN MACKIE                    
requested a motion to move the bill out of committee.                          
                                                                               
Number 124                                                                     
                                                                               
SENATOR HOFFMAN moved SCS CSHB 471(CRA) be passed out of committee             
with individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection, it was so              
ordered.                                                                       
                                                                               
There being no further business to come before the committee, the              
meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m.