04/26/1996 03:51 PM Senate TRA

                                                                               
 CSHB 517(TRA)(title am) MOTOR VEHICLES: REGULATION & INSURANCE               
                                                                              
 CHAIRMAN RIEGER called the Senate Transportation Committee meeting            
 to order at 3:51 p.m., and brought CSHB 517(TRA)(title am) before             
 the committee as the first order of business.                                 
                                                                               
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 JUANITA HENSLEY, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Department of              
 Public Safety, said most Alaskans need a driver's license in order            
 to carry on their daily routine and they have stood in line waiting           
 to take care of business that requires them to physically visit               
 DMV.  HB 517 will make it easier for the Department of Public                 
 Safety to serve the public by simplifying procedures for obtaining            
 a driver's license by removing exceptions to the renewal by mail-in           
 program.  Also, current law requires a person involved in an                  
 accident resulting in $500 or more in damage to property to report            
 the accident to local police or the Alaska State Troopers for                 
 investigation.  This amount was set in 1977 and present value of              
 the slightest scrape can cost that much to repair; this bill raises           
 that amount to $1,500.                                                        
                                                                               
 The legislation also provides for administrative hearings to be               
 held by telephone in most instances to avoid costly travel.  It               
 allows the Department of Public Safety to keep its records                    
 electronically and provides that certified copies of those                    
 electronically stored records are admissible in courts and                    
 administrative proceedings.  It also allows a temporary permit to             
 be issued by a car dealer to be valid for 60 days rather than 30              
 days to give the dealer and the Department of Public Safety more              
 time to take care of the necessary paper work.                                
                                                                               
 HB 517 also provides for compliance of the Code of Federal                    
 Regulations, Title 49, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act Program           
 grant requirements, and item 22 of the Commercial Vehicle Safety              
 Act 49 CFR parts 383, 390 and 391 dealing with disqualifying a                
 commercial driver for an out-of-service violation.  It makes house            
 keeping changes for compliance purposes.  Failure to adopt the                
 provisions of 49 CFR may result in a 5 percent sanction of federal            
 highway monies and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Assistance                
 Program Grant (MCSAP) funding.                                                
                                                                               
 Concluding her overview, Ms. Hensley noted she had provided the               
 committee with a sectional analysis and she would respond to                  
 questions.                                                                    
                                                                               
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 SENATOR ADAMS asked Ms. Hensley to address the repeal of two                  
 statutes having to do with the staggering of vehicle registration.            
 MS. HENSLEY explained that in 1978 the department went from all the           
 vehicles having to be registered in January of the year to                    
 staggering registration for all vehicles, except for commercial               
 vehicles.  This will repeal the fact that the department would have           
 to register commercial vehicles every January and allow them to               
 stagger those registrations as they do now with other vehicles.               
                                                                               
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 SENATOR RIEGER referred to Section 5, relating to claim of                    
 ownership by private property owner, and asked what the law is now            
 in the absence of this section as far as when an abandoned vehicle            
 reverts to the owner of the real estate.  MS. HENSLEY responded               
 that before an individual could obtain a title to get a vehicle               
 removed from the property, he would have to go through a bonding              
 situation or obtain a lien against the vehicle for like a storage             
 lien, as well as go through a bonding provision even though the car           
 has been abandoned on their property for a lengthy period of time.            
 SENATOR RIEGER asked the reason for the three-year provision in the           
 section, which, he added seems awfully long.  MS. HENSLEY explained           
 that amendment was made at the request of Senator Torgerson, and              
 the department did not object to it.                                          
                                                                               
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 There being no further testimony on CSHB 517(TRA)(title am),                  
 SENATOR RIEGER asked for the pleasure of the committee.                       
                                                                               
 SENATOR GREEN moved CSHB 517(TRA)(title am) be passed out of                  
 committee with individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection,             
 it was so ordered.