05/11/2007 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8(L&C)                                                                              
     Establishing    a   legislative    task   force    to   make                                                               
     recommendations  regarding   job  descriptions   and  salary                                                               
     changes  for the  commissioners  and support  staff and  the                                                               
     possible   need  for   additional  support   staff  of   the                                                               
     Regulatory Commission of Alaska.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was  the first hearing for  this bill in the  Senate Finance                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KURT  OLSON,  the bill's  sponsor,  informed  the                                                               
Committee  that this  Resolution  would establish  a nine  member                                                               
Legislative Task Force which would  be charged with reviewing and                                                               
developing recommendations pertaining to  the salary schedules of                                                               
the Alaska  Regulatory Commission (RCA) and  its staffing levels.                                                               
Particular  attention would  be  given to  the  issue of  whether                                                               
additional  staff would  be required  to  ensure compliance  with                                                               
docket  determination  timelines.  Another  element  of  interest                                                               
would be  the relationship between  the RCA and the  attorneys in                                                               
the Attorney General's Office assigned to the RCA.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Olson  specified that  the  Task  Force would  be                                                               
comprised  of  three members  appointed  by  the Speaker  of  the                                                               
House; three members appointed by  the Senate President; Governor                                                               
Sarah Palin or  her designee; Department of  Law Attorney General                                                               
Talis  Colberg  or  his designee;  and  Department  of  Commerce,                                                               
Community  and Economic  Development Commissioner  Emil Notti  or                                                               
his designee.  The Task  Force would meet  five times  during the                                                               
Legislative Interim  and compile a report  of its recommendations                                                               
to  the Legislature  by February  1, 2008.  The Task  Force would                                                               
terminate on  May 30,  2008. The Resolution  is accompanied  by a                                                               
$10,000 fiscal note from the Legislative Affairs Agency.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:03:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEAN  THOMPSON, Legal  Representative,  Municipal  Light &  Power                                                               
(ML&P),   testified  via   teleconference   from  Anchorage   and                                                               
communicated that even though ML&P  "is not convinced of the need                                                               
for such  a Task Force,"  it would  not oppose it.  He reiterated                                                               
remarks he made  during his earlier testimony on HB  209 in which                                                               
he  advised  that  ML&P  believes  that  "the  commissioners  are                                                               
overdue for a  salary increase." ML&P would  "support a statutory                                                               
amendment  that  just  specifies  that  the  commissioners  shall                                                               
receive an annual salary."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:04:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JIM  ROWE,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  Telephone  Association,                                                               
testified via  teleconference from  Anchorage. Like  the previous                                                               
testifier, he  was not convinced  of the  need to convene  a task                                                               
force.  It  would  simply  consume  time  of  commissioners,  the                                                               
Legislature,  the industry,  and the  Administration. The  issues                                                               
could have been addressed during this Legislative Session.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Rowe  stated that charging  the Task Force with  developing a                                                               
job description for  the commissioners is unnecessary  as that is                                                               
a  known  element.  The  salary   specifications  that  had  been                                                               
included in previous versions of  separate Senate RCA legislation                                                               
would  have  aligned commissioner  compensation  with  that of  a                                                               
District Court  judge. The Legislature could  have addressed that                                                               
if  it  had remained  in  the  bill.  That  would have  been  his                                                               
preferred approach. Support staff issues  were, at one time, also                                                               
included in the bill.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Rowe restated  comments made during his  earlier testimony on                                                               
HB 209  in which he  had advocated for  an increase in  RCA staff                                                               
and appropriate  salaries. Nonetheless,  since these  things were                                                               
not  included in  that RCA  bill,  this legislation  is the  only                                                               
option available through which to address these matters.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:05:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRISTI    CATLIN,    Representative,    AT&T,    testified    via                                                               
teleconference  from Anchorage  to  emphasize  that the  industry                                                               
would have preferred the issues  specified in this Legislation to                                                               
have  been addressed  during this  Legislative Session.  However,                                                               
because  the  effort  to  correct  the  salary  schedule  of  the                                                               
Commissioners and  other staffing issues is  "long overdue", AT&T                                                               
would not  object to the Task  Force. The desire is  to get these                                                               
issues resolved.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:06:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman  moved to report  the resolution  from Committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There  being  no  objection,  CS HCR  8(L&C)  was  REPORTED  from                                                               
Committee  with   previous  $10,000  fiscal  note   #1  from  the                                                               
Legislative Affairs Agency.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
RECESS TO THE CALL OF THE CHAIR 3:07:21 PM / 6:07:14 PM                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman called the meeting back to order.