03/02/2009 04:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

               SB  3-CFEC AS INFORMATION RESOURCE                                                                           
4:35:59 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced SB 3 to be up for consideration.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
TIM BENINTENDI, Staff to Senator Olson,  sponsor of SB 3, said SB
  would  provide  a benefit  to  Alaska's  Economic  Development                                                               
Organizations (ARDOR)  by providing them with  the opportunity to                                                               
obtain   information   from   the  Commercial   Fisheries   Entry                                                               
Commission (CFEC) without charge -  in reference to AS 16,05.815,                                                               
which  says   no  confidential  information  may   be  disclosed.                                                               
Contractors working for ARDORs would  be able to get information,                                                               
but they  would have to have  a letter showing that  they were on                                                               
ARDOR business.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
The information  would especially  benefit the eight  ARDORs with                                                               
commercial fishing  as a significant portion  of their economies,                                                               
and  would  help them  anticipate  regional  economic trends  and                                                               
development  opportunities. The  CFEC  supports  this bill;  they                                                               
have determined the loss of revenue would be negligible.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:37:13 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked how much data he was talking about.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENINTENDI  answered that  he didn't  know exactly,  but this                                                               
would not affect the routine volume of work year to year.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
FRANK  HOHMAN, Chairman,  Commercial Fisheries  Entry Commission,                                                               
said it would be negligible  because the data is already provided                                                               
on their  website. It would  take a  few minutes of  an analyst's                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  asked if they  are collecting data about  fish or                                                               
the fisheries participants.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. HOHMAN answered that they  collect data about both from every                                                               
fish ticket in  every fishery. The CFEC  can't release individual                                                               
records, but they can release area-wide statistics.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:40:03 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR FRENCH asked if they release area earnings.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:40:07 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. HOHMAN replied that they  just provide regional earnings, not                                                               
individual.  They  never release  anything  with  less than  four                                                               
sources of information.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:40:18 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MCGUIRE asked what prompted the bill.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BENINTENDI replied  that  it was  introduced  last year  and                                                               
didn't have  time to go  through the  process. He wasn't  sure of                                                               
the original impetus.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  asked if  he expected more  of a  work load                                                               
for  the  ARDORs if  people  come  to  them  with a  request  for                                                               
information.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BENINTENDI replied  that  folks can't  do  that; the  ARDORs                                                               
don't  work as  a middle  entity. They  generated the  request to                                                               
analyze their own region.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI wondered if some  groups would be subject to                                                               
public disclosure requirements.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. HOHMAN reminded him that these  groups would not be given any                                                               
confidential  information. The  bill  is designed  to assist  the                                                               
regional development corporations.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  WIELECHOWSKI  asked if  they  are  subject to  Alaska's                                                               
public disclosure laws.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:42:25 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. HOHMAN  said he couldn't  answer that,  but he did  know they                                                               
wouldn't get anything confidential from the CFEC.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENINTENDI agreed.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if you disclose something to an                                                                     
ARDOR, could someone ask it for the information. He was                                                                         
concerned that this would cause more work for them.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. HOHMAN replied that the information is for their own use.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:43:39 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE closed public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI moved to report SB 3 from committee with                                                                  
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There                                                                   
were no objections and it was so ordered.