02/15/2007 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION

          SB  49 COMMEMORATIVE PLATES: STATEHOOD ANIV.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOOKESH announced  SB 49 to be up for  consideration. Before                                                              
the committee was CSSB 49(STA).                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:20:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DOUG  LETCH, Staff  to Senator  Gary  Stevens, Sponsor  of SB  49,                                                              
said the bill  creates a commemorative license  plate to celebrate                                                              
the  50th anniversary  of statehood,  which happens  in 2009.  The                                                              
legislature created  the Alaska Statehood Celebration  Commission,                                                              
which recommended  that a commemorative  license plate  be issued.                                                              
SB  49  would  give  the  Division  of  Motor  Vehicles  statutory                                                              
authority to issue  this special license plate. He  noted that the                                                              
packets  contain  a letter  of  support  from Gail  Phillips,  the                                                              
chair of the commission. There is a zero fiscal note.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON  asked if there would  be an additional fee  for the                                                              
commemorative plates.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:24:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DUANE  BANNOCK,  Director  of  the  Division  of  Motor  Vehicles,                                                              
Department  of Administration (DOA),  said that  there would  be a                                                              
$5 fee  if someone wanted to  replace their current  license plate                                                              
with  the  commemorative  plate.  He further  explained  that  the                                                              
registration  fee is oftentimes  confused  with the license  plate                                                              
fee. In  fact, the commemorative  plate, which will  be considered                                                              
standard  issue, is  free; it's  the registration  of the  vehicle                                                              
that incurs the  fee. Specialty plates do incur a  fee, but nobody                                                              
pays for the standard plate.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COWDERY asked who designed the commemorative plate.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. BANNOCK replied  that the design was created  by the Statehood                                                              
Celebration  Commission.  He explained  that  the  fiscal note  is                                                              
zero because  the new design is  simply a substitute so  the money                                                              
already in the budget would go to pay for the new design.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:26:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GAIL  PHILLIPS,   Chair  of   the  Alaska  Statehood   Celebration                                                              
Commission,  said  the  commission   has  been  working  with  the                                                              
Department  of  Motor  Vehicles  for  some  time  to  develop  the                                                              
commemorative plate.  Several years ago  there was a  logo contest                                                              
for the statehood  celebration and that was incorporated  into the                                                              
license plate. The artist is from Sitka.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON asked when the plates will be available to the                                                                    
public.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. PHILLIPS said the plate will be the standard issue from                                                                     
January 2, 2008 through the end of 2009.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COWDERY moved to report CSSB 49(STA) from committee with                                                                
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There                                                                   
being no objection, the motion carried.