Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/07/2025 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB54 | |
| SB50 | |
| SB86 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 54 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 50 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 86 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 54-EXT ARCH, ENG, SURVEY BRD; REG INT DESIGN
1:34:33 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN announced the consideration of SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE
FOR SENATE BILL NO. 54 "An Act relating to registered interior
designers and interior design; extending the termination date of
the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and
Land Surveyors; relating to the State Board of Registration for
Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors; establishing
requirements for the practice of registered interior design;
relating to the practice of architecture, engineering, land
surveying, landscape architecture, and registered interior
design by partnerships; relating to the scope of the
certification requirements for architects, engineers, land
surveyors, landscape architects, and registered interior
designers; relating to liens for labor or materials furnished;
relating to the procurement of landscape architectural and
interior design services; and providing for an effective date."
1:35:41 PM
SARENA HACKENMILLER, Staff, Senator Matt Claman, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided a recap of SB 54 and
stated that SB 54 accomplishes three main objectives: First, it
extends the statutory authorization for the Board of Architects,
Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS Board). Second, adds
registered interior designers to the Board's jurisdiction, and
Third, make several statutory changes that have been requested
by the Board.
1:36:37 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion.
1:36:39 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR moved to adopt Amendment 1, 34-LS0044\I.2.
34-LS0044\I.2
Gunther
2/28/25
A M E N D M E N T 1
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR ____________
TO: SSSB 54
Page 2, following line 29:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 4. AS 08.48.055(b) is amended to read:
(b) The executive administrator of the
board shall perform duties as prescribed by the
board, including the review and approval of
comity applications. The executive administrator
is entitled to receive a monthly salary equal to
a step in Range 23 on the salary schedule set
out in AS 39.27.011(a)."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
Page 17, line 8:
Delete "37"
Insert "38"
Page 17, line 9:
Delete "sec. 38"
Insert "sec. 39"
1:36:45 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion.
1:36:54 PM
MS. HACKENMILLER explained Amendment 1:
[Original punctuation provided.]
At the request of the AELS Board, this amendment adds
a salary Range 23 into statute for the Executive
Administrator of the board. This aligns with other
licensing boards.
1:37:23 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection.
1:37:29 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN found no further objection and Amendment 1 was
adopted.
1:37:31 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion.
1:37:33 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR moved to adopt Amendment 2, 34-LS0044\I.5
34-LS0044\I.5
Gunther
3/5/25
A M E N D M E N T 2
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR ____________
TO: SSSB 54
Page 13, lines 23 - 28:
Delete all material and insert:
"(15) a person who is
(A) authorized to construct,
install, or modify a conventional onsite
wastewater system by the Department of
Environmental Conservation under
AS 46.03.100; and
(B) constructing, installing, or
modifying a conventional onsite wastewater
system that serves a commercial facility and
has a design flow of less than 500 gallons
of wastewater a day."
Page 13, following line 28:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 27. AS 08.48.331 is amended by adding a new
subsection to read:
(c) The Department of Environmental
Conservation may adopt regulations limiting
the locations in the state in which (a)(15)
of this section applies."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
Page 17, line 8:
Delete "37"
Insert "38"
Page 17, line 9:
Delete "sec. 38"
Insert "sec. 39"
1:37:40 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion.
1:37:45 PM
MS. HACKENMILLER explained Amendment 2:
[Original punctuation provided.]
This amendment revises Section 26, specifically
modifying Alaska Statute 08.48.331, Exemption 15. This
statute pertains to conventional onsite wastewater
systems and the Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation (ADEC). The purpose of this change is to
provide more precise criteria for when an exemption to
construction requirements can be granted for these
wastewater systems. Essentially, the amendment now
limits the exemption to conventional onsite wastewater
systems that meet both of the following conditions:
1. They serve a commercial facility.
2. They have a design flow of less than 500 gallons
of wastewater per day.
1:39:21 PM
COLIN MAYNARD, Chair, Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors
Board (AELS), Legislative Liaison Committee, Anchorage, Alaska,
testified by invitation on SB 54 and stated that the Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and ALS Board came to an
agreement about the issues. He said the change clarifies the
original broad language.
1:39:58 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked if the amendment keeps someone designing
small projects exempt from having to get a design stamp.
1:40:10 PM
MR. MAYNARD answered that the exception applies to certified
contractors who design and install the systems and have been
certified by DEC.
1:40:35 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection.
1:40:41 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN found no further objection and Amendment 2 was
adopted.
1:40:44 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN solicited a motion.
1:40:46 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR moved to adopt Amendment 3, 34-LS0044\I.6.
34-LS0044\I.6
Gunther
3/6/25
A M E N D M E N T 3
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR ____________
TO: SSSB 54
Page 13, lines 2 - 7:
Delete "to an officer or employee practicing
engineering, architecture, land surveying, or
landscape architecture on
(A) [TO] buildings or
structures whose primary use is public
occupancy; or
(B) natural gas pipelines; in
this subparagraph, "natural gas pipeline"
has the meaning given in AS 31.25.390;"
Insert "to buildings or structures whose primary
use is public occupancy;"
Page 13, following line 28:
Insert new bill sections to read:
"* Sec. 27. AS 08.48.331(a), as amended by sec. 26
of this Act, is amended to read:
(a) This chapter does not apply to
(1) a contractor performing work designed
by a professional architect, engineer, or landscape
architect or the supervision of the construction of
the work as a supervisor or superintendent for a
contractor;
(2) workers in building trades crafts,
earthwork, grounds keeping, or nursery operations, and
superintendents, supervisors, or inspectors in the
performance of their customary duties;
(3) an officer or employee of the United
States government practicing architecture,
engineering, land surveying, or landscape architecture
as required by the person's official capacity;
(4) an employee or a subordinate of a
registrant if the work or service is done under the
direct supervision of a registrant;
(5) associates, consultants, or specialists
retained by a registrant, partnership of registered
individuals, corporation, limited liability company,
limited liability partnership, or limited partnership
authorized to practice architecture, engineering, land
surveying, or landscape architecture under this
chapter, in the performance of professional services
if responsible charge of the work remains with the
registrant, the partnership, or a designated
representative of the corporation, limited liability
company, limited liability partnership, or limited
partnership;
(6) a person preparing drawings or
specifications for
(A) a building for the person's own
use and occupancy as a single family residence and
related site work for that building;
(B) farm or ranch buildings and their
grounds unless the public health, safety, or welfare
is involved;
(C) a building that is intended to be
used only as a residence by not more than
(i) four families and that is not
more than two stories high and the grounds of the
building; or
(ii) two families and that is not
more than three stories high and the grounds of the
building, if the building is located in a municipality
that has adopted a building or residential code that
applies to the building and if the building complies
with the building or residential code;
(D) a garage, workshop, or similar
building that contains less than 2,000 square feet of
floor space to be used for a private noncommercial
purpose and the grounds of the building;
(7) a specialty contractor licensed under
AS 08.18 while engaged in the business of construction
contracting for work designed by an architect,
engineer, or landscape architect that is within the
specialty to be performed or supervised by the
specialty contractor, or a contractor preparing shop
or field drawings for work that the specialty
contractor has contracted to perform;
(8) a person furnishing drawings,
specifications, instruments of service, or other data
for alterations or repairs to a building or its
grounds that do not change or affect the structural
system or the safety of the building, or that do not
affect the public health, safety, or welfare;
(9) a person who is employed by a
postsecondary educational institution to teach
engineering, architectural, or landscape architectural
courses; in this paragraph, "postsecondary educational
institution" has the meaning given in AS 14.48.210;
(10) an officer or employee of an
individual, firm, partnership, association, utility,
corporation, limited liability company, limited
liability partnership, or limited partnership, who
practices engineering, architecture, land surveying,
or landscape architecture involved in the operation of
the employer's business only if neither the employee
nor the employer offers engineering, architecture,
land surveying, or landscape architecture services to
the public; exclusions under this paragraph do not
apply to an officer or employee
(A) practicing engineering,
architecture, land surveying, or landscape
architecture on [TO] buildings or structures
whose primary use is public occupancy; or
(B) of a utility that owns, operates,
manages, or controls a pipeline that furnishes by
transmission or distributes natural or
manufactured gas to the public for compensation
and who is practicing engineering on the
facilities of the pipeline that operate at a
pressure greater than 100 pounds per square inch
gauge in one of the following manners:
(i) the installation of a new
district pressure regulator station,
compressor station, or gate station;
(ii) the reconfiguration or
physical change of a district pressure
regulator station, compressor station, or
gate station that alters or modifies the
configuration or overpressure protection of
equipment; in this sub-subparagraph,
"reconfiguration or physical change" does
not include a routine operating adjustment
or similar replacement; or
(iii) the installation, uprating,
repair by replacement, or abandonment of the
pipeline;
(11) a person while involved in
revegetation, restoration, reclamation,
rehabilitation, or erosion control for disturbed land
that the board determines does not affect the public
health, safety, or welfare;
(12) a person while maintaining or
directing the placement of plant material that the
board determines does not affect the public health,
safety, or welfare;
(13) an employee, officer, or agent of a
regulatory agency of the state or a municipality when
reviewing drawings and specifications for compliance
with the building codes of the state or a municipality
if the drawings and specifications have been sealed
and signed by an architect, engineer, land surveyor,
or landscape architect or the preparation of the
drawings and specifications is exempt under this
section from the requirements of this chapter; in this
paragraph, "building codes" includes codes relating to
building, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire
safety standards, and zoning;
(14) a person who is designing fire
protection systems and is authorized by the Department
of Public Safety to design fire protection systems;
(15) a person who is authorized to
construct, install, or modify a conventional onsite
wastewater system by the Department of Environmental
Conservation under AS 46.03.100 and is constructing,
installing, or modifying a conventional onsite
wastewater system with a capacity of less than 500
gallons of wastewater a day; the Department of
Environmental Conservation may adopt regulations
limiting the locations in the state in which this
paragraph applies.
* Sec. 28. AS 08.48.331 is amended by adding a new
subsection to read:
(c) Notwithstanding (a)(10)(B) of this section,
this chapter does not apply to an officer or employee
of a utility that owns, operates, manages, or controls
a pipeline that furnishes by transmission or
distributes natural or manufactured gas to the public
for compensation and who is practicing engineering in
an emergency on the facilities of the pipeline that
operate at a pressure greater than 100 pounds per
square inch gauge. The utility shall notify the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska when an officer or
employee of the utility practices engineering in an
emergency under this subsection."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
Page 17, line 8:
Delete "37"
Insert "39"
Page 17, following line 8:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 41. Sections 27 and 28 of this Act take
effect January 1, 2026."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
Page 17, line 9:
Delete "sec. 38"
Insert "secs. 40 and 41"
1:40:52 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion.
1:40:57 PM
MS. HACKENMILLER explained Amendment 3:
[Original punctuation provided.]
This amendment revises Section 26. The AELS Board
initially requested a change to AS 08.48.331,
Exemption 10, in Version I, known as the industrial
exemption, requiring professional registration for
natural gas pipeline construction. However, after
reviewing Version I in February 2025, the Board found
the language too broad. To address this, we worked
with ENSTAR to revise the language, ensuring it aligns
with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
guidelines issued after the 2018 gas pipeline
explosion, which had instigated the original
modification. This revised section will take effect on
January 1, 2026. The separate effective date does not
apply to any other sections of the bill.
1:42:26 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked for clarification on the need for new
language.
1:42:33 PM
LINDSEY HOBSON, Director of Legal and Administration, Enstar
Natural Gas, Anchorage, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 54
and stated that Amendment 3 addresses National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations following the 2018 over-
pressurization event near Boston. She said working with Senator
Claman's office, Enstar reviewed other states' responses and
NTSB guidance to craft a narrowly tailored solution. She said
the amendment removes the exemption for professional engineer
stamps on gas pipeline projects over 100 psicovering
transmission and high-pressure distribution lines.
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked whether pipelines with 100 psi or higher
still require stamped drawings and those below 100 psi do not.
MS. HOBSON answered yes. She said requiring stamped drawings for
every service line would've meant over 1800 stamps last year for
NCAR alone, placing an excessive burden on utility engineers.
1:46:05 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection
1:46:10 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN found no further objection and Amendment 3 was
adopted.
1:46:36 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN held SB 54, as amended, in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SSSB54 Draft Proposed Amendment I.2.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Draft Proposed Amendment I.5.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Draft Proposed Amendment I.6.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony Colin Maynard 02.26.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Letter-AIA 02.03.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Letter-Catherine Fritz 03.5.25 .pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Email-Barbara Cash 03.04.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Email-Larry Cash 03.04.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Email-Paige Goneau 03.05.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |
| SSSB54 Public Testimony-Letter-AELS 03.04.25.pdf |
SL&C 3/7/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 54 |