04/11/2025 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 63                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Local Boundary Commission; and                                                                     
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:05:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman relayed that it was the first hearing for                                                                      
SB 63.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:06:03 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Mike Cronk, Sponsor, explained that SB 63:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill 63  is the final product  of last session's                                                                    
     HB  279, which  passed the  House unanimously,  made it                                                                    
     through   the   Senate   committee  process   and   was                                                                    
     calendared  for Senate  Floor vote,  but the  clock ran                                                                    
     out  before it  could  be  voted on.  SB  63 is  adding                                                                    
     language to exiting statute to accomplish three goals:                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
      1.)  To ensure  commissioners appointed  from each  of                                                                    
     the four  Judicial Districts actually live  in and vote                                                                    
     in   the  Judicial   District  from   which  they   are                                                                    
     appointed.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     2.) To create an additional  seat on the Commission and                                                                    
     ensure that at least one  of the six Commissioners come                                                                    
     from the Unorganized Borough.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     3.) To  change statute  regarding the selection  of the                                                                    
     Commission  chair. Instead  of the  chair automatically                                                                    
     being the member from the  state at-large, the chair of                                                                    
     the  commission  will  be   elected  from  amongst  its                                                                    
     members.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Note:  The  effective  date  of  January  31,  2026  is                                                                    
     selected  so  the  present  Local  Boundary  Commission                                                                    
     (LBC) makeup will  be retained until the  next LBC seat                                                                    
     becomes  open.   At  that  time   a  person   from  the                                                                    
     Unorganized Borough will be selected.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:07:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAUL MENKE,  STAFF, SENATOR MIKE  CRONK, provided  a sponsor                                                                    
statement:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Section 1:                                                                                                                  
-  Changes  the  number  of  seats  on  the  Local  Boundary                                                                    
Commission from 5 seats to 6 seats.                                                                                             
- Changes the terms for  the commissioner seats from 5 years                                                                    
to 6 years.                                                                                                                     
- Establishes  that at  least one  Commissioner be  from the                                                                    
unorganized Borough.                                                                                                            
-  Requires   a  commissioner  appointed  from   a  Judicial                                                                    
District  to be  domiciled and  registered to  vote in  that                                                                    
District.                                                                                                                       
-  Establishes   that  the  Chair  of   the  Local  Boundary                                                                    
Commission be  elected from among  its members,  rather than                                                                    
the Chair being the member at-large by default.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              
Section 2:                                                                                                                  
Amends the  uncodified law of  the State of Alaska  to state                                                                    
that  members appointed  to  the  Local Boundary  Commission                                                                    
will serve six-year terms, and  this act will not affect the                                                                    
term of a member appointed prior to January 31, 2026.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Section 3:                                                                                                                  
Establishes an effective date of January 31, 2026                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hoffman relayed  that there  were two  individuals                                                                    
available to answer questions.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:09:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman OPENED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:09:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATHY LEARY, CITY ADMINISTRATOR,  CITY OF GUSTAVUS, GUSTAVUS                                                                    
(via teleconference),  expressed support  for the  bill. She                                                                    
relayed   that  communities   not   in  organized   boroughs                                                                    
currently  had no  voice on  the commission.   She  asserted                                                                    
that the lack of  direct representation was inequitable. She                                                                    
expounded  on the  various ways  the lack  of representation                                                                    
negatively impacted unorganized  boroughs. She urged passage                                                                    
of the legislation.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:13:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COLLEEN  STANSBURY,  SELF,  GUSTAVUS  (via  teleconference),                                                                    
spoke in support of the bill.  She was a 40-year resident of                                                                    
Gustavus.  She   shared  her  recent  experience   with  the                                                                    
commission regarding  the Hoonah Borough petition.  She said                                                                    
that  the process  revealed to  her deep  dysfunction within                                                                    
the commission's policies and  process. She expounded on the                                                                    
need  for   reformation  of  representation  on   the  Local                                                                    
Boundary Commission.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:15:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Kiehl reviewed  a  new zero  fiscal  note from  the                                                                    
Department of Commerce,  Community and Economic Development,                                                                    
OMB Component 2879.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Senator Cronk thanked the committee for their time.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SB  63  was   HEARD  and  HELD  in   committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.