03/14/2018 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        SB  80-TELECOMMUNICATIONS: DISABLED SUBSCRIBERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:24:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KITO announced  that the  next order of  business would  be                                                              
SENATE  BILL  NO.  80,  "An  Act  relating  to  telecommunications                                                              
services for  certain disabled subscribers;  and providing  for an                                                              
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:25:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL  moved to adopt  committee substitute  (CS) SB
 as the working document.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KITO objected  for the purpose  of discussion.   He  stated                                                              
the only change in the CS was to update the effective date.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KITO  removed  his  objection.    There  being  no  further                                                              
objections, it was so ordered.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:25:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MIA  COSTELLO, Alaska  State Legislature, reintroduced  SB
 as  prime sponsor.   She  informed that  her aide would  review                                                              
the proposed bill for the committee.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:26:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOSH   WALTON,  Staff,   Senator   Mia  Costello,   Alaska   State                                                              
Legislature,  reintroduced SB  80 on behalf  of Senator  Costello,                                                              
prime  sponsor.    He  said  SB   80  would  expand  the  landline                                                              
surcharge  to   aid  hearing   disabled  subscribers   to  include                                                              
cellphones and voice over internet protocol (VOIP) phones.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:27:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEAN  GATES,  President,  Alaska Deaf  Coalition,  testified  [via                                                              
interpreter]  in  support of  SB  80.   He  said the  Alaska  Deaf                                                              
Coalition is  advocating for 25,000  Alaskans who have  lost their                                                              
hearing.   He  said the  proposed  bill would  allow  them to  use                                                              
mobile  phones and  internet.   He shared  his understanding  that                                                              
the  language says  the  RCA provides  support  and equipment  and                                                              
there  is a  need  to  change the  language  to  telecommunication                                                              
equipment.   He said he encourages  the [legislature] to  pass the                                                              
bill as  soon as possible.   He explained  he was signing  with an                                                              
iPad and an interpreter was speaking for him.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:32:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MILLIE RYAN,  Executive Director,  REACH, Inc.; Board  Member, Key                                                              
Coalition  of  Alaska,  testified  in  support  of  SB  80.    She                                                              
explained   REACH,  Inc.   provides  services   for  people   with                                                              
disabilities.     She  informed  she  is  also   representing  Key                                                              
Coalition  of Alaska,  a statewide  organization  for people  with                                                              
disabilities.    She  said  both REACH,  Inc.  and  Key  Coalition                                                              
strongly  support the  bill.   She said  people with  disabilities                                                              
want  to be  independent  and  make  their own  appointments,  but                                                              
because sometimes they  are hard to understand, people  hang up on                                                              
them.   She  underlined the  proposed  bill would  offer them  the                                                              
possibility to be more independent.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  BIRCH  asked about  the  technology  used to  help                                                              
people with hearing and speech disabilities.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. RYAN  said she  knows technology  keeps improving  and becomes                                                              
less expensive and more accessible.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WOOL asked  about the  technology allowing  people                                                              
to use video for direct translation.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. RYAN said  she guessed it is  only a matter of time  before it                                                              
is available.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:36:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAM  MUELLER-GUY,  Southeast  Alaska  Independent  Living  (SAIL),                                                              
testified in  support of SB 80.  She shared a  personal experience                                                              
in which  she had to  call for emergency  services.  She  spoke to                                                              
the increase  in costs  in devices  to aid people  who want  to be                                                              
independent.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:38:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RICK  NELSON,   Alaska  Relay   Advisory  Board,  testified   [via                                                              
interpreter]  in support  of  SB 80.   He  said  the Alaska  Relay                                                              
board is a  big supporter of SB  80 because it would  allow people                                                              
who are  deaf or  hard of  hearing or  with speech impediments  to                                                              
live independently  and communicate.   He  stated the  only people                                                              
paying for  the services are people  who have land lines  and they                                                              
are paying  .08 cents a  month.  He  said his organization  "would                                                              
like  to have  it more  across the  board and  that would  include                                                              
mobile  services."     He  explained   if  mobile   services  were                                                              
included, it would  drop the surcharge down to .02  cents per line                                                              
and this  will allow  for equipment to  help more individuals  who                                                              
have low  income who  can't communicate  with anyone else  outside                                                              
their  home or community.   He  stated the  Alaska Relay  Advisory                                                              
Board is currently  conducting a pilot project  that lends devices                                                              
to rural  communities.  He added  if the proposed bill  passed, it                                                              
would reach  out to  the whole  state and  more people  would have                                                              
the ability to communicate.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:42:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HEIDI  KELLY,  Governor's  Council  on  Disabilities  and  Special                                                              
Education, testified  in support  of SB 80.   She said  she speaks                                                              
on behalf of  the autistic community.  She shared  her experiences                                                              
with her  hearing disabilities.   She spoke to the  technology she                                                              
has  used  to be  able  to  hear.     She  said the  telephone  is                                                              
difficult  or impossible  the use  without the  technology to  aid                                                              
people with hearing disabilities.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:46:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PATRICK  REINHART,  Executive  Director,   Governor's  Council  on                                                              
Disabilities  and Special  Education, testified  in support  of SB
.   He stated  the council had  been an  early supporter  of the                                                              
proposed bill and continues to support SB 80.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:47:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GARY MCDONALD testified in support of SB 80.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:47:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KITO closed  public testimony  on SB  80 upon  ascertaining                                                              
that no one else was available to testify.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:48:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL  moved to report  SB 80 out of  committee with                                                              
individual  recommendations  and  the accompanying  fiscal  notes.                                                              
There being no objection, it was so ordered.