Legislature(2013 - 2014)HOUSE FINANCE 519
04/11/2013 09:00 AM House FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB21 | |
| SB85 | |
| SB83 | |
| SB22 | |
| SB88 | |
| SB47 | |
| SB21 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 21 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 47 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 83 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 85 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 62 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 18 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 22 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 88 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 65 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 27 | TELECONFERENCED | |
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 85(TRA)
"An Act relating to experimental vehicles."
10:16:10 AM
BRITTANY HUTCHISON, STAFF, SENATOR CLICK BISHOP, spoke to
the bill. She explained that the CS had removed the wording
"cold weather" on page 1, lines 6, 7, and 11 in order for
the state to welcome all types of vehicle testing. She
stated that for many years Alaska had been marketed as the
most accessible, affordable, and reliable place to conduct
cold weather testing. She noted that the state was also
known as a prime location. Currently there were no statutes
regulating the registration of experimental vehicles, which
made it difficult for automotive companies to continue
conducting business in Alaska. She communicated that
recently the Volkswagen Group of America had to bring
experimental vehicles back after an initial testing session
due to stricter emission regulations (the company had
conducted its vehicle testing in the state since 2000);
however, the company had been told that it would need to
register and title all of the vehicles, which was neither
desirable or possible in Alaska.
Ms. Hutchinson relayed that the sponsor's office had spoken
with the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and had been told
that the DMV lacked statutory authority to provide
registration for experimental vehicles. She detailed that
the sponsor had worked with DMV and Volkswagen Group of
America's corporate council Allison Airhart to draft the
legislation. The bill would allow the DMV to issue
experimental vehicle plates to vehicle distributors and
manufacturers. The plates would be valid for a 12-month
period and could be renewed up to two times for a total
period of 36 months. She communicated that vehicles would
be required to be either destroyed or taken out of state
following the 36-month period.
Representative Costello moved the bill before the
committee.
10:18:44 AM
Representative Thompson believed the bill was important. He
wondered how much the license plates would cost per year.
Ms. Hutchison replied that the charge would be $90 per
year.
Representative Thompson asked whether manufacturers had any
problem with the charge. Ms. Hutchison replied in the
negative.
ALLISON AIRHART, ATTORNEY, VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA,
VIRGINIA (via teleconference), spoke in support of the
bill. She communicated that the legislation would allow the
company to continue to perform its cold weather testing in
Alaska. She believed the bill was ideal and that it served
the interests of the company, the Alaska DMV, and the
Fairbanks area. She explained that Alaska's current
statutes inhibited the company from testing in the state to
the extent that it did not allow for multi-year vehicle
registrations. She elaborated that testing over several
seasons was necessitated by recent Environmental Protection
Agency guidelines. She shared that sustained low
temperatures in Alaska were ideal for vehicle testing.
Other benefits included a large availability of seasonal
workers, a system of roadways with a variety of terrain,
affordable lodging, and an airport.
10:21:33 AM
JULIE EMSLIE, FAIRBANKS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,
FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), testified in support of the
bill. She stated that the consistent cold weather
conditions in Alaska were difficult to find elsewhere. She
expounded that the temperature combined with excellent
facilities in the state's service industry had made the
state a prime location for companies to cold weather test
their products. She shared that the testing brought
positive impacts to the Fairbanks community and the Alaskan
economy. She pointed to an estimate that the testing
brought in $500 million annually in Fairbanks. She stated
that the automotive industry in particular heavily utilized
Alaska's Interior for cold weather testing. The corporation
had discovered that some local automotive testing companies
were running into problems with Alaska's current vehicle
titling and registration regulations, largely due to
changing federal emission regulations. She concluded that
the bill offered a solution to the problem, removed a
barrier to the automotive cold weather testing industry,
and did not infringe on the DMV's ability to carry out its
mission.
Co-Chair Stoltze CLOSED public testimony.
Representative Costello discussed the one zero impact
fiscal note from Department of Transportation and Public
Facilities.
Representative Thompson MOVED to REPORT CSSB 85(TRA) out of
committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
CSSB 85(TRA) was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass"
recommendation and with one previously published zero
fiscal note: FN1 (DOT).
10:24:24 AM
AT EASE
10:27:05 AM
RECONVENED