Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519
05/08/2024 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB91 | |
| SB95 | |
| SB99 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 74 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 75 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 275 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 91 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 95 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 99 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 228 | TELECONFERENCED | |
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 95(STA) am
"An Act relating to special request specialty
organization registration plates; relating to special
registration plates commemorating peace officers
killed in the line of duty; and providing for an
effective date."
4:41:48 PM
SENATOR KELLY MERRICK, SPONSOR, she reviewed the bill with
prepared remarks. She explained that SB 95 tasked the
Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with issuing specialty
plates and removed the requirement for legislation. The
bill saved money by passing the cost of developing and
issuing the plate onto the organization rather than the
state. She stated that it was originally a license plate
bill to end license plate bills. After a Senate amendment,
the bill was the license plate bill to end license plate
bills with the exception of one more license plate. She
continued that after a House State Affairs amendment
several more license plates were added. She believed that
the bill created a state efficiency and asked the committee
for its support of the legislation.
4:43:27 PM
Co-Chair Foster OPENED Public Testimony.
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED Public Testimony.
Co-Chair Foster asked for a review of the fiscal note.
4:45:00 PM
JEFFREY SCHMITZ, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES,
DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION (via teleconference), reviewed
the new fiscal impact note for the Department of
Administration allocated to Motor Vehicles dated May 6,
2024. He explained that the total development cost was
$14,000 per different plate, which was described in the
fiscal note analysis on page 2. The new organizations would
pay the development costs. The assumptions used for the
fiscal note was based on 16 new organizations per year, the
development costs, and the anticipated revenues in addition
to any additional fees the plate may generate above the
$100 fee established in the legislation. The fee may be set
higher than $100 as well.
Representative Josephson relayed a personal experience. He
asked if the plate would identify a specific police officer
or whether it was for all peace officers.
KERRY CROCKER, STAFF, SENATOR KELLY MERRICK, replied that
the bill defined peace officers as follows: state trooper,
municipal police officer, correctional officer, village
public safety officer (VPSO), an officer assigned to a
court, and any other public servant vested by law with a
duty to maintain public order or to make arrests. He added
that if someone wanted to honor a fallen officer, they
could purchase the plate. The plate would not specify a
particular officer.
Co-Chair Foster moved to invited testimony.
DOUG FIFER, RETIRED, ANCHORAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, NORFOLK,
VIRGINIA (via teleconference), shared that he was a
lifelong Alaskan born in Homer. He had retired in 2021
after 25 years of service. The idea of registration plates
commemorating peace officers killed in the line of duty
came to him as he traveled around the country noticing that
most states had plates honoring fallen officers. In 2017,
he had contacted state senators who overwhelmingly
supported the idea. However, 8 years later there was still
no law or license plate. He listed many other organizations
that had specialty plates and asked that fallen officer
plates be considered. The state had 50 officers killed in
the line of duty in its history. He participated in a
national memorial bicycle ride to honor fallen officers
that culminated in Washington D.C. as a somber reminder of
those officers killed in the line of duty. He asked the
committee for support.
4:51:26 PM
Co-Chair Foster inquired whether any committee members
wanted to submit an amendment.
Representative Cronk stated it had come to his attention
that the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) could not issue a
second same license plate unless it was specifically
authorized in statute. He exemplified not allowing the
purchase of a second personalized license plate. He asked
if the sponsor would be willing to accept a friendly
amendment to allow a second plate. Senator Merrick replied
that a personalized plate was not the same as a specialty
plate. She relayed that a specialty plate references a non-
profit organization. She asked for clarification.
Representative Cronk answered that they both fall under the
same title AS 28.10.108(g). He asked the director of DMV to
clarify.
Mr. Schmitz responded that there was a difference between
specialized and personalized plates. He agreed that current
law passed two years ago authorized that only one plate was
necessary. The state previously required that 2 licensed
plates were displayed. Therefore, DMV only issued one plate
based on AS 28.10 108(g). He reiterated that only one plate
was issued as directed by statute.
4:54:48 PM
Representative Cronk left it up to the senator and stressed
that he offered the amendment as a friendly amendment.
Senator Merrick did not oppose the idea. She thought the
important thing was that the license plates were assigned a
cost of $100. She thought it would be important to find out
if a second plate would have the same additional cost.
Representative Cronk deferred to DMV.
Mr. Schmitz answered that the second plate would cost $30,
which was the same as a personalized plate.
Co-Chair Foster asked Representative Cronk how he wanted to
proceed. Representative Cronk would be willing to offer a
friendly amendment.
Co-Chair Foster noted that they did not need to set an
amendment deadline and the committee could come back later
in the evening when the amendment could be offered. He
suggested that Representative Cronk work with the division.
Senator Merrick interjected that she felt comfortable with
Representative Cronk offering a friendly amendment.
Representative Stapp suggested recessing and coming back
with the amendment after floor.
Representative Hannan asked about the fiscal note. She
cited the fiscal note analysis that estimated the
development of $14,000 per plate and 19 new plate types per
year. She thought the number seemed high. She also recalled
that the state changed from two license plates from one two
years prior to deliver a cost savings. She recalled the
sponsor had advocated that the savings would make the costs
less than $30 per plate. She wondered if all license plates
typically cost $30 per second plate.
Co-Chair Edgmon, and Co-Chair Johnson joined the meeting.
5:00:03 PM
RECESSED
7:16:06 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Foster returned to hearing SB 95.
Representative Cronk stated that he would not offer the
amendment.
Representative Hannan voiced that many people believed that
by requesting a specialty plate the revenue went to the
organization. She stated that was not what happened. She
wondered what happened to the revenue. Senator Merrick
understood that the only current organization that did
receive revenue from license plates was the State Council
on the Arts. She deferred to her staff for further answer.
Mr. Crocker answered that the amount was often so minuscule
it was not included in the operating budget. Representative
Hannan inquired whether the bill changed the method of
accountability leaving it up to the division. She wondered
whether the legislature would need to obtain the amount
from the division and appropriate it. Mr. Crocker pointed
to page 4, line 14 of the bill [? organization plate may
charge a fee on first issuance and renewal of the plates?]
and responded that the language allowed organizations to
charge an additional fee to recoup the revenue. He offered
that it would be up to DMV and the administration to ensure
the revenue was received and the legislature to appropriate
it.
7:20:15 PM
Representative Stapp MOVED to REPORT HCS CSSB 95(STA)am out
of committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
HCS CSSB 95(STA)am was REPORTED out of committee with eight
"do pass" recommendations and one "no recommendation"
recommendation and with one new fiscal impact note from the
Department of Administration.
Senator Merrick thanked the committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 275 DPS Follow-Up-1 NIJ Best Practices.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| HB 275 DPS Follow-Up-1.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| HB 275 DPS Follow-Up-2.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| HB 275 Transmittal Letter.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| HB275 Letters of Support and Letter of Opposition.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| SB 75 & SB 74 Public Testimony Rec'd by 050624 2.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
SB 74 SB 75 |
| HB275 Sectional Analysis Version B 3.22.24.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |
| HB275 Summary of Changes Version A to B 3.22.24.pdf |
HFIN 5/8/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 275 |