03/12/2009 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

        SB 114-EXT BD OF ARCHITECTS, ENGRS, & SURVEYORS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:48:18 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR PASKVAN  announced SB  114 to be  up for  consideration. He                                                               
said it was introduced by the Labor and Commerce Committee.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JEFF STEPP, staff  to Senator Paskvan, introduced SB  114 for the                                                               
chairman. He said the measure  seeks to extend the Board's sunset                                                               
date from  June 30, 2009 to  June 30, 2017. The  audit appears to                                                               
be  solid,  and  has  several   recommendations  that  are  being                                                               
satisfactorily addressed by the Board.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:49:49 PM                                                                                                                    
He noted that  page 17, the audit lists the  number of people who                                                               
are licensed  under this legislation  - 539 architects,  478 land                                                               
surveyors, and nearly 3,000 civil  engineers. Obviously they want                                                               
to  keep these  professionals  registered and  certified to  keep                                                               
Alaskans safe in their work.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:50:23 PM                                                                                                                    
RICHARD HEIEREN,  member, Alaska Board of  Registered Architects,                                                               
Engineers  and Land  Surveyors,  said he  supported  SB 114.  The                                                               
audit was very thorough, he stated, and  he is proud to be on the                                                               
Board.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:51:45 PM                                                                                                                    
MR.  STEPP  noted   a  proposed  amendment,  the   result  of  an                                                               
oversight. Several  years ago a  temporary non-voting  member was                                                               
added to the board, and that  needs to be included in the statute                                                               
otherwise it will expire.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BUNDE asked Mr. Heieren if he supported the amendment.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. HEIEREN answered yes.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BUNDE said  the  Professional  Design Council  indicated                                                               
they  wanted to  make  the  Board permanent  and  asked why  they                                                               
didn't want to "open that can of worms" at this time.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STEPP replied  that as  a practical  matter, they  wanted to                                                               
keep  the bill  clean and  just extend  the sunset  understanding                                                               
that  that   issue  has   been  a  can   of  worms   in  previous                                                               
legislatures.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:54:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MEYER moved to adopt Amendment 1.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
                                                 26-LS0498\R.1                                                                  
                                                      Bullard                                                                   
                          AMENDMENT 1                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     OFFERED IN THE SENATE                   BY SENATOR PASKVAN                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 2, following "Surveyors;"                                                                                   
          Insert "extending the term of a temporary member                                                                    
     of  the State  Board  of  Registration for  Architects,                                                                  
     Engineers, and Land Surveyors;"                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 7:                                                                                                            
          Delete all material and insert:                                                                                       
        "*  Sec. 2.   The  uncodified  law of  the State  of                                                                
     Alaska  enacted  in  sec.  31, ch.  47,  SLA  1998,  as                                                                    
     amended by  sec. 2, ch. 46,  SLA 2001, and sec.  2, ch.                                                                    
     38, SLA 2005, is amended to read:                                                                                          
          Sec.   31.    TEMPORARY   BOARD    MEMBER.   After                                                                  
     considering recommendations made  by the Alaska chapter                                                                    
     of the  American Society  of Landscape  Architects, the                                                                    
     governor  shall appoint  a landscape  architect to  the                                                                    
     Board  of Registration  for Architects,  Engineers, and                                                                    
     Land  Surveyors.   The  person  appointed   under  this                                                                    
     section                                                                                                                    
               (1)  must have been a resident in the state                                                                      
     for  three  consecutive   years  immediately  preceding                                                                    
     appointment;                                                                                                               
               (2)  serves in an advisory, nonvoting                                                                            
     capacity on the board;                                                                                                     
               (3)  is entitled to receive state money for                                                                      
     per  diem  or  travel  expenses for  work  as  a  board                                                                    
     member;                                                                                                                    
               (4)  serves a term that expires June 30,                                                                         
     2017 [2009]; and                                                                                                       
               (5)  must be registered as a landscape                                                                           
     architect under AS 08.48.                                                                                                  
        *  Sec. 3.    The  uncodified law  of  the State  of                                                                  
     Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                                         
          TRANSITION: TEMPORARY BOARD MEMBER. The term of                                                                       
     office of a person holding  a temporary position on the                                                                    
     Board  of Registration  for Architects,  Engineers, and                                                                    
     Land  Surveyors before  July 1, 2009,  expires June 30,                                                                    
     2009.  Unless the  temporary member  has served  all of                                                                    
     two    successive    terms     as    described    under                                                                    
     AS 08.48.021(c), the  temporary member is  eligible for                                                                    
     reappointment  under  sec. 2  of  this  Act to  a  term                                                                    
     beginning  July 1,  2009,  so  long  as  the  temporary                                                                    
     member continues to meet the  qualifications set out in                                                                    
     sec. 2 of this Act.  The temporary member may remain in                                                                    
     the position  until the governor names  a new appointee                                                                    
     or reappoints the temporary member.                                                                                        
        *  Sec. 4.    Section  2 of  this  Act takes  effect                                                                  
     July 1, 2009.                                                                                                              
        * Sec. 5. Except as provided  in sec. 4 of this Act,                                                                  
     this    Act    takes     effect    immediately    under                                                                    
     AS 01.10.070(c)."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
There were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:55:09 PM                                                                                                                    
TERRY SCHOENTHAL,  Alaska Chapter, American Society  of Landscape                                                               
Architects,  supported SB  114. He  explained that  the amendment                                                               
maintains the status  quo that has existed for 10  years. He said                                                               
they are looking  into making the position a  full voting member,                                                               
but  that  would be  better  introduced  as a  stand-alone  bill.                                                               
Without the  amendment representation on  the Board goes  away on                                                               
June  30. Their  concern is  that  the Board  is responsible  for                                                               
reviewing and  licensing applicants from landscape  architects in                                                               
the state  and without a  representative on the Board,  they have                                                               
no way of actually participating in that.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:57:00 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BUNDE moved to report  CSSB 114 (L&C) from committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  attached  fiscal note(s).  There                                                               
were no objections and it was so ordered.