Legislature(2017 - 2018)SENATE FINANCE 532
05/07/2018 02:00 PM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB233 | |
| HB212 | |
| SB142 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 142 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 212 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 233 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SENATE BILL NO. 142
"An Act making appropriations, including capital
appropriations, supplemental appropriations,
reappropriations, and other appropriations; making
appropriations to capitalize funds; and providing for
an effective date."
3:26:15 PM
Co-Chair MacKinnon reported the bill had been heard on
April 26, 2018 when the public hearing had been opened and
closed.
Vice-Chair Bishop MOVED to ADOPT the committee substitute
for SB 142, Work Draft 30-GS2565\R (Martin, 5/7/18).
Co-Chair MacKinnon OBJECTED for discussion.
3:26:30 PM
AT EASE
3:27:51 PM
RECONVENED
LAURA CRAMER, STAFF, SENATOR ANNA MACKINNON, highlighted
the changes in the CS. Page 3, line 18 included $2 million
for the Alaska Travel Industry Association for tourism
marketing and development. Page 4, line 31 included $2.5
million for the Wrangell junkyard contaminated site
cleanup. Page 5, line 19 included $300,000 for vessels and
aircraft maintenance, repair, and upgrades for the
Department of Fish and Game (DFG). She detailed originally
the item had been in the bill's language section and due to
incorrect information from DFG the lapsing funds were no
longer available; therefore, the item had been moved to the
numbers section of the bill. Page 7, line 33 through page
8, line 4 included $750,000 for the Department of Natural
Resources for legal and financial due diligence associated
with the AKLNG project. Page 8, lines 29 through 31
included $750,000 for the Department of Revenue for legal
and financial due diligence associated with the AKLNG
project. Page 9, line 23 pertained to the Alaska Housing
Finance Corporation (AHFC) Weatherization Program. She
elaborated the previous bill version had erroneously left
the increment out of the bill's language section; the
numbers had been correct, but the increment had not been
listed in the bill.
Ms. Cramer continued to outline the changes in the CS. She
moved to page 10, line 18 that included other federal
program match for the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOT). The item had been added to the
numbers section due to a reduction in lapsing funds from
AHFC in the Home Energy Rebate Program. Originally the item
had been located in the language section - a reduction had
caused the change in the numbers section of the current CS.
Page 10, line 20 included an adjustment to the federal aid
highway state match due to some reappropriations that were
no longer available. Page 17, lines 10 through 13 included
$75,000 for community and neighborhood watch programs to be
distributed as grants through the Department of Commerce,
Community and Economic Development (DCCED). Page 17, line
14 included $60,000 for the City of Nenana for the
financial review and analysis of its city financials.
Currently the city was unable to receive some community
assistance due to some issues with its financials; the
increment would enable DCCED to work with Nenana to ensure
financials were in order prior to distributing community
assistance funds.
Ms. Cramer moved to the next change on page 17, lines 20
through 22 included $250,000 for a study for the Health
Care Transformation Project - the next step in the health
care authority feasibility study, which would bring along
patients, providers, and policy makers. Page 17, line 25
included $500,000 for the Hillcrest subdivision clean water
improvement district to help with contaminated water
systems. Page 17, line 28 included $2 million to the
Anchorage Police Department for crime prevention, response,
and equipment. Page 18 included $2 million to the
Department of Public Safety for crime prevention, response,
and equipment. Page 35 included backstop language for DOT
reappropriations for federal aid highway match. The
language had been included in the capital budget the last
year as well. The language designated that general funds
would be used to match federal funds if any project
reappropriation balances fell short.
3:33:12 PM
Co-Chair MacKinnon asked for the page number. Ms. Cramer
replied the change appeared on page 35, lines 10 through
14.
Ms. Cramer continued to address changes in the CS. She
turned to page 36, lines 3 through 19 that included the
reappropriation of funds that had been reappropriated in
the previous year to the greater Lynn Canal area. The
balance of $21.2 million was reappropriated back to the
Juneau Access project. The final change was located on page
37, line 3 through 9, where the remaining balance for the
Friends of the Jesse Lee Home to the City of Seward for
site remediation.
Co-Chair MacKinnon WITHDREW her OBJECTION. There being NO
further OBJECTION, Work Draft 30-GS2565\R was ADOPTED.
3:34:42 PM
Co-Chair MacKinnon shared that it was difficult to be the
committee chair when there was no money for communities
around the state. She had tried to help the limited
requests where possible in the CS. She remarked that the
bill contained no personal discretionary spending. She
reported the budget prioritized public safety and health in
some communities. She noted that the Wrangell [junkyard
contamination cleanup] project was $5 million, not $2.5
million. She explained that if the House added the other
$2.5 million, the project would move forward. She continued
that the budget was funded with Alaska's savings account to
provide for the people of Alaska in broad ways. The budget
went a long way in using the limited funds to create a
budget of over $1 billion in combination with federal and
other funds. She would provide the difference to committee
members and believed it was substantially lower than the
administration's request. She reported there was no joy in
passing a budget that was smaller than the administration's
request, but it reflected the practical fact that the
legislature was having to draw every dollar from savings
accounts; there were some things absent from the budget
that were important to many people.
3:36:41 PM
Vice-Chair Bishop thanked Co-Chair MacKinnon and her staff
for bringing the CS forward. He believed the committee had
been responsive to public testimony; it had done what it
could with the means available.
Senator Micciche agreed with Vice-Chair Bishop's comments.
He thanked Co-Chair MacKinnon and her staff for their hard
work.
Co-Chair MacKinnon thanked her chief of staff, Laura
Cramer. She felt that Ms. Cramer had succinctly and
accurately represented the changes requested in the bill.
She acknowledged there were many things requested by the
committee that were not included in the bill. She
reiterated that the bill did not contain personal
recommendations or discretionary money. The bill reflected
a fairly straight forward and back to the basics budget.
She thanked Legislative Legal Services and the Legislative
Finance Division for their work.
3:39:05 PM
Vice-Chair Bishop remarked that it was a $1 billion budget,
but when accounting for the multiplier effect that went out
through the economy and construction projects, it got to be
a good-sized number.
Co-Chair MacKinnon reported that the budget invested
$148,642,900 in projects throughout Alaska and leveraged
for a total budget of $1,461,960,200. The budget was $265
million less than the governor's request.
Vice-Chair Bishop MOVED to REPORT CSSB 142(FIN) out of
committee with individual recommendations. There being NO
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
CSSB 142(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation.
3:40:28 PM
AT EASE
3:42:24 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair MacKinnon reviewed the schedule for the following
day.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 212 SCS FIN work draft version M.pdf |
SFIN 5/7/2018 2:00:00 PM |
HB 212 |
| HB 212 SCS FIN v. M Explanation.pdf |
SFIN 5/7/2018 2:00:00 PM |
HB 212 |