04/07/2012 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 160                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  making and  amending appropriations,  including                                                                   
     capital appropriations and  other appropriations; making                                                                   
     appropriations  to capitalize  funds; and providing  for                                                                   
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:59:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  indicated  that  this  was  the  sixteenth                                                                   
meeting on the  capital budget. He furthered  that the Senate                                                                   
Finance Committee  had conducted a thorough  public review of                                                                   
the  governor's  proposed  budget  and that  upwards  of  180                                                                   
Alaskan's had called in to testify on the budget.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:59:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Ellis   MOVED  to   ADOPT  the  proposed   committee                                                                   
substitute  for  SB  160,  Work  Draft  27-GS2600\D  (Martin,                                                                   
4/7/12) as a working document.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:59:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:00:22 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:01:21 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:01:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  stated that the Senate had  worked with the                                                                   
House and  the governor  on the capital  budget and  that the                                                                   
Senate  had  placed  over  $3 billion  into  savings  in  the                                                                   
operating budget before it had  finalized the capital budget.                                                                   
He  explained  that the  ratio  of  the Senate's  savings  to                                                                   
capital spending  was $3.1  billion to  $720 million  and was                                                                   
roughly 4  to 1. He mentioned  a transportation  bond package                                                                   
was  also  being  worked  on   and  would  be  available  for                                                                   
discussion in several days.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:01:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WESTON  EILER,  STAFF,  SENATOR  BERT  STEDMAN,  presented  a                                                                   
walkthrough  of the bill  and referenced  two reports  in the                                                                   
members'  packets   that  summarized  the  budget   by  House                                                                   
district and agency. He stated  that Section 1, which was the                                                                   
FY  13 capital  budget, totaled  $2.57  billion; the  section                                                                   
included  legislative additions,  as well  as the  governor's                                                                   
projects.  Section  7  on  page   117,  which  totaled  $56.1                                                                   
million,   reflected   the   governor's   remaining   FY   13                                                                   
supplemental capital projects.  Section 10 on page 122, which                                                                   
totaled $43.5  million, represented the governor's  remaining                                                                   
FY  12  supplemental  operating   items.  He  explained  that                                                                   
Section 13  was the conglomerated  language section  and that                                                                   
it  included  fund  transfers,  capitalizations,  legislative                                                                   
reappropriations, as well as supplemental  and other language                                                                   
items.  He noted  that under  the  new committee  substitute,                                                                   
$720 million in  capital projects would be added  for a total                                                                   
of $2.63 billion in capital spending.  He pointed out that in                                                                   
Section 1  the Senate  had added 50  percent funding  for the                                                                   
Undergraduate  Engineering   Expansion  Initiative   for  new                                                                   
facilities  at  the  University  of  Alaska's  Anchorage  and                                                                   
Fairbanks  campuses, $29  million  in funding  for the  State                                                                   
Library Archives  Museum (SLAM)  building in Juneau,  as well                                                                   
as several other transportation  and infrastructure projects.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:04:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  REMOVED  his  OBJECTION.  There  being  NO                                                                   
FURTHER OBJECTION, Work Draft 27-GS2600\D was ADOPTED.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman  directed  members  to look  over  the  new                                                                   
committee   substitute  and   bring  any   concerns  to   his                                                                   
attention.