04/05/2018 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

         SB 163-DEFINITION OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:16:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that  the next order  of business                                                               
would be  CS FOR SENATE  BILL NO.  163(STA), "An Act  relating to                                                               
commercial motor vehicles."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:16:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on SB 163.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:17:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AVES THOMPSON,  Executive Director, Alaska  Trucking Association,                                                               
offered support for  SB 163 as it helps clarify  the statutes and                                                               
makes  it easier  for  the trucking  industry  to understand  and                                                               
comply   with  the   statutes  and   regulations  governing   the                                                               
operations  of  the  industry's  businesses.    This  legislation                                                               
reduces the burden  put on farmers and farm  vehicles by removing                                                               
the 150-mile  restriction on farmers transporting  their "covered                                                               
farm  vehicles" while  in the  conduct of  their business  and it                                                               
allows them to operate statewide.   He noted that the legislation                                                               
does make  clear that if  farmers choose  to enter the  "for hire                                                               
world," they  need to  comply with  the commercial  vehicle rules                                                               
and regulations.   This legislation  provides certainty  for more                                                               
carriers  of   passengers  by  clearly  identifying   school  bus                                                               
operations.   School  buses are  not considered  commercial motor                                                               
vehicles while  conducting school  bus operations, but  they will                                                               
be  required   to  comply  with  commercial   vehicle  rules  and                                                               
regulations  should they  engage  in "for  hire transport"  other                                                               
than  school bus  operations.   He  related that  this bill  also                                                               
provides  clarification   for  carriers   transporting  hazardous                                                               
materials  in  amounts  that  require  a  placard.    The  Alaska                                                               
Trucking  Association  urged  the  committee  to  consider  these                                                               
changes   favorably  as   the  changes   will  provide   valuable                                                               
clarifications, he said.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP noted that  the Department of Transportation                                                               
& Public Facilities (DTPF) provided  the committee with a copy of                                                               
the  "farm plate  mentioned in  the  bill," and  opined that  the                                                               
state  does not  currently register  "implements, farm  trackers,                                                               
whatever else  may run  down the  road.  We  do motor  vehicle, I                                                               
think, as  well," and  noted that  registrations must  be renewed                                                               
every two  years with  a price  of $68.   He  asked, "Are  we now                                                               
going to  have to license  hay wagons  and anything else  that we                                                               
pull?    As  you  know,  in  the  commercial  world  we  get  the                                                               
commercial plate  which is  -- doesn't  expire, it's  a permanent                                                               
plate.   And  we've move  to --  started exempted  vehicles eight                                                               
years old and older."  He  asked Mr. Thompson's thoughts on "this                                                               
licensing  thing.    Are  we  now having  to  license  a  lot  of                                                               
implements that we never had to in the past?"                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:20:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  THOMPSON responded  that  that question  is  outside of  his                                                               
expertise  and  noted that  the  Alaska  Trucking Association  is                                                               
looking more  to the commercial  vehicle safety regulations.   It                                                               
could be that  some vehicles might be required  to be registered,                                                               
there are  other truck-tractor, semi-trailer  configurations that                                                               
even in  the farm operation  would be required to  be registered,                                                               
he said.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:20:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AMY  SEITZ,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  Farm  Bureau,  offered                                                               
support  for  CSSB  163,  and  noted  that  Alaskan  farmers  and                                                               
ranchers must  travel vast distances  to reach their  markets and                                                               
gather the  supplies necessary  to operate  their farm  or ranch.                                                               
She  related that  requiring farmers  to  operate their  vehicles                                                               
under the  commercial motor vehicle  regulations for  seasonal or                                                               
occasional  use  increases  costs  and  burdens  to  the  state's                                                               
farmers, and the current exemption  of travel within 150 miles of                                                               
the farm is  difficult because it restricts travel  for access to                                                               
markets  or  supplies.    Changing the  150-mile  limit  for  the                                                               
exemption   to  statewide   will  clarify   the  issue   for  law                                                               
enforcement  because it  is currently  not clear  whether a  farm                                                               
vehicle is  within the  150-mile limit, she  offered.   She urged                                                               
the committee  to support the passage  of CSSB 163, to  help ease                                                               
the  restrictions of  Alaska's farmers  and  their vehicles,  and                                                               
also give clarity to law enforcement.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:22:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KREISS-TOMKINS,  after  ascertaining   no  one  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on CSSB 163.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:23:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP asked the Division  of Motor Vehicles (DMV),                                                               
[Department  of  Administration],  to answer  the  question  with                                                               
regard to its intent as to  the plates and whether there would be                                                               
a new requirement for licensing  trailers and such.  He commented                                                               
that  if the  Department  of Transportation  & Public  Facilities                                                               
(DTPF) had an answer he would be glad to hear its response.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:23:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TUCK commented  that these  regulations are  new,                                                               
but the requirements  are the same requirements  because the only                                                               
change is the 150-mile limit change to 500-mile limit.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KNOPP  said  that  that  would  be  his  question                                                               
because he  was not aware Alaska  had a farm plate  in existence,                                                               
he   thought  it   was  a   new  application,   so  that   was  a                                                               
clarification.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:24:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL BYRD,  Chief, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement,  Division of                                                               
Measurement   Standards  and   Commercial  Vehicle   Enforcement,                                                               
Department of Transportation &  Public Facilities (DTPF), advised                                                               
that currently the  "Covered Farm Vehicle" must have  a method to                                                               
identify  the   vehicle  as   a  farm   vehicle,  which   is  the                                                               
registration.  There  is a farm plate used for  vehicles that are                                                               
outside  of  the  definition,  but this  bill  would  not  change                                                               
anything as far as how  vehicles are registered, or what vehicles                                                               
need to be registered.   Typically, he offered, farm tractors and                                                               
equipment would not be registered by  the DMV, but the DMV should                                                               
speak to that issue if there is still a question.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:25:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WOOL  moved  to  report  CSSB  163,  labeled  30-                                                               
GS2597\D, out  of committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
the accompanying  fiscal notes.   There being no  objection, CSSB
(STA), moved from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.