04/16/2014 01:30 PM House FINANCE

CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 194(FIN)                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act creating the Alaska Tourism Marketing Board;                                                                       
     and relating to tourism marketing."                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:43:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze spoke to the intent of the bill hearing.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
GENEVIEVE WOJTUSIK, STAFF,  SENATOR LESIL MCGUIRE, discussed                                                                    
the  bill.   The  bill  would  create   the  Alaska  Tourism                                                                    
Marketing   Board  within   the   Department  of   Commerce,                                                                    
Community and  Economic Development  (DCCED). There  were 21                                                                    
members  on  the board;  one  member  was appointed  by  the                                                                    
Senate,  one  was  appointed  by  the  House,  and  one  was                                                                    
appointed by  the DCCED commissioner. The  remaining 18 were                                                                    
members  of the  Alaska Travel  Industry Association  (ATIA)                                                                    
representing  Southeast, Southcentral,  Southwest, Interior,                                                                    
and Far  North. The  regions were  designated by  the Alaska                                                                    
State  Travel  Planner.  She detailed  that  the  categories                                                                    
involved  in   ATIA  were  accommodations,   activities  and                                                                    
attractions, transportation, cruise  travel, tour operators,                                                                    
and  destination   management  organizations  such   as  the                                                                    
Anchorage Convention  and Visitors  Bureau and the  JCB. The                                                                    
bill  would require  the department  and the  board to  work                                                                    
together  to   plan  and   execute  a   destination  tourism                                                                    
marketing plan for  Alaska. The public members  of the board                                                                    
served at  no cost to  the state.  The bill would  sunset in                                                                    
2018. She  added that  the bill did  not change  how tourism                                                                    
marketing  was currently  funded  or  how expenditures  were                                                                    
made  by  the  department;  it would  formalize  the  board,                                                                    
recognizing it  as an important  part of the process  in the                                                                    
development  of   a  marketing  plan  for   the  state.  She                                                                    
communicated  that  having   significant  tourism  marketing                                                                    
experience  and knowledge  from  the private  sector at  the                                                                    
table would be very beneficial to the state.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:45:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  asked  about  the  history  and  why  the                                                                    
legislation  proposed to  place the  board under  DCCED. Ms.                                                                    
Wojtusik replied  that DCCED was  supportive of  housing the                                                                    
board.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  noted that  the  board  had been  through                                                                    
different iterations. Ms. Wojtusik agreed.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze CLOSED public  testimony with the intent to                                                                    
reopen  it  if  needed.  He assumed  that  the  majority  of                                                                    
potential parties  wishing to testify would  be advocates of                                                                    
the legislation.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CSSB 194(L&C)  was HEARD and  HELD in committee  for further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze discussed the evening meeting.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Gara  relayed  that the  administration  had                                                                    
expressed  concern  over  two  of  the  minority  amendments                                                                    
[pertaining  to SB  138].  Subsequently  the amendments  had                                                                    
been submitted for rewording  by Legislative Legal Services.                                                                    
He noted that  the concern was over rolled-in  rates. He did                                                                    
not want to increase anyone's cost  for gas if the state did                                                                    
not receive tax for the gas.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  replied  that  the  amendments  would  be                                                                    
considered timely.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Holmes   expressed  a  similar   concern  to                                                                    
Representative Gara's over an amendment she was working on.