02/05/1998 03:35 PM Senate STA

                  SB 261 - SPECIAL OLYMPICS 2001                               
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN introduced SB 261 as the first order of business.               
                                                                               
MARY GORE, staff to Senator Mike Miller who is the prime sponsor of            
SB 261, noted that she is also the  area director for Special                  
Olympics in Juneau.                                                            
                                                                               
Ms. Gore said the legislation is the result of hard work by a                  
variety of different people to guarantee that Anchorage would be               
awarded the World Special Olympics Winter games in 2001.  Last                 
summer the Anchorage organizing committee was told by Special                  
Olympics International that in order to be awarded the bid, the                
state would need to be the financial guarantor for the games.  The             
money didn't need to be appropriated prior to the bid being                    
awarded, but the state needed to show that it was behind the                   
organizing committee.  It was determined that the cash did not need            
to be appropriated and held in an account; only that the state                 
needed to be on record as the "deep pocket" if private resources               
didn't come up with the money.                                                 
                                                                               
Ms. Gore said SB 261 morally obligates the state to make up the                
difference, up to four million dollars, if the organizing committee            
does not raise the funds, but the likelihood of that is small.                 
The total budget for the games is eight million dollars, four                  
million dollars in hard cash and four million dollars in-kind.                 
Thus far, about one million of the hard cash has been raised and               
the organizing committee has three years left to raise the                     
remainder.                                                                     
                                                                               
Ms. Gore said the legislation has a set of checks and balances.                
Primarily the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority               
(AIDEA) will oversee the funding of the organizing committee and               
report to the Legislature every January 2 on the status of the                 
efforts of the organizing committee to raise the money.  It also               
morally obligates future legislatures.  In the year 2001, the                  
legislature would need to appropriate the dollars and then approve             
the actual spending of those dollars during the legislative session            
if the private sources didn't raise the money.  The organizing                 
committee is making a statewide effort by getting people involved              
and lining up corporate sponsors, and Ms. Gore doesn't think there             
will be any problems in raising that money.                                    
                                                                               
Number 097                                                                     
                                                                               
MELISSA ANDERSON, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer               
for the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2001, testifying from              
Anchorage via teleconference, said in their visit to Juneau the                
previous week, members of the organizing  committee received                   
tremendous support from both the House of Representatives and the              
Senate.  She is confident that the organizing committee will be                
able to raise the money for the games.  She pointed out that should            
the state of Alaska at any time elect to go on the "real" Olympics             
and try to bring those games to Alaska, it would be a detriment to             
the state should these funds not be raised; however, she added that            
it is a near guarantee on their behalf that they will be able to               
raise these funds.                                                             
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN noted Keith Laufer of the Alaska Industrial                     
Development & Export Authority was listening in to the meeting at              
the Anchorage LIO and was available to respond to questions.                   
                                                                               
There being no further testimony or questions on SB 261, CHAIRMAN              
GREEN asked for the pleasure of the committee.                                 
                                                                               
SENATOR WARD moved and asked unanimous consent SB 261, along with              
the accompanying fiscal note, be passed out of committee with                  
individual recommendations.  Hearing no objection, it was so                   
ordered.