04/14/2010 05:02 PM Senate L&C

        SCR 16-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING COMMISSION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
5:11:25 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR PASKVAN  announced SCR  16 to be  up for  consideration. He                                                               
moved  to  adopt  CSSCR  16  (L&C),  version  S.  There  were  no                                                               
objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:12:08 PM                                                                                                                    
JEFF STEPP,  staff to  Senator Paskvan,  explained that  they had                                                               
worked  closely with  the  companion sponsors  in  the House  and                                                               
agreed to  keep the Senate version  of the bill identical  to the                                                               
other. Some of the changes made in this committee are:                                                                          
   · Page 1, line 16, changed "Alaska Legislative Council" to                                                                   
     "Legislature".  So,  the  Alaska Legislature  shall  provide                                                               
     adequate staffing to  the commission. This was  done so that                                                               
     the  Alaska  Legislature  could provide  the  administrative                                                               
     support to  this committee and  that would  effectively zero                                                               
     out the fiscal  note. Since that fiscal note  was zeroed out                                                               
     by the House  Finance Committee Chairs, they  couldn't get a                                                               
     zero fiscal  from the department.  So, the CS still  has the                                                               
     $130,000 fiscal  note, but  when this  bill goes  to Finance                                                               
     those committee chairmen will zero it out as well.                                                                         
   · Page 2, various lines, changes so that legislative members                                                                 
     are  appointed by  the presiding  officers  rather than  the                                                               
     Finance co-chairs. It also  added another public appointment                                                               
     to the  Finance co-chairs  from each  body to  be consistent                                                               
     with protocol  for appointments  made by  presiding officers                                                               
     not Finance co-chairs.                                                                                                     
   · Page 2, lines 6-8 and 10-12, gave one public appointment                                                                   
     each  to  the  Senate  and House  minority  leaders  out  of                                                               
     respect  to those  individuals serving  in the  legislature.                                                               
     They  moved  one public  appointment  each  from the  Senate                                                               
     President and the House Speaker.                                                                                           
   · Page  2,   lines  23-34,  added  the   president  of  Alaska                                                               
     Partnership for Economic Development  or their designee as a                                                               
     commission member,  recognizing the status  and contribution                                                               
     this person could make to  the committee, bringing the total                                                               
     membership from 10 to 11.                                                                                                  
   · Page  2, sections  2,4  and 6  remove  the requirement  that                                                               
     appointees can't  be "officers of  the state or  employed by                                                               
     officers  of  the   state"  in  order  to   leave  open  the                                                               
     opportunity  for appointments  by qualified  individuals who                                                               
     are  employed  by  the  state.  While  they  are  trying  to                                                               
     encourage participation from the  private sector, they don't                                                               
     want  to   automatically  exclude  somebody  who   might  be                                                               
     qualified.                                                                                                                 
   · Page 3,  lines 9-11,  direct the commission,  as recommended                                                               
     by  this committee,  to report  to the  Legislative Council,                                                               
     the Senate  and the  House Labor  and Commerce  Committee in                                                               
     addition to LB&A.                                                                                                          
   · Page 3, line  12, changed the first  reporting deadline from                                                               
     June 30,  2011 to January  30, 2011 to correct  an oversight                                                               
     and to make  sure the legislature had a report  prior to the                                                               
     beginning  of next  legislative session  rather than  at the                                                               
     end.                                                                                                                       
   · Page 3,  lines 20-21,  inserted a second  reporting deadline                                                               
     of December 15, 2011.                                                                                                      
   · Page  3, line  24,  changed commencement  of the  commission                                                               
     work from March 15, a date in  the past, to April 30, a date                                                               
     in the future.                                                                                                             
   · Page 3,  line 25, changed the  sunset from June 30,  2011 to                                                               
     June  30, 2012  giving this  commission another  year to  do                                                               
     their important work.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:17:11 PM                                                                                                                    
ERIN HARRINGTON, staff to Representative Alan Austerman, sponsor                                                                
of SCR 16, said she was available to answer questions.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:17:38 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR PASKVAN, finding no further discussion, closed public                                                                     
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MEYER moved to report CSSCR 16(L&C) from committee with                                                                 
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There                                                                   
were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
5:18:43 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR PASKVAN found no further business to come before the                                                                      
committee and adjourned the meeting at 5:18 p.m.