02/01/2005 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 64                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act extending the termination date for the Board of                                                                    
     Public Accountancy; and providing for an effective                                                                         
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Hawker, sponsor,  explained that  HB 64  is a                                                                   
housekeeping  bill  to extend  the  termination  date of  the                                                                   
Board of  Public Accountancy (BOPA)  until June 30,  2009, in                                                                   
accordance  with  the  recommendations   of  the  Legislative                                                                   
Auditor.   He reviewed the makeup  and purpose of  the board.                                                                   
He  noted that  the legislative  auditor  has concluded  that                                                                   
BOPA  meets   statutory  requirements  of  public   need,  is                                                                   
financially  sound,  and  is working  in  the  public's  best                                                                   
interest.   He  concluded  that the  board  has been  working                                                                   
proactively  with  the  Alaska Society  of  Certified  Public                                                                   
Accountants  (ASCPA) to  bring Alaska  into conformance  with                                                                   
national professional testing standards.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Hawker,  in  response   to  a  question   by                                                                   
Representative Weyhrauch, clarified  that Steve Tarola is the                                                                   
Chairman of ASCPA and also Chairman  of BOPA.  Representative                                                                   
Weyhrauch asked if BOPA deals with ethics concerns.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
STEVE  TAROLA,   CHAIRMAN,  BOARD   OF  PUBLIC   ACCOUNTANCY,                                                                   
introduced himself.  He explained  that currently there is an                                                                   
attempt to  establish a code  of conduct.   He referred  to a                                                                   
bill that  requires certified  mailings  to each licensee  in                                                                   
order  to establish  a code  of conduct.   He  noted that  an                                                                   
attempt  is  being  made  to   change  statute  so  that  the                                                                   
expensive mailing  is unnecessary.  Representative  Weyhrauch                                                                   
asked what  would happen now if  there were a violation  of a                                                                   
code  of  ethics.  Mr.  Tarola  replied  that  the  State  of                                                                   
Alaska's investigative personnel would be used.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hawker MOVED to  report HB 64 out of Committee                                                                   
with  the   accompanying  fiscal   note.    There   being  NO                                                                   
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
HB  64  was  REPORTED  out of  Committee  with  a  "do  pass"                                                                   
recommendation and with a previously  published fiscal impact                                                                   
note: #1 CED.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:41:58 PM                                                                                                                    
hb47                                                                                                                            
HOUSE BILL NO. 47                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of                                                                     
     Certified Real Estate Appraisers."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
LALANYA SNYDER,  STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE  RALPH SAMUELS,  spoke                                                                   
on behalf of the sponsor, in support  of HB 47. She explained                                                                   
that  the  bill is  a  result  of a  legislative  audit  that                                                                   
recommended  extending  the Board  of Certified  Real  Estate                                                                   
Appraisers.   She reviewed  the board's functions:  establish                                                                   
exam  standards   for  the   certification  of   real  estate                                                                   
appraisers, adopt  rules of  professional conduct,  and adopt                                                                   
regulations to  satisfy state  and federal regulations.   She                                                                   
noted  that HB  47  would extend  the  board's operation  for                                                                   
another 5 years to June 30, 2010.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Stoltze asked the difference  between licensed and                                                                   
certified.  Ms. Snyder deferred to Pat Davidson.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:43:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PAT   DAVIDSON,  LEGISLATIVE   AUDITOR,   LEGISLATIVE   AUDIT                                                                   
DIVISION  explained   that  the   change  from   licensed  to                                                                   
certified is a housekeeping title change.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Meyer MOVED  to ADOPT  Amendment 1,  24-LS0315\A.1,                                                                   
Bannister, 1/31/05:  Insert on page  1, line 2  "and relating                                                                   
to the requirements for membership  on the Board of Certified                                                                   
Real   Estate  Appraisers".   The   amendment  also   changes                                                                   
"licensed"  to  "certified"  in Section  2.    Representative                                                                   
Hawker OBJECTED for discussion purposes.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Weyhrauch noted  that  only a  few words  are                                                                   
being changed  in Amendment  1.   Ms. Davidson reported  that                                                                   
the  amendment cleans  up  the bill  and  makes the  language                                                                   
consistent.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hawker WITHDREW his OBJECTION.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:46:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Foster  MOVED to report  CSHB 47 (FIN)  out of                                                                   
Committee with the accompanying  fiscal note.  There being NO                                                                   
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  47 was  REPORTED  out of  Committee  with  a "do  pass"                                                                   
recommendation  and with previously  published fiscal  impact                                                                   
note: #1 CED.