03/31/2009 10:15 AM House FISHERIES

SB 3-CFEC AS INFORMATION RESOURCE                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
10:20:05 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR EDGMON announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
SENATE  BILL  NO.  3,  "An Act  authorizing  an  Alaska  regional                                                               
development organization  to use the Alaska  Commercial Fisheries                                                               
Entry Commission as an informational resource."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:20:59 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
TIM  BENINTENDI,  Staff,  Senator   Donald  Olson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, speaking on behalf  of Senator Olson, prime sponsor,                                                               
explained  that  SB 3  would  simply  allow the  Alaska  Regional                                                               
Development Organizations  (ARDORs) to obtain  public information                                                               
from  the  Commercial Fisheries  Entry  Commission  (CFEC) at  no                                                               
cost.   This  public information  won't include  any confidential                                                               
information.   The objective of SB  3 is to help  with the ARDORs                                                               
modest budget.   He  noted that  the CFEC supports  SB 3  and has                                                               
characterized the  loss of  revenue as minor  and of  no concern.                                                               
He then pointed  out that the legislation has a  zero fiscal note                                                               
and no known opposition at this point.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:22:28 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON  inquired as  to which ARDORs  qualify for                                                               
SB 3.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENINTENDI  answered that there  are about 18-20  ARDORs that                                                               
would qualify,  of which  8 are heavily  involved in  the seafood                                                               
industry and  more likely  the target of  this legislation.   The                                                               
legislation  would help  in terms  of  planning and  anticipating                                                               
economic trends.   However,  he specified  that all  18-20 ARDORs                                                               
could take advantage of what's proposed in SB 3.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:23:03 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON  asked if this legislation  would apply to                                                               
the Fairbanks  Economic Development Council, the  Juneau Economic                                                               
Development   Council,   as   well   as   some   of   the   rural                                                               
[organizations].                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. BENINTENDI replied yes.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:23:19 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  EDGMON  inquired   as  to  why  this   service,  which  he                                                               
anticipated is already being provided  to the ARDORs, needs to be                                                               
specified in statute.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BENINTENDI  related  his  understanding  that  the  CFEC  is                                                               
currently providing this free  service, although not universally.                                                               
However, agencies  are mandated  to charge for  certain services,                                                               
such as  public documents.   The desire with the  legislation, he                                                               
explained, is  to ensure  that everything is  being done  "by the                                                               
book"  and thus  the  matter  needs to  be  addressed in  statute                                                               
rather than regulation.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:24:14 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR EDGMON disclosed  that he and Mr.  Benintendi were staffers                                                               
when  the legislation  creating the  ARDORs was  passed in  1992.                                                               
The ARDORs  have always received  a small amount of  funds, about                                                               
$50,000,  from  the state.    Although  this legislation  doesn't                                                               
represent  a  significant  amount  of revenue  for  some  of  the                                                               
ARDORs, for the smaller ARDORs  this legislation will likely have                                                               
a meaningful impact.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
10:25:08 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
FRANK  HOMAN, Chairman,  Commercial  Fisheries Entry  Commission,                                                               
Alaska Department of  Fish & Game (ADF&G), stated  support for SB
,  which  he  said  isn't   a  significant  revenue  loss.    He                                                               
reiterated  Mr.  Benintendi's   assurance  that  no  confidential                                                               
information will be disclosed based on  the passage of SB 3.  The                                                               
CFEC, even  with the passage  of SB 3,  will still fall  under AS                                                               
16.05.815 and thus individual information  from fish tickets will                                                               
continue to  be held confidential.   Basically, SB 3  removes the                                                               
charge for  the data preparation.   He noted that he,  too, was a                                                               
legislative  staffer when  the ARDORs  were created.   Of  the at                                                               
least a dozen ARDORs, about eight are considered coastal areas.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:27:06 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH  requested examples of the  kinds of requests                                                               
the CFEC receives beyond those that are data.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HOMAN informed  the  committee that  generally  the type  of                                                               
information requested has to do  with regional fish catch levels,                                                               
participation, and other  specific data.  In  further response to                                                               
Representative Buch,  Mr. Homan said  that the CFEC  maintains an                                                               
extensive web  site that has  information for every  community in                                                               
which a fish is landed.  A  bit more effort is required to narrow                                                               
the information to regions.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:29:03 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR EDGMON,  upon determining  no one  else wished  to testify,                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:29:38 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER moved to report  SB 3 out of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:30:07 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 10:30 a.m. to 10:33 a.m.