Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
03/30/2023 10:00 AM House FISHERIES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB19 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 19-REGISTRATION OF BOATS: EXEMPTION
10:01:22 AM
CHAIR VANCE announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 19 "An Act relating to the registration of
commercial vessels; and providing for an effective date."
10:02:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES, prime sponsor, reintroduced HB 19 as
requested by Chair Vance, and very briefly paraphrased the first
few paragraphs of the sponsor statement [included in the
committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
House Bill 28 exempts active commercial fishing
vessels from duplicative registration requirements
created by the passage of SB 92, "the derelict vessel
bill," in 2018.
Specifically, the bill removes the requirement for
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) documented vessels with a
current Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC)
license to register every three years with the
Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Prior to the passage of SB 92, USCG documented vessels
were exempt from DMV registration; however, that
exemption was repealed by the bill and as a result,
documented vessels now must register with the DMV.
10:03:02 AM
DONNA PAGE, Staff, Representative Louise Stutes, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Stutes, prime sponsor
of HB 19, paraphrased the rest of the sponsor statement
[included in the committee packet], which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
The rationale for this requirement was to provide the
State and local municipalities with a state-maintained
database of who owns and operates vessels in Alaskan
waters, as well as how to contact those individuals.
However, the database CFEC maintains for commercial
fishing vessels was overlooked. Active commercial
fishing vessel owners must renew their vessel license
annually with the CFEC and the commission provides the
necessary contact information in a publicly
accessible, state database.
Alaska's commercial fishing fleet is the backbone of
one of our state's most vital industries. We should
not require those vessels to register every three
years with the DMV, at additional expense, only to
provide information that the State already has through
the vessel's annual license renewal process.
MS. PAGE added that HB 19 will institute an $8 annual fee for
vessels registered with The Commercial Fisheries Entry
Commission (CFEC), but this fee will be waived for vessel owners
who have paid the current $24 Division of Motor Vehicles(DMV)
fee in the past two years. The proceeds of the $8 fee will go
towards funding boating safety programs, and she emphasized that
it was not an additional fee for vessel owners.
10:05:01 AM
MS. PAGE presented the sectional analysis for HB 19 [included in
the committee packet], which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1:
Amends AS 05.25.055(i) to exempt U.S. Coast Guard
(USCG) documented vessels with a valid license issued
by the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC)
from the requirement to register with the Division of
Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Section 2:
Adds new subsection (e) to AS 16.05.475 that requires
CFEC to assess an $8 registration fee for USCG
documented vessels upon a renewal or issuance of a
license beginning on January 1, 2024. This fee is in
lieu of the current 3-year, $24 registration or
renewal fee collected by DMV.
Adds new subsection (f) to AS 16.05.475 specifying
that fees collected in subsection (e) will be
accounted for as provided in AS 05.25.096(b), to be
made available to the Department of Administration,
the Department of Commerce Community and Economic
Development, and the Department of Natural Resources.
Section 3:
Adds a new section to uncodified law that requires
CFEC to waive the $8 registration fee for years that
USCG documented vessels have already paid through the
3-year, $24 registration fee with the DMV.
Section 4:
Adds a new section to the uncodified law that makes
Section 1 of this act retroactive to January 1, 2023.
Section 5:
Establishes an immediate effective date for the
remainder of the bill.
10:06:54 AM
CHAIR VANCE invited questions from the committee members.
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER inquired about the purpose of the
retroactivity to the beginning of the year.
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES replied that it was important because it
allows individuals who have already paid duplicate fees to
receive credit.
10:08:00 AM
CHAIR VANCE proceeded with invited testimony.
10:08:20 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
10:09:48 AM
TRACY WELCH, Executive Director, United Fisherman of Alaska,
thanked Representative Stutes and her office for their work on
HB 19, especially their work with the Department of Public
Safety (DPS) to make sure boats were not being fined. She
explained that swift action on this issue was important because
currently, many vessel owners have been "exempt", but DPS will
not be able to "turn the other way" forever. She believed that
HB 19 is a fair fix to the problem and related her organizations
full support.
CHAIR VANCE asked Ms. Welsh to give a real time account of the
impact to the Alaskan fishing fleet when [SB 92] was passed.
MS. WELCH related her experience with some of the issues that
occurred at local DMVs with the passage of SB 92. This included
DMV's running out of the new permit decals and having wait times
of up to 3-4 weeks for appointments in some smaller communities.
Additionally, she shared that even bigger offices, like Juneau,
ran out of stickers quickly. She relayed the sense of
uncertainty among vessel owners at that time, which she said
still existed. She reported that DMVs are still facing a lack
of stickers and a large backlog of permits waiting to be
awarded.
10:12:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked whether the CEFC database could be
accessed by DPS.
10:13:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES responded that DPS can access it through
the DMV, as they are both state departments, but she deferred to
Commissioner Haight about whether DPS has CEFC access. She
reported that HB 19 started as a request from the harbormaster's
office, which lead her to presume that access would be possible.
10:13:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE restated his question about the two
databases being connected by describing a hypothetical emergency
where an Alaska State Trooper (AST) may need instantaneous
access to permit information.
10:14:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES sought clarification on whether
Representative McCabe was referring to the DMV and the CEFC
databases.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said yes.
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES redirected the question to Commissioner
Haight or the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
10:14:56 AM
JEFFREY SCHMITZ, Director, Division of Motor Vehicles,
Department of Administration (DOA), answered no, the databases
are not connected.
10:15:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE suggested that since the databases are not
connected there may be a time delay for [DPS agents] receiving
identifying information about a vessel during emergencies.
10:15:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES inferred that in order to enter a permit
number into either of the databases using the physical sticker,
one would be reading it off the stick itself, and therefore able
to decipher which database to use depending on which sticker is
on the vessel.
10:15:57 AM
GLENN HAIGHT, Commissioner, Commercial Fisheries Entry
Commission (CFEC), reported that their database was online and
[anyone] can access license information by entering in the
number found on the decal. They have not had the database on an
app to date, but he informed the committee that the CFEC has
submitted a request to the House Finance Committee for funding
to make that happen. He added that troopers were usually able
to access the information before they went onto the water.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE hypothesized that due to troopers being
able to radio into the base, the number of times a year that a
significant time delay in information would occur was probably
insignificant.
10:16:56 AM
CHAIR VANCE asked Representative Stutes to clarify the
difference between the DMV and CFEC stickers.
10:17:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES said the CFEC stickers were required for a
commercial vessel that was actively taking place in a fishery,
while a DMV sticker was required for a commercial vessel not
actively in a fishery. She stated that the objective for having
two kinds of permits was to keep track of all commercial vessels
to prevent their owners from abandoning a boat at a harbor and
avoiding fees associated with abandonment and disposal.
10:18:34 AM
BRIAN HAWKINS, Port Director/Harbormaster, City of Homer; Alaska
Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators (AAHPA),
testified that he and his organization support HB 19 and its
mission to eliminate duplicate permitting. He reported that
because ports and harbors have access to permit information
through the state, a vessel that was registered through the CFEC
process meets the [AAHPA] needs for vessel ownership
information. He further stated that AAHPA has passed their own
resolution that supports the exemption set forth in HB 19.
10:20:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER inquired about the technical
possibility of connecting the two databases.
10:20:36 AM
MR. HAIGHT replied that it might be possible, and that the
CFEC's Information Technology (IT) department would be most
qualified to answer that question, but that the CFEC regularly
worked with law enforcement and that the state troopers were
very familiar with the CFEC's database.
10:21:19 AM
CHAIR VANCE opened public testimony on HB 19.
10:21:32 AM
JERRY MCQUINN, Cordova District Fishermen United, opined that
[SB 92] is troublesome for fisherman. He said that HB 19 fixes
the dual registration issues, noting that DMV permits apply to
vessels under five tons. He mentioned that duplicate
registration could be violating federal law.
10:23:45 AM
CHAIR VANCE closed public testimony on HB 19.
CHAIR VANCE wished to look into the possible federal law
violation due to duplicate registration that Mr. McQuinn brought
up. She stated this may be something that the committee wished
to highlight.
CHAIR VANCE [announced that HB 19 would be held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 19 - Sponsor Statement version A.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - v.A.PDF |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Sectional Analysis Version A.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Research USCG Documentation and Tonnage Brochure 1.25.23.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Research DMV Registration FAQ - CFEC June, 2019 1.25.23.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Research CFEC Vessesl License, Number Plate, and Decal 1.26.23.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Research CFEC Vessel Licensing Forms 1.26.23.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - Research CFEC Public Database 1.25.23.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - DOA Fiscal Note.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - DNR Fiscal Note.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - ADF&G Fiscal Note.pdf |
HFSH 2/2/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/28/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - UFA Letter of Support.pdf |
HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| HB 19 - CDFU Letter of Support.pdf |
HFSH 3/30/2023 10:00:00 AM HFSH 4/11/2023 10:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |