04/07/2006 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

HB 347 - MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE & NOTICE                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:50:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR McGUIRE announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                              
HOUSE BILL  NO. 347, "An Act  relating to mandatory  motor vehicle                                                              
insurance,  license suspensions,  and  notices  relating to  motor                                                              
vehicles and driver's  licenses."  [Before the  committee was CSHB
(STA).]                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARA,  speaking as  the  sponsor,  noted that  Tom                                                              
McGrath  had  expressed  a  valid   concern  at  the  bill's  last                                                              
hearing,  and so he  is willing  to add  language to address  that                                                              
concern.   Currently there is no  mandatory fine for the  crime of                                                              
driving  without   insurance,  and   the  fine   for  a   class  B                                                              
misdemeanor  doesn't  necessarily apply,  and  so  it is  actually                                                              
cheaper to drive  without insurance because any  fines levied will                                                              
be less than the cost of insurance.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARA  said he has  a proposed amendment  that would                                                              
make driving  without insurance  a class  B misdemeanor  and would                                                              
establish  a  mandatory  minimum   fine  of  $500;  that  proposed                                                              
amendment  was  labeled  24-LS1372\F.2,   Luckhaupt,  4/6/06,  and                                                              
read:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, following line 12:                                                                                                 
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
       "* Sec. 3. AS 28.22.019 is amended by adding a new                                                                   
     subsection to read:                                                                                                        
          (d)  A person convicted under this section is                                                                         
     guilty of a class B misdemeanor and may be punished as                                                                     
      provided in AS 12.55, except that a fine of at least                                                                      
     $500 must be imposed."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR   McGUIRE   referred   to   that   proposed   amendment   as                                                              
Amendment 1.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:53:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DUANE  BANNOCK,  Director,  Division   of  Motor  Vehicles  (DMV),                                                              
Department of Administration  (DOA), after relaying  that he would                                                              
not able  to speak  to Amendment  1 because  it falls outside  the                                                              
purview of  the DMV, stated that  the DMV is "in love  with" [what                                                              
is  currently   Section  3   of  CSHB   347(STA)  -  proposed   AS                                                              
28.22.041(f)]  - and  is grateful  to the  sponsor [for  including                                                              
that provision].                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARA made a  motion to adopt  Amendment 1.   There                                                              
being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:54:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG  moved   to  report  CSHB  347(STA),  as                                                              
amended,  out of  committee  with individual  recommendations  and                                                              
the accompanying  zero fiscal  notes.   There being no  objection,                                                              
CSHB  347(JUD) was  reported  from  the House  Judiciary  Standing                                                              
Committee.