04/30/2007 03:00 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

HCR  8-RCA TASK FORCE                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:00:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION  NO. 8, Establishing a  task force to                                                               
make  recommendations  regarding   job  descriptions  and  salary                                                               
changes  for   the  commissioners   and  support  staff   of  the                                                               
Regulatory Commission of Alaska.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:00:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NEUMAN moved  to adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS)  for  HCR 8,  Version  25-LS0859\M,  Kane, 4/20/07,  as  the                                                               
working  document.   There  being  no  objection, Version  M  was                                                               
before the committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON presented  Version M as chair of the  House Labor and                                                               
Commerce Standing Committee, sponsor of  HCR 8.  He reported that                                                               
on  February  22,  2007,  the  Regulatory  Commission  of  Alaska                                                               
transmitted to the  governor a number of proposed  changes to its                                                               
statutes.    The  proposal  suggested   that  the  governor  seek                                                               
legislative  determination for  the appropriate  salaries of  the                                                               
commissioners.  Version M, he  noted, proposes that a legislative                                                               
task force  be set up  to work during  the interim to  review the                                                               
salaries  of  the  commissioners,  as well  as  recommending  job                                                               
descriptions for  the commissioners and considering  the need for                                                               
additional  staff support  for the  RCA.   The  task force  would                                                               
consist of  nine members:   two majority and one  minority member                                                               
from the  Senate, two majority  and one minority from  the House,                                                               
Governor Sarah Palin  or her designee, Attorney  General Talis J.                                                               
Colberg  or his  designee,  and Commissioner  Emil  Notti or  his                                                               
designee.   The task force  would report back to  the legislature                                                               
in  the beginning  of the  next  session.   The resolution  would                                                               
sunset on May 30, 2008.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:02:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHRISTY  CATLIN,  AT&T  Alascom,  testified  in  support  of  the                                                               
formation of the task force.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:02:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON,  after ascertaining  that there was  no one  else to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:02:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LeDOUX  moved  to  report CSHCR  8,  Version  25-                                                               
LS0859\M,  Kane,  4/20/07,  out   of  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection,  CSHCR 8(L&C) was  reported out of the  House Labor                                                               
and Commerce Standing Committee.