Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 124
03/17/2005 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB90 | |
| HB122 | |
| HB201 | |
| HB181 | |
| HB168 | |
| HB167 | |
| HB166 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 181 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 90 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 167 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 166 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 168 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 201 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 122 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 122-LIFE INSURANCE FOR NATIONAL GUARD CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 122 "An Act relating to payment of premiums for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance on behalf of members of the Alaska National Guard deployed to a combat zone; and providing for an effective date." REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS moved to adopt CSHB 122, Version 24- LS0446\X, Bullock, 3/17/05, as a work draft. There being no objection, Version X was before the committee. KELLY HUBER, Staff to Representative Dahlstrom, Alaska State Legislature, said that this is the second day that HB 122 has been before the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs. It was a couple of weeks ago that it was introduced, she said, and it just dealt with the state paying for life insurance premiums for National Guard members deployed to a combat zone. The discussion in this committee created the committee substitute (CS), and it goes further than just life insurance, she said. MS. HUBER said there will be 300 people affected by HB 122, and the cost will be about $56,000. The bill will allow a guard member to get out of a cellular phone or motor lease contract. The bill also gives members time to pay utilities, it gives them deferments on state loans, and if the member is enrolled in a university, the university must accommodate them with no penalties when they return. The bill also allows Alaska Department of Fish & Game sport permits to be put on hold until guard members return from combat duty. CHAIR LYNN asked for more clarification on the loans. MS. HUBER said the motor leases and cellular phone contracts can be terminated without penalty. She said other states are doing the same, and it benefits the guard member or spouse if the payment will be a hardship. 1:23:12 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG asked if anyone else is going to testify on this. Generally, someone could terminate a contract anyway, without penalty, he said. He said he thinks the bill attempts to say, "This does not relieve you of the duty of paying any back payments that you've missed." 1:25:48 PM MS. HUBER said it is fine with the sponsor to clarify that language. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG offered Conceptual Amendment 1 [language would be inserted to relate the following]: "that you can terminate without having to pay anything additional, but this doesn't relieve you of the duty to pay the amounts past due." 1:26:26 PM MS. HUBER said the committee needs to decide this. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said this can be read as stating that one cannot terminate the contract unless, prior to termination, what is owed is paid. It becomes a condition of the termination, he said. CHAIR LYNN said debts would not accumulate after the termination, but the person would still owe any previous balance due. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said, "That is exactly my intent." Hearing no objection to Conceptual Amendment 1, it was adopted. REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS asked Ms. Huber about his previous suggestion of encouraging municipalities to make exemptions dealing with property taxes. MS. HUBER said the problem was trying to figure out who would pay. If the municipalities were going to pay, they would need to be invited in on the discussions, she added. 1:31:17 PM REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS said maybe it is more of a resolution encouraging municipalities to look at giving guard members a property exemption. "I would hate to see a soldier go bankrupt," he said. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said the federal Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act requires that before any action is taken against service members on active duty, an attorney be appointed to them to advise them of their rights. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG offered Conceptual Amendment 2 to delete the word "actual", on line 17, of page 2, because the word is not necessary. Hearing no objection, Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted. 1:33:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said page 2, lines 25-26, say that the institution of higher learning should grant the member a military leave of absence. "I could see a non-caretaker member getting deployed leaving the spouse with full childcare responsibilities, and being unable to continue their education." CHAIR LYNN suggested using the term "military dependent" instead of "spouse". REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved that the committee adopt Conceptual Amendment 3, as follows: Page 2, line 25, after "member" Insert "and military dependent" Hearing no objection, Conceptual Amendment 3 was adopted. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG suggested that the utility payment deferments need a test of hardship. He said if he had an 18- year-old in the National Guard on active duty, and he had plenty of money, "I could get out of paying this for all the time my son was on active duty." CHAIR LYNN said he doesn't want a needs test. MS. HUBER said the sponsor would be concerned about who would determine the hardship. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said they should have to make an application to the company. 1:38:00 PM MS. HUBER said the sponsor wants the bill moved out of committee today, but not have it read across the House floor until settling the details with Representative Gruenberg. CHAIR LYNN said he wants to move good bills. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG pointed out that this is the only committee, except for the House Finance Committee that will hear HB 122. 1:40:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he would like copies of the [CS incorporating the changes from this meeting] to be given to the members. He added that on page 3, line 4, the term "or other heating fuel" needs to be inserted t=on line 5. He offered the aforementioned as Amendment 4. CHAIR LYNN, upon hearing no objection, announced that Amendment 4 was adopted. The committee took an at-ease from 1:42 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS moved to report CSHB 122, Version 24- LS0446\X, Bullock, 3/17/05, as amended out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG requested that the motion be withdrawn. CHAIR LYNN announced that the aforementioned motion was withdrawn. 1:45:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he forgot to remove "actual" from line 21 "and I would ask that that technically be incorporated into Amendment 2." He said there was also a question about fishing licenses. MS. HUBER said that could be worked into subsection (e); if not, it is something that the sponsor can review. REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS said he thinks [the commercial fishing license idea] is important. "When a young man makes that commitment to buy a boat and permit, that's quite a bit of debt," he said. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA related her discomfort. She said although it is a wonderful piece of legislation, she said she wants to make sure that guard members are covered if things go wrong. She expressed concern that there are other things, just like limited entry, that have not yet been thought about. 1:49:14 PM MS. HUBER said the sponsor has worked with Representatives Thomas and Elkins, and she wants to move it out today. REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA said she supposed the sponsor will accept floor amendments if she thought of additional items for HB 122. CHAIR LYNN said he would like to move it because there are service people who could benefit now. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG asked if there is a reason that Ms. Huber wanted an immediate effective date rather than the normal period. CHAIR LYNN said there are troops deployed "as we speak." REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS moved to report CSHB 122, Version 24- LS0446\X, Bullock, 3/17/05, as amended out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 122(MLV) was reported out of the House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.
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