04/03/2019 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

       HB   3-STATE LAND SALE; PFD VOUCHER AND ASSIGN.                                                                      
                                                                                                                              
3:05:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR TARR  announced that the  final order of  business would                                                               
be SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE  FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 3, "An  Act relating to                                                               
the purchase  and sale of  state land; relating to  discounts for                                                               
veterans on state land purchases;  and relating to the assignment                                                               
of permanent fund dividends to purchase state land."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
{Before  the  committee was  the  sponsor  substitute for  HB  3,                                                               
introduced  and  referred  to  the  House  Special  Committee  on                                                               
Military and  Veterans' Affairs, committee of  first referral, on                                                               
3/13/19.]                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:06:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  stated that  Alaska has an  abundance of                                                               
three  things     land,  permanent  fund  dividends  (PFDs),  and                                                               
veterans   and  that HB 3 would bring these  three together.  The                                                               
bill  would encourage  the sale  of  state lands,  he said,  thus                                                               
creating growth and  allowing the use of the  individual's PFD to                                                               
purchase land.  It would  encourage veterans to use the statutory                                                               
discount  in combination  with their  PFD assignment  to purchase                                                               
land, he explained.   Alaskans who have resided in  the state for                                                               
at least  one year immediately prior  to the opening of  the land                                                               
disposal and  those who  are 18 years  of age  could participate.                                                               
He  noted the  state  regularly offers  surplus  lands for  sale,                                                               
either by  auctions or  over-the-counter sales.   The  bill would                                                               
make these  land sales  more accessible  to Alaskans  by allowing                                                               
individuals to  assign their  PFD to pay  for their  purchases of                                                               
[state] land.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:07:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DARRELL  BREESE, Staff,  Representative  George Rauscher,  Alaska                                                               
State   Legislature,  on   behalf  of   Representative  Rauscher,                                                               
sponsor, presented  a sectional analysis  of HB 3.   He explained                                                               
Section 1 would  make conforming changes to  existing statute "to                                                               
include  the changes  that  are  made in  this  bill by  removing                                                               
reference to  a specific  section to  include the  whole chapter,                                                               
which will include the changes that  are added in the second part                                                               
of the bill."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BREESE  said  Section  2 would  make  conforming  change  to                                                               
drafting  style to  work around  changing "U.S  Armed Forces"  to                                                               
"United States  armed forces" and  would provide a  definition of                                                               
the veterans  who would  be eligible for  the discounts  that are                                                               
offered in Sections 4 and 5.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. BREESE  stated Section  3 would  establish that  the veterans                                                               
are  entitled to  a discount  in subsection  (a), which  is a  25                                                               
percent  discount that  already exists  in statute  for veterans'                                                               
land purchases  and to a new  33 percent discount if  the veteran                                                               
assigns his/her PFD to purchase the land.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. BREESE  explained that [Subsection  (f)] of Section 4  is the                                                               
introduction and  first major  change in the  statute -  it would                                                               
offer a  one-third discount to  veterans who assign their  PFD to                                                               
pay for  the purchase of the  land.  Subsection (g)  of Section 4                                                               
would   provide  that   veterans  could   not  combine   multiple                                                               
discounts, he noted.   This means veterans could not  take the 25                                                               
percent discount  and the  33 percent discount  at the  same time                                                               
and it also  means that three veterans could not  get together to                                                               
get the land for free by each applying the 33 percent discount.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BREESE said  Section 5  would allow  both veterans  and non-                                                               
veterans to  assign their PFDs  to help  pay for the  purchase of                                                               
land.   It  would  require  the Department  of  Revenue (DOR)  to                                                               
include  on  the  electronic  PFD application  a  means  for  the                                                               
applicant to  direct that  all or  part of  his/her PFD  for that                                                               
year be  used to  pay the Department  of Natural  Resources (DNR)                                                               
for the land that has been purchased or will be purchased.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. BREESE  noted that  Section 6 would  allow the  Department of                                                               
Revenue to  collect an administration  fee for the  processing of                                                               
these PFD dedications to purchase land.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[HB 3 was held over.]