02/09/1995 08:05 AM House STA

 HSTA - 02/09/95                                                               
 HB 32 - PFD ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS                                      
                                                                               
 MELINDA GRUENING, Legislative Assistant to Representative Joe                 
 Green, announced that she would be speaking on the changes                    
 incorporated in the proposed committee substitute for HB 32.  These           
 changes would address concerns expressed by members of the                    
 committee about how a person would be determined indigent for                 
 purposes of having the proposed permanent fund appeal fee waived.             
 She mentioned that the committee had copies of a memo, which                  
 contained wording defining "indigent" for the purposes of fee                 
 waiver.  She said permanent fund administrators indicated that the            
 criteria for determining indigency needed to be simple,                       
 nonsubjective and easily verifiable.  She said she researched                 
 several agencies to determine how they determined indigency for               
 purposes of fee waver.  She said she had talked to the public                 
 defenders office, the hunting licensing people, and limited entry             
 people to see how they qualified people for reduced fees or fee               
 waiver.  She said the solution that seemed to be the most workable            
 was to use the federal poverty guidelines.  These guidelines are              
 published once a year by the U.S. Department of Health and Social             
 Services and the figures are used by a variety of federal agencies            
 and the court system.  She explained that the applicants income can           
 be easily verified by a copy of the first page of their previous              
 years tax return.  She stated the federal poverty guidelines are              
 adjusted annually for inflation proofing and they do have a                   
 separate chart in the guidelines for Alaska to take into account              
 the higher cost of living.  She said other than the new subsection            
 (2), the bill was completely unchanged.                                       
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES asked if there was any questions of the sponsor.                  
                                                                               
 Number 065                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT OGAN asked if Ms. Gruening could tell the                
 committee exactly what the guidelines would be.                               
                                                                               
 MS. GRUENING replied that a copy of these guidelines were enclosed            
 in their packets.  She said the enclosed copy was for 1994.  She              
 said the new copies for 1995 come out next week in mid-February.              
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES asked if there were any other questions or comments.              
 As there were none, she called for a motion with regard to this               
 bill.                                                                         
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRIAN PORTER moved to pass the proposed amendment to           
 HB 32, as described in the memo dated February 9, 1995, signed by             
 Representative Joe Green, adding Section 2 to HB 32.                          
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES asked if there were any objections.  Hearing none, the            
 amendment passed.  She asked if there was a motion to pass this               
 bill out of committee.                                                        
                                                                               
 Number 100                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE CAREN ROBINSON moved to pass the committee                     
 substitute for HB 32 out of committee with individual                         
 recommendations as amended.                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE PORTER stated he wished all of the bills had a                 
 negative fiscal note like HB 32, except that they applied to the              
 general fund and not the permanent fund.                                      
                                                                               
 CHAIR JAMES stated the bill needed to be passed with the attached             
 fiscal notes.  She asked if there were any objections.  As there              
 were none, the bill passed.  She announced the next item on the               
 agenda was HB 44.  She mentioned there was a representative speaker           
 from Representative Martin's office, the bill's sponsor.