02/07/2012 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

                  HB 190-PFD ALLOWABLE ABSENCE                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:55:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that the last order of  business was SPONSOR                                                              
SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE  BILL NO. 190, "An Act relating  to allowable                                                              
absences  from   the  state  for   purposes  of   eligibility  for                                                              
permanent fund dividends; and providing for an effective date."                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:55:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PETERSEN  moved to  adopt  the proposed  committee                                                              
substitute  (CS)  for  SSHB  190,   Version  27-LS0564\R,  Kirsch,                                                              
2/3/12, as  a work  draft.   There being  no objection,  Version R                                                              
was before the committee.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:56:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL PASCALL,  Staff, Representative  Eric Feige,  Alaska State                                                              
Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Feige, sponsor,  noted                                                              
that the House  State Affairs Standing Committee had  heard HB 190                                                              
last  year.   He  reminded  the  committee that  approximately  13                                                              
years  ago, statute  was put  into place  such that  anyone on  an                                                              
allowable  absence   from  the  state  became  ineligible   for  a                                                              
permanent fund dividend  (PFD) after 10 years,  with the exception                                                              
of members of  Congress, congressional staff, and  their families.                                                              
He  said numerous  objections have  been raised,  there have  been                                                              
questions  about  constitutionality,  and  there have  been  court                                                              
cases.   He said  the sponsor, in  working on  HB 190,  decided to                                                              
propose extending the  allowable absence time from 10  years to 20                                                              
years,  during  which time  perhaps  a  better solution  could  be                                                              
found.    He indicated  that  Version  R  would create  a  tighter                                                              
standard by  putting some  regulations into statute.   He  said he                                                              
would offer  a presentation  at the next  hearing of  the proposed                                                              
bill that would explain SSHB 190 in more detail.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN recognized  that Representative Eric Feige,  sponsor of                                                              
HB 190, had arrived.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:59:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN closed public testimony.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
[HB 190 was held over.]