Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 17
04/23/2005 02:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB259 | |
| HB279 | |
| HJR18 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 279 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 18 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| = | HB 259 | ||
HB 259 - TRUCK LOAD REQUIREMENTS CO-CHAIR GATTO announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 259 "An Act relating to covered or enclosed loads." [A proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 259, Version 24-LS0833\Y - although never formally adopted as a work draft - had been treated as amended and reported from committee on 4/19/05.] CO-CHAIR GATTO, because of the lack of a formal motion during the meeting on 4/19/05 regarding the adoption of Version Y as a work draft, relayed his intention of having the committee rescind its action in reporting [Version Y, as amended] from committee, and then rescind it's actions in amending [Version Y], thus allowing the committee to adopt, as a work draft, a new proposed CS for HB 259, Version 24-LS0833\S, which incorporates the amendments made to Version Y. CO-CHAIR GATTO moved that the committee rescind its action in reporting [Version Y, as amended] from committee. There being no objection, the committee's action was rescinded. CO-CHAIR GATTO moved that the committee rescind its actions in adopting amendments to [Version Y]. REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked what those amendments entailed. CO-CHAIR GATTO said: Those amendments had to do with "a gross to remove" pickup trucks from this requirement, and we did that by saying that vehicles with a gvw [gross vehicle weight] ... of less than 9,200 pounds wouldn't qualify. And we did this because we called various organizations to see what pickup trucks entailed, and if you talk about the gross vehicle weight, then you pretty much know that you've got all the pickups included, and we did not want to include pickups in this, so they're excluded. We dealt ... also with giving exclusions to certain communities, and Representative Thomas wanted us to exclude communities that are not connected to Anchorage by a continuous state road such [as] passing through the country of Canada; [such] would not be under the ... requirements of this bill. And also if the communities were less than 5,000 in population. Basically the bill was intended to do something about the heavy truck traffic in Anchorage and [Matanuska- Susitna ("MAT-SU")], and we wanted to, essentially, define what these words meant in legislation that already exists, so that it's clear to [the DOT&PF] what our intent was in this original language. CO-CHAIR GATTO announced that the committee's actions in adopting the amendments [to Version Y] were rescinded. CO-CHAIR ELKINS made a motion to adopt the proposed CS for HB 259, Version 24-LS0833\S, as the work draft. CO-CHAIR GATTO announced that Version S was before the committee. CO-CHAIR GATTO reiterated that Version S incorporates the amendments adopted during the 4/19/05 meeting, and characterized Version S as perfect because it deals with the pickup truck exemption and the issue of snow, it exempts communities under 5,000 and any community not connected to Anchorage by road, and it changes "contained or confined" to "covered or enclosed." 2:10:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN said he has problems with the bill. He said a lot of road construction involves one- or two-mile trips, and so covering each and every one of the loads of material used is going to add a tremendous amount of "time and cost" to all Alaska's road projects. He said the gravel on the roads does not all come from dump trucks, and there are already laws to help people replace windshields from rock damage due to [dump] trucks. He indicated that he didn't think that HB 259 will fix the current enforcement problem, and detailed the steps he took when he [hauled loads of material]. He said he cannot support the bill, and mentioned the possible increase in cost to businesses. 2:13:17 PM CO-CHAIR GATTO asked how much time it takes to cover a load with an "automatic" cover. NONA WILSON, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF), mentioning both swing arm style automatic covers and track style automatic covers, said she didn't know how much time covering a load would take, adding that private truck drivers might not be able to afford fully automatic covers. In response to a further question, she indicated that she was unfamiliar with exactly how the "automatic" systems work. CO-CHAIR GATTO indicated that if using the automatic covers added an hour in the course of a day, he would be concerned, but if using them adds "40 seconds," such would be acceptable. REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN said dump trucks get dirty, and the cover tracks would always be full of gravel, thus one would have to "be up there cleaning them constantly." He postulated that the cost of installation and maintenance would be astronomical and should be included in the cost estimates. MS. WILSON reiterated that she didn't know whether [automatic] covers would be on swing arms or on an actual tracks. 2:17:15 PM CO-CHAIR GATTO restated the intent of the bill, and posited that the [Alaska State] Troopers would be understanding for short hauls. He expressed concern about trucks on long-distance highway trips "blowing" gravel all over the highway. MS. WILSON said the DOT&PF can assist vehicle owners with claims of rock damage from department trucks. CO-CHAIR GATTO said it is difficult to chase a truck that is responsible for spewing rocks. 2:19:09 PM MS. WILSON posited that usually when there is debris flying off of a truck, it is because it is overloaded. She pondered whether drivers might tend to overload a truck with a cover. CO-CHAIR GATTO suggested that that is a separate issue. CO-CHAIR ELKINS said he would like to defer the issue in order to see the minutes from the previous meeting, adding, "I would like to know what the testimony was that convinced us last meeting to pass this bill." MS. WILSON referred to the fiscal note, which had been characterized as high, and indicated that the estimate has been lowered as a result of the amendments offered during the bill's last hearing. 2:21:33 PM REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN said he would like input from the trucking industry. CO-CHAIR ELKINS moved to [set aside] HB 259 for the purpose of reviewing the minutes from the bill's prior meeting. CO-CHAIR GATTO relayed that HB 259 [Version S] would be held over.
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