04/05/2016 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

           HB 186-RESTRICTED OFF HWY DRIVER'S LICENSE                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:44:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HUGHES announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 186,  "An Act relating to vehicle registration;                                                               
relating  to off-road  system  restricted noncommercial  drivers'                                                               
licenses;  relating  to  off-road   system  eligible  areas;  and                                                               
relating to motor vehicle liability insurance."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:45:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BARRET  WILBUR,  Staff, Representative  Jonathan  Kreiss-Tomkins,                                                               
Alaska State  Legislature, described the changes  in the proposed                                                               
committee substitute CS (HB) for  186.  As originally drafted, HB
   removed   existing   criteria,  regarding   insurance   and                                                               
registration  exemption  for  non-commercial  driver's  licenses,                                                               
which  has  been  held  in  statute for  some  time.    Thus,  by                                                               
retaining  the  original  criteria  in statute  in  the  CS,  she                                                               
ascertained, HB  186 will only affect  off-highway non-commercial                                                               
driver's licenses.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:47:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FOSTER moved  to adopt  CSHB  186 Version  29-LS0725\E,                                                               
Martin, 3/24/16, as the working document.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:47:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HUGHES  objected  for  discussion purposes.    With  no                                                               
ensuing discussion,  she subsequently  removed her  objection and                                                               
Version E was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:48:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KREISS-TOMKINS,  Alaska State  Legislature,  said                                                               
there  was  talk  about  this   statutory  subject  matter  being                                                               
incorporated into  an omnibus criminal  justice reform bill.   He                                                               
explained how  a technical  linkage with  language in  an omnibus                                                               
criminal  justice  reform  bill   relates  to  driver's  licenses                                                               
allowing  for  violation  citations  to be  issued  to  residents                                                               
living in  rural communities previously excluded  through statute                                                               
for off-highway driver's licenses.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NAGEAK  asked   whether  off-road  systems  means                                                               
locales not connected to a road system.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:49:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS answered yes.   He said eligibility                                                               
for off-highway  driver's licenses  is basically  for communities                                                               
off the road system, and which lack  a DMV office.  He said there                                                               
were some inadvertent exclusions  to which rural communities were                                                               
allowed  to  have   off-highway  driver's  licenses;  inadvertent                                                               
exclusions which HB  186 seeks to remove,  particularly for those                                                               
communities  having access  to the  ferry system  and which  have                                                               
Department of Transportation &  Public Facilities (DOTPF) traffic                                                               
counts greater than 500.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:50:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NAGEAK  inquired  whether  HB  186  would  affect                                                               
commercial driver's licenses.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KREISS-TOMKINS responded  no, and  said that  the                                                               
proposed  legislation  only  relates to  personal  non-commercial                                                               
driver's licenses.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR   HUGHES  asked   how  HB   186  will   effect  existing                                                               
communities, and which communities will  be added to the eligible                                                               
list with passage of HB 186.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KREISS-TOMKINS  responded  that  the  communities                                                               
immediately  effected include:  Seldovia,  Angoon, Kake,  Hoonah,                                                               
potentially Sand  Point, and any  rural community noted  by DOTPF                                                               
to have  a traffic count  exceeding 500.   He explained  that the                                                               
proposed legislation  removes the  potential of  future exclusion                                                               
for rural communities.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HUGHES  asked whether  currently listed  communities are                                                               
to be retained.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS answered yes.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:52:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HUGHES closed  public testimony  after ascertaining  no                                                               
one wished to testify on HB 186.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:52:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FOSTER  moved to report  CSHB 186,  29-LS0725\E, Martin,                                                               
3/24/16,   as  amended,   out   of   committee  with   individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no  objection,   CSHB  186(TRA)  was  reported   from  the  House                                                               
Transportation Standing Committee.