03/18/2005 08:34 AM House W&M

HB  52-LONG-RANGE FISCAL PLAN                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH announced that the  first order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO. 52 "An  Act relating to adoption  and revision                                                               
of  a  comprehensive long-range  fiscal  plan  for the  State  of                                                               
Alaska."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:35:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG made a motion  to adopt CSHB 52, Version                                                               
24-LS0235\F,  Utermohle, 2/24/05,  as a  working document  before                                                               
the committee.   There being  no objection, Version F  was before                                                               
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:35:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PETER  NAOROZ, Staff  to Representative  Gruenberg, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  offered the  committee research  from the  Internet                                                               
and the  Alaska Municipal League  regarding other  states' fiscal                                                               
plans.  He  related that the aforementioned  fiscal plans include                                                               
the following characteristics: looking  beyond the current budget                                                               
to  address  the "big  picture";  setting  goals and  objectives,                                                               
including  value  statements  accounting  for  income,  expenses,                                                               
assets, and liabilities; focusing on  the realities of the world,                                                               
market, demographics of communities,  concerns of the population,                                                               
and sensitivity to future  projections; and communicating "openly                                                               
clearly, and [providing] a context  for people to be educated and                                                               
make  an  evaluation  and  judgment."    He  added  that  Oregon,                                                               
Virginia, British  Columbia, and  Alberta have fiscal  plans that                                                               
include the aforementioned criteria.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:38:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. NAOROZ,  in response to  Representative Seaton,  replied that                                                               
British  Columbia and  Alberta have  specific sections  [in their                                                               
fiscal plans]  dedicated to  natural resources.   He  related his                                                               
belief  that  Alaska  is  more  "blessed"  in  terms  of  natural                                                               
resources than any of the aforementioned locations.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON noted  that  analyzing the  aforementioned                                                               
fiscal plans will be helpful.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:40:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG moved  to report  CSHB 52,  Version 24-                                                               
LS0235\F, Utermohle,  2/24/05, out  of committee  with individual                                                               
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:40:34 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG objected.  He  relayed that the bill does                                                               
not  "actualize" a  long-range fiscal  plan, which  is where  the                                                               
legislature needs to apply its efforts.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:42:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  said, "I would  respectfully disagree,"                                                               
because the bill  will make the legislature more  likely to adopt                                                               
a fiscal plan into law.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:43:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll call  vote was taken.   Representatives Weyhrauch, Wilson,                                                               
Gruenberg,  and  Moses  voted  in favor  of  reporting  CSHB  52,                                                               
Version  24-LS0235\F,  Utermohle,   2/24/05,  out  of  committee.                                                               
Representative  Rokeberg  voted  against  it.    Therefore,  CSHB
(W&M) was reported  out of the House Special  Committee on Ways                                                               
and Means by a vote of 4-1.