04/10/2014 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 197                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act   extending  the   termination  date   of  the                                                                    
     Department  of  Transportation and  Public  Facilities'                                                                    
     interim   project  authorization   regarding  naturally                                                                    
     occurring  asbestos;  and  providing for  an  effective                                                                    
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:31:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  SCOTT,  STAFF,  SENATOR  DONALD  OLSON,  presented  a                                                                    
sectional analysis.  He stated  that Section 1  would extend                                                                    
the authority if the underlying  bill from December 31, 2013                                                                    
through  December  31, 2014.  Section  2  provided that  the                                                                    
authority  was   retroactive  from  January  1,   2014,  the                                                                    
authorization  would  be  extended  to DOT  for  the  entire                                                                    
calendar  year of  2014. Section  3  provided and  immediate                                                                    
effective date.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:33:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Fairclough  asked whether  DOT could  explain why                                                                    
the project  had been  delayed. She  explained that  she had                                                                    
worked in  the past  with other  lawmakers to  provide lower                                                                    
cost  gravel  and aggregate  materials  to  people in  rural                                                                    
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:34:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROGER  HEALY, CHIEF  ENGINEER, DEPARTMENT  OF TRANSPORTATION                                                                    
AND PUBLIC FACILITIES,  said that the department  was in the                                                                    
process  of  issuing  draft   regulations  and  that  public                                                                    
meetings had been scheduled in  Juneau, Fairbanks and Ambler                                                                    
in the following weeks. The  process should be concluded and                                                                    
regulations  should be  issued by  mid-July 2014.  He stated                                                                    
that  the timeframe  identified in  the bill  was sufficient                                                                    
for the department.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:34:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson  asked whether one  year would be  enough time                                                                    
to  craft  and  implement  the  regulations  so  that  state                                                                    
sponsored projects related to  schools and airports could be                                                                    
completed.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Healy   replied  yes.  He   said  that   the  timeframe                                                                    
identified I the bill would  allow for the completion of the                                                                    
regulations;  what was  already  in place  were the  interim                                                                    
guidelines that were issued after the original bill passed.                                                                     
He furthered that the program  was unique and required a lot                                                                    
of coordination within state agencies.  He added that hiring                                                                    
someone to draft the regulations had taken time.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:36:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer OPENED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Fairclough  MOVED  to   REPORT  SB  197  out  of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note(s). There  being NO  OBJECTION, it                                                                    
was so ordered.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:37:19 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:39:19 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED