Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)

04/14/2011 02:00 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= SB 74 INS. COVERAGE: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER TELECONFERENCED
Moved SB 74 Out of Committee
+ SB 119 ATHLETIC TRAINER LICENSING TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 119(L&C) Out of Committee
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
+= HB 164 INSURANCE: HEALTH CARE & OTHER TELECONFERENCED
Moved SCS CSHB 164(L&C) Out of Committee
+= HB 188 INTEREST RATES TELECONFERENCED
Moved HB 188 Out of Committee
                     HB 188-INTEREST RATES                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:30:47 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR EGAN  announced HB  188, sponsored by  the House  Labor and                                                               
Commerce Committee, to be up for consideration.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
KONRAD  JACKSON,  staff to  Representative  Olson,  chair of  the                                                               
House  Labor  and  Commerce  Committee,  explained  that  HB  188                                                               
addresses maximum  interest allowed  on private loans  of $25,000                                                               
or  less. AS  45.45.010 (b)  sets the  rate on  these loans  at 5                                                               
percent  above the  rate charged  to  banks by  the 12th  Federal                                                               
Reserve District.  Currently that rate  is .75 percent.  When the                                                               
statute was written,  people were not imagining  that rates would                                                               
be  as low  as they  are now.  HB 188  would allow  an individual                                                               
offering a  loan of $25,000  or less  to charge an  interest rate                                                               
the greater  of either  10 percent above  the interest  rate from                                                               
the  Federal  Reserve  District  or 10  percent.  So,  today  the                                                               
maximum rate would be 10 percent.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
The  hope is  that this  bill  will encourage  more commerce  and                                                               
allow individuals  to finance small  loans for real  property and                                                               
basically  carry the  note  and get  a little  bit  of return  as                                                               
opposed  to  5.75 percent.  This  law  is  a  default; so  if  it                                                               
conflicts with other statutes, those statutes take precedence.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:33:03 PM                                                                                                                    
He said  some questions  were raised earlier  and they  have been                                                               
addressed and  since then  this bill had  had no  opposition. The                                                               
questions  that  have been  asked  are  about whether  this  bill                                                               
applies to credit card interest rates, pay day loans or credit                                                                  
unions and it doesn't; those are all covered under Title 6.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
GLENDA SEEKEN, Alaska Association of Realtors, supported HB 188.                                                                
She said it would help realtors to be able to sell more land.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report HB 188 from committee with                                                                      
individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There                                                                 
were no objections and it was so ordered.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:35:08 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease from 3:35 PM to 3:36 PM.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:37:25 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR EGAN thanked members of the committee and staff for their                                                                 
hard work this year and adjourned the meeting at 3:37 PM.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                

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