03/23/2017 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

        SB 34-DRIVER'S LICENSE & ID CARDS & REAL ID ACT                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
5:31:01 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNLEAVY  announced  the consideration  of Senate Bill  (SB)                                                              
34. He  noted that  public testimony was  heard and  closed during                                                              
the previous meeting. [Version 30-GS1781\O was adopted 3/21/17.]                                                                
                                                                                                                                
He provided an overview of the bill's status as follows:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     We  have  before  us a  revised  Senate  State  Affairs,                                                                   
     Department  of  Administration  (DOA)  and  Division  of                                                                   
     Motor  Vehicles  (DMV) indeterminate  fiscal  note.  The                                                                   
     original  capital request  has been  deleted. It is  the                                                                   
     intent  that  the implementation  of  REAL ID  would  be                                                                   
     self-supporting  by utilizing  the funds  raised by  the                                                                   
     additional  fees  that  have   been  set  for  federally                                                                   
     compliant licenses  and ID  cards; in other  words, this                                                                   
     bill  will go forward  with the  understanding that  the                                                                   
     state will  not be paying  for this, but the  applicants                                                                   
     that go for the cards will.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
He asked if there were any amendments from committee members.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
5:31:52 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WILSON moved conceptual Amendment 1 to the CS for SB 34,                                                                
version O.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DUNLEAVY objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILSON detailed conceptual amendment 1 as follows:                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     On page  1, line 10, I  would like to move  the increase                                                                   
     from $5  to $15; and  then on page  5, line 31,  I would                                                                   
     like  to move  the  increase  from $10  to  $20 and  the                                                                   
     rational is  for the purpose  of increased fees  to help                                                                   
     underwrite  the   cost  associated  with   shifting  the                                                                   
     production  and   distribution  for  licenses   back  to                                                                   
     Alaska.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DUNLEAVY removed his objection. He announced that without                                                                 
objection, conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:32:43 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report SB 34, work order 30-GS1781\O as                                                                
amended, from committee with individual recommendations and                                                                     
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
5:32:53 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNLEAVY objected and made the following statement:                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     I'm going  to object  to make a  statement that  I think                                                                   
     is  very important.  I  think  it's probably  no  secret                                                                   
     that myself  and I'm  sure others  find this process  by                                                                   
     which  the federal  government,  I believe,  is  coerced                                                                   
     other states  and is coercing  our state into  complying                                                                   
     with issuing,  or at  least being  part of the  issuance                                                                   
     of a new type of ID.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Currently  there are  several  different  types of  IDs,                                                                   
     passports   and  various   cards   that   can  be   used                                                                   
     nationwide  in various forms,  but this  is going  to be                                                                   
     an  additional  ID  card  that  the  federal  government                                                                   
     wishes to have.  When I say it is distasteful  and it is                                                                   
     coercive,  the fact of  the matter  is that the  federal                                                                   
     government  itself could do  these cards if  they wanted                                                                   
     to, but they  wanted the state to and the  coercive part                                                                   
     is  that we have  caught in  between the  state and  the                                                                   
     federal  government  are  contractors,   state  workers,                                                                   
     businesses,  etcetera   that  are  somewhat   in  limbo,                                                                   
     meaning  that unless  there is  a methodology  or a  way                                                                   
     for  the workers  and the  contractors,  etcetera to  be                                                                   
     able to access  federal bases or other  federal property                                                                   
     that  require  these  IDs  or  something  similar,  it's                                                                   
     going to  be very difficult  for them  to do that  and I                                                                   
     feel bad for contractors, I feel bad for the workers.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Again,  I  don't   really  feel  bad  for   the  federal                                                                   
     government, I  think this is problematic. I  don't think                                                                   
     this   is  going   to  be   the  end   of  the   federal                                                                   
     government's   continual  overreach.  Everybody   always                                                                   
     seems  to have  a  great idea  coming  from the  federal                                                                   
     government to  "help," but in the end most  often at the                                                                   
     least it's  a hindrance,  at the most  we lose  a little                                                                   
     bit of our rights.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Although we put  a CS together to try and  mitigate some                                                                   
     of these  issues, and we will  be watching this  to make                                                                   
     sure  there are firewalls  between  the State of  Alaska                                                                   
     driver's  license and  what I and  some others  consider                                                                   
     to be basically  a federal ID trap, we're  going to have                                                                   
     to keep  an eye  on this  because I  don't think we  are                                                                   
     going to see an end, I think this is just a beginning.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     I  appreciate the  committee's  indulgence  with the  CS                                                                   
     and  with the  understanding  that the  applicants  will                                                                   
     have to fit  the bill that the state should  not fit the                                                                   
     bill  for this,  and this  is going  to be  going on  to                                                                   
     another  committee of referral  so more  eyes can  be on                                                                   
     it  for the  people  of Alaska  before  it  gets to  the                                                                   
     floor.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     I'll add  one more comment  to this, it's been  asked of                                                                   
     me why  would I  move a bill  that is distasteful.  I've                                                                   
     always had somewhat  of a philosophy as a  chair that if                                                                   
     you  table  a  bill,  you kill  a  bill,  etcetera,  the                                                                   
     public  never  gets  an  opportunity   to  see  it,  the                                                                   
     committee  is  never  really  given  an  opportunity  to                                                                   
     really work  it over, and  the legislators don't  really                                                                   
     get an  opportunity to  be able to  look at it,  ask the                                                                   
     questions, and  finally vote on something on  the floor.                                                                   
     I  wouldn't want  some bills  that I've  had to be  held                                                                   
     hostage, this is  one that it's a tough one  for me as a                                                                   
     committee  chair to  let  go to  the  next committee  of                                                                   
     referral.  I'm not going  to support  it because  of the                                                                   
     course  of actions  by  the  federal government,  but  I                                                                   
     understand  the situation if  someone were a  contractor                                                                   
     or workers  are in and I  can sympathize with  that; but                                                                   
     none  the less, I  think it's  somewhat heavy-handed,  I                                                                   
     think the best way to describe it is distasteful.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:36:38 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNLEAVY  removed his  objection. He  announced that  seeing                                                              
no  objection,   CSSB  34(STA)   moved  out   of  committee   with                                                              
individual  recommendations  and  attached  revised  Senate  State                                                              
Affairs fiscal note(s).