Legislature(1999 - 2000)

03/08/2000 09:30 AM House FIN

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
                  HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                       March 8, 2000                                                                                            
                         9:30 A.M.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPE HFC 00 - 67, Side 1                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Mulder called the House Finance Committee meeting                                                                      
to order at 9:30 a.m.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Mulder                                                                                                                 
Co-Chair Therriault            Representative Foster                                                                            
Vice Chair Bunde               Representative Grussendorf                                                                       
Representative Austerman       Representative Moses                                                                             
Representative J. Davies       Representative Phillips                                                                          
Representative G. Davis        Representative Williams                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Denny DeWitt, Staff, Representative Mulder                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
HB 312    An Act making and amending appropriations for the                                                                     
          operating  and  loan   program  expenses  of  state                                                                   
          government,   for    certain   programs,   and   to                                                                   
          capitalize funds; making  appropriations under art.                                                                   
          IX, sec. 17©, Constitution  of the State of Alaska,                                                                   
          from  the constitutional  budget reserve  fund; and                                                                   
          providing for an effective date.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
          CSHB 312 MOVED to report  CSHB 312 out of Committee                                                                   
          with a "do pass" recommendation.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
HB 313    An Act making appropriations for the operating and                                                                    
          capital   expenses   of  the   state's   integrated                                                                   
          comprehensive mental  health program; and providing                                                                   
          for an effective date.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          CSHB 312 MOVED to report  CSHB 312 out of Committee                                                                   
          with a "do pass" recommendation.                                                                                      
HOUSE BILL NO. 312                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  making  and amending  appropriations  for  the                                                                   
     operating   and   loan   program   expenses   of   state                                                                   
     government,  for  certain  programs, and  to  capitalize                                                                   
     funds; making appropriations  under art. IX, sec. 17(c),                                                                   
     Constitution   of  the   State  of   Alaska,  from   the                                                                   
     constitutional  budget reserve  fund; and providing  for                                                                   
     an effective date."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Mulder  noted that the Legislative  Finance Division                                                                   
made  a number  of  technical  changes  in order  to  conform                                                                   
amendments adopted to HB 312 and HB 313:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Amendment DOT-1C was adopted to  delete $600 thousand dollars                                                                   
in  general   funds  from  the  Department   of  Corrections,                                                                   
Administration  and Operations,  Inmate Programs. There  were                                                                   
insufficient  general  funds in  the  component  to make  the                                                                   
reduction. This  was changed to  reduce the component  by the                                                                   
amount  of general  funds remaining  and  take the  remainder                                                                   
from GFMH dollars:  $455.9 thousand dollars in  general funds                                                                   
and $144.1 in GFMH.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Amendment  DCED-10  reduced the  Department  of  Corrections,                                                                   
Administration  and  Operations,  Inmate Programs  by  $181.7                                                                   
thousand  dollars in  general  funds. There  were no  general                                                                   
funds remaining in the component,  so the reduction was taken                                                                   
in GFMH dollars.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Amendment  DOT-1C  created  a  new appropriation  and  a  new                                                                   
component. The bill print program  does not allow a component                                                                   
name  to differ  from the  appropriation name  when there  is                                                                   
only one  component within  the appropriation. The  component                                                                   
name was changed to Statewide  Highways and Maintenance Needs                                                                   
to match the appropriation name.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
A corrected citation for the Alaska  Oil and Gas Conservation                                                                   
Commission was made in section 4.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
DENNY DEWITT, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE  MULDER explained that an                                                                   
additional   technical  amendment   was  needed  to   conform                                                                   
Amendment  HSS-16. The  intent of  Amendment 16  was to  take                                                                   
general  funds.  The  amendment  instead  transferred  $188.6                                                                   
thousand dollars in tobacco settlement  funds to the Medicaid                                                                   
Services  component. There  are  general  funds available  in                                                                   
another  component. A  floor amendment  would  be offered  to                                                                   
make  the  change.  Funding  was   restored  to  the  tobacco                                                                   
settlement fund. Amendment 18  would delete the corresponding                                                                   
general  funds. With  this amendment,  Amendment HSS-16  will                                                                   
net zero GF.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Mulder  provided members  with  proposed  committee                                                                   
substitutes  for HB 312  and HB  313: work draft  1-LS1304\G,                                                                   
dated  3/08/00  and  work  draft  1-LS1305\D,  dated  3/08/00                                                                   
(copies on file).                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Therriault MOVED to ADOPT Amendment HSS-18:                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Department of Health and Social Services                                                                                   
     Medicaid Services BRU Medicaid Services component                                                                          
     DELETE $188.6 General Fund/Match                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, Amendment HSS-18 was adopted.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment Intent-2:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     It  is the  intent of  the legislature  that the  Alaska                                                                   
     Court  System  examine  the feasibility  of  moving  its                                                                   
     information  technology   network  operations  form  the                                                                   
     Department of  Administration's Wide Area  Network (WAN)                                                                   
     to a network provided by  commercial carriers. The Court                                                                   
     System  shall  use  money appropriated  to  pay  network                                                                   
     charges  to obtain  services  from  the cost  beneficial                                                                   
     network  service  provider,   which  may  be  a  network                                                                   
     secured  for  the balance  of  state government  by  the                                                                   
     Department of Administration.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative  J.  Davies  was  added  as  a  co-sponsor  to                                                                   
Amendment Intent-2.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, Amendment Intent-2 was adopted.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative J. Davies referred  to language section 18. He                                                                   
questioned if the  money would be for the  planning committee                                                                   
in 2001 or for the full redistricting committee.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Mulder  thought that members of the  committee would                                                                   
be  named  and  that the  money  would  fund  the  committee.                                                                   
Representative  J.   Davies  concluded  that  there   may  be                                                                   
expenses  for the  planning committee  in  transition to  the                                                                   
full board. Co-Chair Mulder agreed.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Therriault  MOVED to report  CSHB 312 and  313 (FIN)                                                                   
out  of  Committee  with  individual  recommendations.  There                                                                   
being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative  J. Davies identified  areas that  continue to                                                                   
be  of concern:  University  of Alaska,  employee  contracts,                                                                   
municipal  assistance  and revenue  sharing,  and Power  Cost                                                                   
Equalization.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CS HB  312 (FIN)  and CS HB  313 (FIN)  were reported  out of                                                                   
Committee with a "do pass" recommendation.                                                                                      
Adjournment                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.                                                                                              

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