Legislature(2015 - 2016)HOUSE FINANCE 519
04/16/2015 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB71 | |
| SB26 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 26 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 71 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 81 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 16, 2015
2:49 p.m.
2:49:49 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Thompson called the House Finance Committee
meeting to order at 2:49 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Mark Neuman, Co-Chair
Representative Steve Thompson, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Saddler, Vice-Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Les Gara
Representative Lynn Gattis
Representative David Guttenberg
Representative Scott Kawasaki
Representative Cathy Munoz
Representative Lance Pruitt
Representative Tammie Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Senator Cathy Giessel, Sponsor; Dr. Jay Butler, Chief
Medical Officer, Department of Health and Social Services;
Sara Chambers, Administrative Operations Manager, Division
of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing,
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development;
Joe Michel, Staff, Representative Steve Thompson.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Dirk White, Pharmacist and Former President, Board of
Pharmacy, Sitka; Daniel Nelson, President, Alaska
Pharmacists Association, Fairbanks; Ryan Ruggles,
Pharmacist and District Pharmacy Manager, Albertson-
Safeway, Anchorage; Lis Houchen, Northwest Regional
Director, State Government Affairs, National Association
Chain and Drug Stores, Olympia, Washington; Barry
Christensen, Co-Chair, Alaska Pharmacist Association
Legislative Committee, Ketchikan.
SUMMARY
HB 81 EXEMPTION: LICENSING OF CONTRACTORS
HB 81 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.
SB 26 BUDGET: CAPITAL
CSSB 26(FIN) was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
SB 71 VACCINE CERTIFICATION FOR PHARMACISTS
SB 71 was REPORTED out of committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with one previously
published fiscal impact note: FN1 (CED); and one
previously published zero fiscal note: FN3 (DHS).
SENATE BILL NO. 71
"An Act relating to the practice of pharmacy; and
relating to the administration of vaccines and related
emergency medications."
2:50:38 PM
SENATOR CATHY GIESSEL, SPONSOR, discussed the legislation.
She explained that SB 71 allowed pharmacists in Alaska to
administer vaccines without a collaborative practice
agreement. She detailed that a collaborative practice
agreement, established in 2001, was a contract between the
pharmacist and a medical provider which allowed the
pharmacist to administer vaccines. The contracts cost
between $50 and $500 and often proved difficult for the
pharmacist, especially those in rural areas, to find a
provider who will oversee the vaccine administration which
involved paperwork. The legislation authorized certified
pharmacists to administer the vaccinations without the
oversight agreements in place. She relayed that pharmacists
had been educated in vaccine administration since 2005 as
part of their curriculum and were entering the profession
with a doctorate degree in pharmacology. The bill mandated
that pharmacists educated prior to 2005 would have to take
a specific course approved by the Board of Pharmacy. She
described the training that the pharmacists already
received in the administration of vaccinations including
adverse reactions response and interactions with other
medications. She shared that as a nurse practitioner
herself, she relied on the pharmacist's specialized
knowledge when prescribing. The bill would particularly
help rural pharmacies by removing the collaborative
agreement mandate. She shared that in states where
pharmacists possessed the independent authority to
administer vaccines immunization rates rise. She informed
the committee that Alaska had a low vaccination rate.
Currently, all vaccinations were recorded in a system
called Vactracks and all healthcare providers had access to
the information. Alaskan pharmacists administered over 13
thousand flu vaccines in the previous year. She believed
that the bill would improve access to immunizations in the
state.
2:55:14 PM
Vice-Chair Saddler wondered if the system of recording
immunizations needed to be improved or strengthened.
Senator Giessel answered that the VacTracks system had been
in place for a number of years and all healthcare providers
used the system. She elaborated that the system "vastly"
improved the tracking of vaccines and she was not aware of
any flaws.
Representative Kawasaki asked for details on how
pharmacists currently administered vaccinations. Senator
Giessel answered that the healthcare provider must fill out
paperwork and review records; they were not required to be
physically present. She added that the system for
pharmacist administered immunizations was already in place.
The bill merely removed the paperwork requirements and
allowed highly trained professionals "administer
medication." Representative Kawasaki asked whether the
State Medical Board or the Medical Association had an
opinion about the legislation. Senator Giessel replied that
she had not received any opposition from the medical
community.
Representative Guttenberg asked whether the bill required
pharmacists to administer an expanded list of vaccines that
were currently not administered by pharmacists. Senator
Giessel responded that she was not sure and deferred to
pharmacists to answer the question. She noted that
pharmacist routinely administered flu vaccines, which
required needles, syringes, refrigeration, and other
relevant supplies therefore, were already equipped.
Representative Guttenberg wondered about logistics and how
things would change for the pharmacist and the pharmacy
space with passage of the bill, particularly for rural
pharmacies.
DIRK WHITE, PHARMACIST AND FORMER PRESIDENT, BOARD OF
PHARMACY, SITKA (via teleconference), answered that
internally and procedurally the pharmacy would not change.
He revealed that a limitation of the collaborative practice
agreement was that the agreement was specific to a location
and the pharmacist could not leave the pharmacy to
administer vaccinations. He highlighted pharmacists'
inability to travel to community health fairs as an
example. The bill would enable pharmacists to go to other
locations and travel to rural areas to administer
immunizations.
3:03:52 PM
Representative Gara asked whether there were any safety
issues with the bill.
DR. JAY BUTLER, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND SOCIAL SERVICES, communicated that pharmacists
currently delivered a large number of vaccines throughout
the state and therefore, did not have any safety concerns
or reservations with allowing pharmacists to administer
vaccines. Representative Gara asked whether his answer
extended to the ability of the pharmacist to administer
emergency medications due to an adverse reaction. Dr.
Butler answered that allergic reactions to a vaccine was a
rare occurrence and that under the collaborative agreement
the pharmacist was currently allowed to administer
emergency medications.
Representative Kawasaki stated that currently under a
collaborative physician agreement reports were written and
reviewed. He asked whether, absent an agreement reporting
would still be required. Dr. Butler replied that completion
of the vaccine adverse event reporting system was
mandatory. He explained that the system was a tool
available to pharmacists and patients and was monitored by
the federal Food and Drug Administration and Centers for
Disease Control.
Vice-Chair Saddler noted that the bill included
administration of emergency medications and asked for an
example of emergency medications. Dr. Butler answered that
epinephrine administered for rare allergic reactions to
immunizations called "anaphylactic reactions" was an
example of emergency medication. Vice-Chair Saddler asked
whether pharmacists received specialized emergency
medication response training. Dr. Butler responded that the
critical issue was the ability to recognize the adverse
reaction.
DANIEL NELSON, PRESIDENT, ALASKA PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION,
FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), stated his strong support
of the legislation.
RYAN RUGGLES, PHARMACIST AND DISTRICT PHARMACY MANAGER,
ALBERTSON-SAFEWAY, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
testified in support of the bill. He shared that Alaskan
pharmacist currently administered many types of vaccines.
The legislation would remove the collaborative physician
agreement mandate which was "difficult to obtain" and
limited the pharmacists' ability to serve their patients.
He believed that passage of SB 71 would strengthen the
continuity of care that pharmacists endeavored to provide
patients.
3:11:31 PM
LIS HOUCHEN, NORTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR, STATE GOVERNMENT
AFFAIRS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION CHAIN AND DRUG STORES,
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON (via teleconference), spoke in favor of
the bill. She listed the organization's members. She shared
that in 2012 only 1.2 percent of Alaskans had received the
flu immunization. The association believed that the
legislation would increase access to vaccinations in rural
areas.
BARRY CHRISTENSEN, CO-CHAIR, ALASKA PHARMACIST ASSOCIATION
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference),
testified in support of the legislation. He thought that
the bill would help reduce the cost of healthcare. He
relayed that the association had met with other medical
providers prior to the bills introduction to inform them
about the legislation.
Co-Chair Thompson CLOSED public testimony.
Representative Kawasaki spoke to the fiscal notes. He
pointed to Fiscal Note 1 (CED) and wondered why it cost
$2.5 thousand to amend the regulation. He previously had
not seen a fiscal note accompany a bill changing a
regulation.
Co-Chair Thompson assumed it was a one-time cost.
Senator Giessel deferred the question to the Department of
Commerce, Community and Economic Development.
SARA CHAMBERS, ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS MANAGER, DIVISION
OF CORPORATIONS, BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING,
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
answered that the Department of Commerce, Community and
Economic Development (DCCED) was implementing the practice
of requesting receipt authority for the average cost of a
division "regulation project" in an effort "to best and
conservatively manage licensing fees" that were charged to
the licensees. She elaborated that the division handled
"competing interests" between the division and the various
board's mission related and statutory authority. In
situations when the division had other bills related to
regulations and were managing tens of thousands of dollars
dealing with regulation changes, the fiscal note added
transparency to the process and alerted the boards that
their funds were being spent in case funding for their
other mission purposes was curtailed.
Representative Kawasaki supported adding the receipt
authority in the fiscal note as long as the practice would
continue into the future.
Representative Wilson wondered how many hours it would take
to amend the regulation and how the department calculated
the $2.5 thousand expenditure.
3:17:14 PM
Ms. Chambers replied that the expense was calculated based
upon a variety of expenses including the charges from the
Department of Law (DOL) review and DCCED regulation
specialist time. She added that the bulk of the cost came
from printing and postage for sending copies of the new
regulations to the licensees'; mandated by statute. She
shared that $2.5 thousand was an average board expense.
Representative Wilson asked whether there was an option to
send the regulations by email. Ms. Chambers answered that
the department was exploring the option with DOL. The
current legal interpretation required the paper option.
Representative Wilson believed the email option should be
pursued.
Representative Pruitt voiced that previously the division
spread the cost among all boards. He thought that the
division was attempting to shift to using the receipt
authority to charge the actual costs on to the specific
board affected. He hoped it would be the direction the
department would take on any future adjustments or
regulation projects for any licensee group. He asked for
confirmation on his comments. Ms. Chambers agreed with his
comments and related that the division was ensuring that
"the expenses were directly correlated to the licensing
fees of the particular licensed profession that incurred
the costs."
Representative Kawasaki cited Fiscal Note 3 (DHS) and
relayed that the analysis noted that the Medicaid program
would be expected to incur costs resulting from changes
needed to the claims processing system. He wondered what
the total costs amounted to. Dr. Butler replied that the
original fiscal note had included a one-time capital
request of $50 thousand for the claims processing without
the collaborative agreement. Subsequently, it was
discovered that the bonus performance money from the
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) could be used to
implement the changes to the claims processing system.
Therefore, the fiscal note had been zeroed out.
3:22:15 PM
Vice-Chair Saddler MOVED to REPORT SB 71 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
SB 71 was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass"
recommendation and with one previously published fiscal
impact note: FN1 (CED); and one previously published zero
fiscal note: FN3 (DHS).
CSSB 26(FIN)
"An Act making and amending appropriations, including
capital appropriations, supplemental appropriations,
reappropriations, and other appropriations; making
appropriations 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 Neuman MOVED to ADOPT the proposed committee
substitute for CSSB 26(FIN), Work Draft 29-GS1781\F
(Martin, 4/16/15). There being NO OBJECTION, it was so
ordered.
JOE MICHEL, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE STEVE THOMPSON, explained
the changes in the Committee Substitute. He noted that a
few changes were made to Section 1; the numbers section. He
pointed to page 5, line 30 under the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR): Snowmobile Trail Development Program and
Grants in the amount of $250,000 and clarified that the
funding was collected from the sales of snow machines and
were designated program receipts and not general funds
(GF). In addition, the Cooperative Water Resources Program
pass through grant to the United States Geological Survey
(USGS) for stream gauging projects was removed from DNR. He
explained that the item was removed at the request of DNR
because the project was not currently going forward. He
addressed the section related to the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) on page 14. He
highlighted three substantially different changes from the
governor's amendments. He pointed to line 23, the Knik Arm
Crossing in the amount of $45.3 million and emphasized the
item was comprised of federal receipts. The $45.3 million
was originally reflected in the item on line 27 National
Highway System and Non-National Highway System Pavement and
Bridge Reconstruction and Refurbishment which was used as a
placeholder in case the state could receive extra federal
receipts. Therefore, the inclusion of the Knik Arm Crossing
federal receipt authority item was a net zero. He cited
line 24, Kotzebue Cape Blossom Road in the amount of $33
million, which was recently granted federal receipt
authority for the total amount which eliminated the
previously $4 million GF appropriation.
3:29:06 PM
Mr. Michel moved to page 23, which contained the numbers
section for the Supplemental Budget amendments. He cited
line 22, Emergency Repair of State Forest Road Systems in
the Tanana Valley State Forest in the amount of $896
thousand that was added by request of the governor. He
turned to the Supplemental Operating Budget section on page
26. He referenced page 27, line 22 that included $40
million for Medicaid services in FY 15. The last item
concluded the changes to the numbers sections of the bill.
Mr. Michel addressed the following supplemental
appropriations in the language section of the bill. He
began with the Department of Administration (DOA) in
Section 10 on page 32 in the amount of $3 million for
paying costs associated with the Alaska Correctional
Officers Association settlement for FY 15. He moved to
subsection b (line 5), and stated that $1.317 million was
appropriated to pay for the single audit for the Department
of Health and Social Services (DHSS). He related that
subsection (c) was a new item totaling $792 thousand for
costs related to labor contract negotiations. He moved to
the DCCED in Section 11, (line 12) in the amount of $2.3
million for the costs associated with the regulation of
marijuana in FY 15 and FY 16. He noted that in subsection
(b) (line 17), $57.5 million originally appropriated for
the Interior Energy Project was reappropriated. He directed
attention to DHSS in Section 12 (line 26) and noted that
additional language had been added [to the Medicaid
Services expenditure]. He read the following:
No money appropriated in this appropriation may be
expended for an abortion that is not a mandatory
service required under AS 47.07.030(a).
He moved to subsection (b) (line 10) and explained that in
the prior year an oversight occurred and the appropriation
language had not included the words, "general fund" which
was originally a reappropriation from the Fairbanks
virology laboratory. The reappropriation was for an
emergency medical services match for community ambulances
for the Code Blue project. He pointed to the Department of
Law appropriations in Section 13 (page 33, line 18) in the
amount of $8.889.9 million to pay for judgments and
settlements against the state.
Mr. Michel addressed Sections 14 (page 33, line 27)
regarding DNR and noted the sum of $3 million appropriated
for fire suppression activities. He cited the Department of
Revenue (DOR) appropriations in Section 15 (page 33, line
30) and noted the amount of $50 thousand for the costs
associated with updating the tax revenue management system
and tax forms and drafting regulations to implement a new
surcharge on refined motor fuels for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2015. He added that Section 16 (page 34, line 3)
was related to reappropriations for the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities. He reported that
subsections (a) and (b) dealt with the class 5 injection
well compliance and remediation project in the amount of
$3.4 million. He shared that subsection (c) was a
reappropriation for terminal improvements and a renovation
project at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
He stated that subsection (d) reappropriated funds for the
Kalsin Bay maintenance station that had burned down and
needed replacement. Subsection (e) was the appropriation
for the Dalton Highway disaster emergency repairs totaling
$5 million. He directed attention to Section 17 (page 35,
line 12) regarding Debt and Other Obligations and noted
that the school bond debt decreased by $5 million dollars.
He reported that Section 18(page 36, line 22) contained
Ratifications which reflected expenditures already paid.
He added that Section 19(page 35, line 21) included
language related to Medicaid. Section 20(page 36, line 27)
included a fund transfer in the amount of $13.3 million to
the Alaska Housing Capital Corporation account. Section 21
(page 36, line 29) reappropriated $750 thousand from the
Digital Teaching Initiative three year demonstration
project to the Alaska Housing Capital Corporation.
Subsection (b) reappropriated $875 thousand from the Alaska
Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) to the Alaska
Housing Capital Corporation. He noted that Section 22(page
36, line 27) Federal and Other Program Receipts had not
changed and granted Legislative Budget and Audit authority
to issue Revised Program Legislation (RPL) during the
interim. Section 23 (page 37, line 25) Insurance Claims
authorized receipt and expenditure of settlements related
to insurance claims.
3:37:26 PM
Mr. Michel continued with Section 34 (page 37, line 30),
National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska Impact Grant Program
that granted federal money to communities related to
impacts from the oil and gas activities on the North Slope.
He detailed that Section 25 (page 38, line 20) Alaska
Aerospace Corporation, reappropriated funds from the
corporation to the Hope Community Resources, Inc., for
upgrades to housing to meet state licensing requirements.
Subsection (b) reappropriated $3 million to the Alaska
Housing Finance Corporation for the supplemental housing
program.
Vice-Chair Saddler asked what amount was reappropriated to
Hope Community Resources, Inc. for licensing fees. Mr.
Michel answered that there was a variety of capital
appropriation items Hope Community Resources requested. The
state requirements for licensing would cost Hope $125
thousand, which was the amount specified in the bill.
Co-Chair Thompson asked members to hold questions until
after Mr. Michel ended his sectional presentation.
Mr. Michel addressed subsection (c) that reappropriated
funds to the Cold Climate Housing Research Center. He
turned to subsection (d) that reappropriated funds to the
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District for
renovations at the Barnette Magnet School. Subsection (e)
reappropriated funds to DOT for the Alaska Marine Highway
System vessel overhaul and rehabilitation. He moved to
Section 26 (page 39, line 31) Commercial Vessel Passenger
Tax Account, which reappropriated lapsed funds from the
account back into the passenger tax account. Section 27
(page 40, line 7) Department of Commerce, Community and
Economic Development, included a reappropriation for $33
thousand from the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) Mount Spurr
Geothermal Project reappropriated to the AEA electrical
emergencies program. Subsection (b) reappropriated $9.5
million from the Mount Spurr Geothermal Project to the
renewable energy grant fund. He shared that subsection (d)
was a reappropriation to the Denali Commission, for a
federal-state partnership grant. He moved on to Section 28
(page 40 line 28) Department of Education and Early
Development which included reappropriations to pay for the
current year's major maintenance projects for schools. He
discussed Section 29 (page 41, line 19) Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) which included
reappropriations amounting to $3.026 million for a number
of DEC projects for the Department of Environmental
Conservation. He specified that $800 thousand was
reappropriated to the Spill Prevention and Response (SPAR)
account.
3:42:03 PM
Mr. Michel shared that the numbered subsections under
Section 29 listed the reappropriations made for the Naknek
sewer relocation and system upgrade. He stated that Section
30, (page 45, line 28) Department of Health and Social
Services included reappropriations that mitigated the
mistake from the prior year when the words "general fund"
was inadvertently omitted from the Fairbanks Virology
Laboratory reappropriation. He reported that Section 31
(page 46, line 23) Department of Natural Resources,
reappropriated funds to the unified permit automation and
document management system for permit streamlining. Section
32 (page 46, line 28) Department of Public Safety
reappropriated funds from the video judicial conference
arraignment study in the amount of $100,000 for state
trooper video equipment and storage. He noted that Section
33 (page 47, line 3) House Districts, were reappropriations
that changed the scope of the same projects. He stressed
that the projects were not new. Section 34 (page 47, line
21) House Districts 29 - 31 reflected a change in the same
project. He noted that Section 35 (page 48, line 1) House
Districts 29 - 31 was a reappropriation for the Inner
Island Ferry Authority in the amount of $200 thousand. He
stated that Section 36 House Districts 38 - 39 reflected a
reappropriation for lapsing funds for the exact same
project. Subsection (b) related to a pilot project program
study that would enable the Norton Sound Health Corporation
to takeover a juvenile justice facility for a behavioral
health or wellness center to be paid entirely by federal
money. Section 37 (page 48, line 21) Office of the
Governor, reappropriated $500 thousand that was designated
for Arctic Policy back into the general fund; other monies
were reappropriated for Artic policy. He voiced that
Section 38 (page 48, line 31) Reappropriation of
Legislative Appropriations reappropriated funds to the
Alaska Legislature, Legislative Council, Senate Special
Committee on the Arctic, for work conducted last session.
Subsection (b) totaled approximately $7.5 million and
reappropriated funds for the Capitol building seismic
retrofit. He noted that Section 39 (page 50, line 11)
Shared Taxes and Fees, reflected the amount necessary to
refund to local governments and other entities their share
of taxes and fees collected for various programs for the
fiscal year. Section 40 (page 50, line 19) Non-general Fund
Receipts which pertained to the Mental Health Budget and
related to Medicaid. He read the following language from
Section 40:
… [for the proposed expansion of the state's Medicaid
program] may not be accepted or expended without an
acceptable reformation plan and appropriation approved
by the legislature.]
Mr. Michel referred to Section 41 (page 51, line 7) Alaska
Housing Capital Corporation (AHCC), which reappropriated
funds from many items and deposited the money into the AHCC
account.
3:46:28 PM
He highlighted that subsection (a) reappropriated the
remaining funds from the Mount Spurr Geothermal Project and
that subsection (b) reappropriated the remaining balance of
the Alaska Aerospace Corporation launch pad construction
funds into the corporation's account. He reported that
subsection (c) reappropriated the remaining $250 thousand
from the state ferries $2.5 million appropriation into the
AHCC account. He turned to subsection (d) totaling
$27,108,103 of various lapsing project funds that
reappropriated the lapsing funds into the AHCC account
versus depositing the capital funds back into the general
fund. The AHCC account funds were expended similarly to
general funds. He delineated that the purpose of the
account was to keep the previous capital dollars as capital
funds for future capital expenditures.
Co-Chair Thompson interjected that the AHCC account was
created by the legislature several years ago "as a place to
park money that was not sweepable."
Mr. Michel noted that there were 93 numbered subsections of
capital reappropriations into the AHCC account.
Mr. Michel pointed to Section 42 (page 60, line 1) Repeals,
and explained that in previous versions of the bill
language was inserted that referred to the Constitutional
Budget Reserve and was removed from the current version. He
added that subsection (a) related to whether interest
accrued for Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) could
remain in the AMHS and subsection (b) referred to one-time
education money. He addressed Section 43 (page 60, line 5)
Lapse, which related to the various sections with lapsing
funds. Subsection (b) related to funds that did not lapse.
He detailed that Subsection (d) was language that
designated all of the appropriations in the bill as capital
in order to prevent the appropriations to be deposited into
the department's operating budget. He remarked that Section
44 (page 60, line 15) Contingency, was contingency
language. Section 45 (page 60, line 18) related to the
supplemental appropriations contained in the legislation.
Section 46 (page 60, line 19) related to "regular
appropriations." Finally, Section 47 (page 60, line 21)
were effective dates for Sections 45 and 46.
3:52:07 PM
Mr. Michel reverted to Section 43, subsection (c) and
remembered that $1.000.075 million for redistricting
purposes was removed in the original governor's budget
request.
Co-Chair Neuman apologized to Pat Pitney, Director, Office
of Management and Budget, Office of the Governor for an
occurrence during budget discussions in his office earlier
in the day.
Representative Wilson asked for a breakdown of capital
budget totals of general funds and federal funds. Mr.
Michel replied that the capital budget was comprised of
$114 million in unrestricted general funds, $60.8 million
of designated general funds, $70.4 million of other state
funds, and $1.277.650 billion of federal funds.
Representative Gara asked whether the capital budget
increased compared to the prior version of the bill. Mr.
Michel answered that the bill included the supplemental
budget and additional supplemental requests were included
after discussions between the House and Senate occurred. He
delineated that the difference between the two versions of
the legislation totaled $48.415 million in general funds.
He noted that $40 million was appropriated as FY 15
supplemental funds for Medicaid. An additional $250
thousand in designated general funds were included in the
Senate version. The Senate decreased general funds by $2.5
million in other state funds for supplemental items.
Representative Gara pointed to page 14 of the bill related
to Knik Arm Crossing money in the amount of $45.3 million
in federal funds. He wondered where the money was included
in the prior version. Mr. Michel replied that the funds
represented future federal receipt authority. He cited the
item on page 14, line 26, the National Highway System and
Non-National Highway System Pavement and Bridge
Reconstruction and Refurbishment ($109,920,000) and
explained that the item had been $45.3 million higher in
the previous version of the bill.
3:56:51 PM
Representative Gara wondered whether there was future
receipt money in the prior bill version for the Knik Arm
Crossing. Mr. Michel replied in the negative.
Representative Gara referenced page 14, line 23, Knik Arm
Crossing, and asked whether the money was future federal
receipt authority. Mr. Michel affirmed.
Mr. Michel, in response to a question by, Representative
Gara answered that the item on line 26 was reduced by the
same amount as the federal receipt authority of $45.3
million for the Knik Arm Crossing when included in the
current version.
Representative Munoz asked whether the $45.3 million for
Knik Arm Crossing was consistent with former Governor
Parnell's budget. Mr. Michel expressed uncertainty.
Representative Munoz asked for a follow up on the
information and in addition information on the Juneau
Access numbers as well.
Representative Guttenberg wondered what the impact of
dedicating the federal receipt authority of $45.3 million
had on other projects. Mr. Michel replied that, in
discussions with DOT he discovered that removing the Knik
Arm Crossing receipt authority from the item on line 26 was
appropriate. The Highway System item acted as a placeholder
for future receipt authority. He did not know the direct
impact but was assured by the department and governor that
the remaining $109 million was sufficient.
4:00:02 PM
Representative Guttenberg pointed out that when the
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
committee met the STIP would be amended and some projects
would move off of the list due to the large Knik Arm
receipt authority.
Co-Chair Neuman asked for verification that the increment
had been requested by the DOT. Mr. Michel responded in the
affirmative.
ADJOURNMENT
4:01:37 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 4:01 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 26 CS WORKDRAFT FIN 041615 F version.pdf |
HFIN 4/16/2015 1:30:00 PM |
SB 26 |