04/01/2010 09:00 AM House FINANCE

HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                                         
April 1, 2010                                                                                                                   
9:07 a.m.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:07:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze called the House Finance Committee meeting                                                                     
to order at 9:07 a.m.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bill Stoltze, Co-Chair                                                                                           
Representative Bill Thomas Jr., Vice-Chair                                                                                      
Representative Allan Austerman                                                                                                  
Representative Mike Doogan                                                                                                      
Representative Anna Fairclough                                                                                                  
Representative Neal Foster                                                                                                      
Representative Les Gara                                                                                                         
Representative Reggie Joule                                                                                                     
Representative Mike Kelly                                                                                                       
Representative Woodie Salmon                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Mike Hawker, Co-Chair                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wes Keller; Mary Siroky, Special Assistant                                                                       
to the Commissioner, Department of Transportation                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Yukon Tanner, Talkeetna; Dallas Massie, Susitna American                                                                        
Legion Post 35, Wasilla                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
HB 226         NAMING VETERANS' WAY IN MAT-SU                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
               CS HB 226 (TRA) was REPORTED out of                                                                              
               Committee with a "do pass" recommendation                                                                        
               and with a new Department of Transportation                                                                      
               fiscal note.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:07:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 226                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act renaming Seldon Road and that portion of                                                                           
     Bogard Road that extends between Palmer and Meadow                                                                         
     Lakes, as Veterans' Way."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:08:12 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER, the  bill's sponsor, depicted the                                                                    
bill  as a  tribute  to  the veterans  of  Alaska for  their                                                                    
service  and  sacrifice.  He  expressed  the  importance  of                                                                    
remembering that the freedom for  self determination is paid                                                                    
for with the  sacrifice of veterans who  serve this country.                                                                    
He  reported on  the variety  of names  that presently  exit                                                                    
along the roadway.  He referred to the Wasilla  map (copy on                                                                    
file).  Representative Keller  reported that  he knocked  on                                                                    
doors  along the  corridor and  encountered  no problems  or                                                                    
resistance with Wasilla  locals in changing the  name of the                                                                    
corridor to honor the veterans.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:11:05 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stoltze  clarified  that  the  name  change  would                                                                    
follow  the same  procedure as  other  veteran corridors  in                                                                    
Alaska in  that it does  not change  the names of  the local                                                                    
roads, but has an overlap name assigned to the roadway.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative Keller  agreed. He expressed again  the local                                                                    
enthusiasm for the process.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze reiterated that  renaming roads can be more                                                                    
complicated, but this bill only  renames the entire corridor                                                                    
to honor the veterans.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:12:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Gara  asked  if   there  was  any  community                                                                    
opposition to this bill.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Keller  replied that the community  has given                                                                    
this bill its enthusiastic support.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Foster  agreed the  bill  is  good idea.  He                                                                    
wondered if  there was  any negative  comments, and,  if so,                                                                    
what they might have been.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Keller  responded that there was  no negative                                                                    
response within the community.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:13:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
YUKON TANNER, TALKEETNA  (via teleconference) announced that                                                                    
he proposed  to change  the corridor  to Veterans  Way years                                                                    
ago, but  met with a  political obstacle at that  time which                                                                    
delayed the  process. Last  year several  hundred signatures                                                                    
were gathered in support of  naming the corridor in honor of                                                                    
veterans   (copy   on   file).  He   revealed   that   after                                                                    
accumulating  hundreds   of  signatures,  only   two  people                                                                    
initially  refused to  sign, but  after further  explanation                                                                    
they  were  more  agreeable. He  found  zero  resistance  to                                                                    
changing the  name. Mr. Tanner  expounded on the  history of                                                                    
his family's  military service and reiterated  that the name                                                                    
honors veterans and is the respectful thing to do.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze acknowledged that  the committee had copies                                                                    
of the letter signed by the Mat-Su Valley delegation.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:16:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DALLAS  MASSIE, SUSITNA  AMERICAN  LEGION  POST 35,  WASILLA                                                                    
(via teleconference) spoke  on behalf of the  500 members in                                                                    
the legion.  He expounded of his  family's military service.                                                                    
He  supported the  bill  on  behalf of  his  family and  the                                                                    
members of the American Legion Post in Susitna.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze asked for any further public testimony.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze closed public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:17:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARY   SIROKY,  SPECIAL   ASSISTANT  TO   THE  COMMISSIONER,                                                                    
DEPARTMENT  OF TRANSPORTATION  communicated  the changes  in                                                                    
the   revised   fiscal   note.  The   department   initially                                                                    
understood  that the  section  of road  was  to be  entirely                                                                    
renamed and  the original fiscal note  for $34,000 reflected                                                                    
the  necessary   changes.  After  further   explanation  the                                                                    
department revised the fiscal note  to a lower number with a                                                                    
reduction for  only ten  signs. The new  fiscal note  is for                                                                    
$8,500.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stoltze  honored Private  First Class  James Miller                                                                    
from Chugiak  who was  killed in  action in  Afghanistan. He                                                                    
acknowledged other veterans in the room                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:20:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Thomas  MOVED to  report CS HB  226 (TRA)  out of                                                                    
Committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note. There being NO  OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CS HB  226 (TRA) was  REPORTED out  of Committee with  a "do                                                                    
pass"   recommendation  and   with  a   new  Department   of                                                                    
Transportation fiscal note.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 9:21 AM