Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519
04/15/2022 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB291 | |
| HB308 | |
| HB363 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 291 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 308 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 363 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 15, 2022
1:32 p.m.
1:32:55 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Merrick called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:32 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Kelly Merrick, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz, Vice-Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Bart LeBon
Representative Sara Rasmussen (via teleconference)
Representative Adam Wool (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative Steve Thompson
ALSO PRESENT
Christine O'Connor, Alaska Telecom Association; Micaela
Fowler, Admin Services Director, Department of Commerce,
Community and Economic Development.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
James Kerr, Petersburg Police Department, Petersburg;
Saralyn Tabachnick, Deputy Director, AWARE, Juneau; Karol
Fink, Health Program Manager, Division of Public Health,
Department of Health and Social Services; Mark Springer,
Self, Bethel; Michael Williams, Yukon Kuskokwim Tribal
Broadband Consortium, Akiak; Shawn Williams, Vice President
of Government Affairs and Strategy, Pacific Dataport,
Anchorage.
SUMMARY
HB 291 EXTENDING COUNCIL ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CSHB 291(STA) was REORTED out of committee with
six "do pass" recommendations and one "no
recommendation" recommendation and with one
previously published fiscal impact note:
FN1(DPS).
HB 308 DEMENTIA AWARENESS
CSHB 308(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with
four "do pass recommendations, one "do not pass"
recommendation, and two "no recommendation"
recommendations and with one new fiscal impact
note by the Department of Health.
HB 363 BROADBAND: OFFICE, GRANTS, PARITY
CSHB 363(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with
six "do pass" recommendations and one "amend"
recommendation and with one new fiscal impact
note by the Department of Commerce, Community and
Economic Development.
HOUSE BILL NO. 291
"An Act extending the termination date of the Council
on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; and providing
for an effective date."
1:33:31 PM
Co-Chair Merrick indicated it was the second hearing for HB
291.
1:33:54 PM
Co-Chair Merrick OPENED public testimony.
JAMES KERR, PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT, PETERSBURG (via
teleconference), spoke in support of HB 291. He thought
supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault
played a significant role in public safety in Alaska, and
the bill would fund programs that aimed to do so. The bill
provided a high standard of training to law enforcement
agencies investigating domestic violence and sexual
assault. Frontline personnel needed to be properly
supported in order to keep up to date on standards and
protocols. He urged members to use their power to extend
the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
(CVDSA).
1:36:20 PM
SARALYN TABACHNICK, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, AWARE, JUNEAU (via
teleconference), spoke in support of HB 291. She thought
that the funding and services that CDVSA provided were
critical for agencies, law enforcement, and survivors. The
council was a tremendous resource for funding agencies and
provided valuable and technical assistance. Earlier in the
year, Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE)
experienced a landslide that impacted its structure, and
CDVSA provided significant help in the aftermath. She
shared the important work CDVSA was doing in domestic
violence and sexual assault prevention as well. The
training and resources provided by CDVSA was broad, the
approach was thorough, and the knowledge was extensive. She
urged members to pass the bill.
1:39:04 PM
Co-Chair Merrick CLOSED public testimony.
Vice-Chair Ortiz MOVED to report CSHB 291(STA) out of
committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
CSHB 291(STA) was REORTED out of committee with six "do
pass" recommendations and one "no recommendation"
recommendation and with one previously published fiscal
impact note: FN1(DPS).
1:40:01 PM
AT EASE
1:41:52 PM
RECONVENED
HOUSE BILL NO. 308
"An Act relating to dementia awareness."
1:41:59 PM
Co-Chair Merrick indicated there were no amendments.
Co-Chair Merrick OPENED public testimony.
1:42:30 PM
Co-Chair Merrick CLOSED public testimony.
Co-Chair Merrick asked Ms. Karol Fink to review the new
fiscal note.
1:42:56 PM
KAROL FINK, HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER, DIVISION OF PUBLIC
HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES (via
teleconference), was available for questions regarding the
fiscal note from the Department of Health and Social
Services (DHSS) with the control code Psdpb.
1:43:36 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz MOVED to report CSHB 308(FIN) out of
committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
Co-Chair Merrick clarified there would be a forthcoming
fiscal note.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
CSHB 308(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with four "do
pass recommendations, one "do not pass" recommendation, and
two "no recommendation" recommendations and with one new
fiscal impact note by the Department of Health and Social
Services.
1:44:10 PM
AT EASE
1:45:28 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Merrick indicated Representative Johnson had
joined the meeting.
HOUSE BILL NO. 363
"An Act establishing the office of broadband; creating
the broadband parity adjustment fund; establishing the
Statewide Broadband Advisory Board; and providing for
an effective date."
1:45:50 PM
Co-Chair Merrick OPENED public testimony.
1:46:22 PM
CHRISTINE O'CONNOR, ALASKA TELECOM ASSOCIATION, IN ROOM,
relayed that Alaska Telecom Association (ATA) supported HB
363. The bill was well-framed to enable the Office of
Broadband to begin its work quickly and take advantage of
the opportunity presented by the federal Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). She thanked the bill
sponsor for bringing the bill forward.
1:47:22 PM
MARK SPRINGER, SELF, BETHEL (via teleconference), testified
in support of the bill and appreciated Representative
Edgmon's leadership. The bill would help extensively with
broadband for the future. He noted that the technological
instrument of choice in western Alaska was a cell phone,
and that his grandson could easily go through the 10 GB
priced at $65 per month in less than a week. He suggested
that "In-State experience" be stricken from page 1, line 11
of the bill. He thought the terminology might not stand up
to a constitutional challenge and that there was no reason
for the phrase to be included. He was aware of a
forthcoming amendment that would include the term
"technology neutral" and he would support the inclusion of
the term. He also suggested that one of the Broadband
Advisory Board (BAB) positions be adjusted to accommodate
an additional broadband provider position. He thought
having more than one provider being on the advisory board
would be helpful.
1:51:33 PM
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, YUKON KUSKOKWIM TRIBAL BROADBAND
CONSORTIUM, AKIAK (via teleconference), wanted equal access
for tribes to the broadband funding from IIJA. He thought
that a variety of technology should be represented by the
board. He also argued that the legislature should have
final approval on broadband grant awards in order to
prevent favoritism of any particular company. He looked
forward to high-speed internet access for all of Alaska.
1:53:39 PM
SHAWN WILLIAMS, VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND
STRATEGY, PACIFIC DATAPORT, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
relayed that Pacific Dataport was a satellite middle mile
provider launching two satellites covering 100 percent of
Alaska and connecting more than 100,000 rural Alaskans with
broadband. The first satellite would go up in August of
2022 and the second would go up in 2024. He noted that the
company had accomplished this without any subsidy funding.
He recommended the removal of the term "In-State" from the
bill, which he thought would only serve to limit
competition. He also recommended that the composition of
the board be included in the bill and include a clear
mission. Moreover, he recommended the addition of language
that recognized IIJA regulation to ensure that the bill
would not conflict with IIJA language. Finally, he
recommended that legislative oversight be added to all
awards and grants. He thought there could be an alternative
option and the committee substitute could be much simpler.
He encouraged the spirit of competition and the expansion
of broadband.
1:57:01 PM
Co-Chair Merrick CLOSED public testimony.
Co-Chair Merrick indicated there was an updated fiscal
note. She asked Ms. Micaela Fowler to review the fiscal
note from Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development (DCCED) with the control code rpNWK.
1:57:27 PM
MICAELA FOWLER, ADMIN SERVICES DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE, COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, reviewed the
fiscal note which had been updated from a prior version.
The previous version did not include the cost of new
positions under the "Personal Services" line on the fiscal
note and the updated fiscal note had been changed to
correct the error. She emphasized that the legislation had
not been changed at all.
1:58:35 PM
Representative LeBon MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1, 32-
LS1527\G.4 (Klein, 4/14/22) (copy on file):
Page 4, line 1, following "provide":
Insert "technology neutral"
Representative Josephson OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative LeBon MOVED to ADOPT conceptual Amendment 1
to Amendment 1(copy on file):
After Page 1, line 2 of the amendment:
Insert:
"Page 2, line 22
Delete "and rates"
Page 3, line 12
Delete "and rates""
Co-Chair Merrick OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative LeBon explained that the conceptual
amendment would ensure that the Office of Broadband would
not be setting rates of service for the broadband parity
adjustment program. However, the office would still set the
criteria for the program. He noted that he worked with the
sponsor's office and thought that the conceptual amendment
would not be controversial.
1:59:53 PM
Representative Edgmon agreed with the changes proposed by
the conceptual amendment.
Representative Josephson asked about line 2 of the
conceptual amendment where it appeared to be blank after
the word "Insert." He wondered if he was reading it
incorrectly.
Representative LeBon was unsure of the question.
Vice-Chair Ortiz was also having difficulty with
understanding the same line of the conceptual amendment.
2:00:38 PM
AT EASE
2:02:30 PM
RECONVENED
Representative LeBon provided additional information about
the conceptual amendment. He reiterated that the amendment
proposed the deletion of "and rates" and did not propose
the insertion of additional language.
2:03:06 PM
Representative Josephson asked Representative Edgmon
whether he was satisfied with the term "technology
neutral." He asked what was meant by the term.
Representative LeBon requested that they move the
conceptual amendment before addressing Amendment 1.
Co-Chair Merrick WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 1 was ADOPTED.
2:03:30 PM
Representative LeBon reviewed Amendment 1 as amended. He
explained that it would amend language describing the
purpose of BAB. The amendment would add the term
"technology neutral" to the description. He explained that
technological neutrality meant that no particular
technology would be favored in the goal of providing
reliable, high-speed broadband. He thought that
technological neutrality was foundational to the proposed
work of the board. While he still had some concerns about
the structure of the board, the amendment represented the
change he agreed to with the bill sponsor.
2:05:50 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked about the words, "and rates" in the
conceptual amendment. He asked why the removal was
necessary for Amendment 1 to be functional.
Representative Edgmon explained that the word "rates" was
regulatory in nature. The bill and the broadband program
laid out by IIJA was still new and everyone was learning.
He supported the amended amendment.
2:07:39 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz clarified the intent of the amendment was
to address the concern that determining the rates would be
an inappropriate task for the board.
Representative Edgmon explained that BAB was intended to
advise the Office of Broadband itself. He thought the
language in the amendment best captured the intent of the
federal IIJA bill.
Vice-Chair Ortiz wondered whether there would be a role
within the office or the board to ensure that consumers
were equally served.
Representative Edgmon indicated that the program would be
highly regulated and funded. The National Technology
Infrastructure Association (NTIA) was planning on having a
representative in Alaska to ensure that the program was
being implemented properly.
2:09:55 PM
AT EASE
2:10:17 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Edgmon explained that the omission of the
term "and rates" was only in reference to the Office of
Broadband, not BAB.
Representative Johnson liked the amendment because it kept
the board from getting involved in rate determinations. She
thought there were multiple ways the word "rates" could be
applied.
Representative Josephson WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment 1 as amended
was ADOPTED.
2:11:49 PM
Representative Carpenter noted one of the public testifiers
was concerned that every customer might not receive an
increase in broadband. He understood that the testifier
recommended that a plan was in place before approval. He
was not sure how it would work and thought it did not seem
feasible, but he liked the concept. He was concerned that
there was only one seat on the board designated for a
broadband consumer who would not be representing any
special interest groups. He wondered if the board was being
established pro forma or if it was intended to support and
push back on potentially unsatisfactory policy decisions.
He thought that 5 of the 11 board members were likely to
live in urban areas and that some of the board members
would have competing priorities. If a substantial majority
of board members did not live in unserved or underserved
area, he thought the majority would give institutions an
unfair advantage.
Representative Carpenter proposed a conceptual amendment to
HB 363. On page 4, line 16, he wanted to add language that
indicated that at least 6 of the board members must live in
unserved or underserved areas. He thought this would better
reflect the priorities of the Office of Broadband. He was
concerned that the board would likely be a pro forma board
as opposed to representing the needs of the average Alaskan
resident.
Representative Carpenter MOVED to ADOPT conceptual
Amendment 2.
Co-Chair Merrick OBJECTED for discussion.
2:17:25 PM
Representative Edgmon thought that, procedurally, the
amendment process had concluded.
2:17:30 PM
AT EASE
2:21:11 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Merrick invited Representative Edgmon to comment.
Representative Edgmon was respectfully in opposition to the
amendment. He emphasized that the board would be made up of
11 members and at least 2 members would be from unserved or
underserved areas. There was nothing to prevent the nine
remaining members from also coming from unserved or
underserved areas. No one could know about future
appointments to institutions that had designated seats on
the board. He added that the federal terms were very
descriptive and addressed the digital divide between areas
that had high-speed internet and areas that did not. The
board was responsible for providing input and
recommendations to the employment office to ensure that the
prescriptive IIJA bill was followed meticulously, otherwise
there would be issues and concerns. He understood where the
maker of the amendment was coming from but did not feel it
was additive to the bill.
Representative Johnson thought the current suggested make-
up of the board was satisfactory. She noted that there
would be other monies going to the Alaska Native tribes and
that there could be an overlap in funding if there was not
proper oversight. She thought it was important for
representatives from the Alaska Native Corporations to be
involved. She was thought the structure of the board
proposed in the bill made sense.
2:25:53 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if the conceptual amendment was
adopted whether it would be in line with the spirit of the
bill or would it be hurtful. If it would be hurtful, he
wanted to know why.
Representative Edgmon responded that the three categories
the bill aimed to address were unserved consumers,
underserved consumers, and anchoring institutions. Unserved
communities would be the primary focus. He commented that
there were also a number of urban areas that were
underserved. He did not want to make the composition of the
advisory board too prescriptive. He noted that there was a
five to ten year implementation timeline and circumstances
would certainly change once the federal monies were
applied. He thought that the composition of the board might
need to be different in the future, but the composition
proposed in the bill was the best option for the current
broadband environment.
Representative Josephson thought Representative Carpenter's
intention was to support and assist the bill. He understood
the point Representative Carpenter was making but deferred
to the sponsor as the sponsor was more informed on the
subject.
Representative Carpenter indicated there was a reason for
the language in the bill. In the crafting of the bill,
someone thought it was important to mandate that at least
two of the members on the board were from underserved
areas. He argued that an equitable distribution would not
be achieved with such a minority representation on the
board. He suggested that a majority of members on the board
should come from unserved and underserved areas as these
areas were where the funds should be focused. He thought
there was a risk that the board would be comprised of the
minimum required two members and it would not be equal.
Co-Chair Merrick MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Carpenter
OPPOSED: LeBon, Ortiz, Rasmussen, Wool, Edgmon, Johnson,
Josephson, Merrick
The MOTION FAILED (1/8). Conceptual Amendment 2 FAILED to
be ADOPTED.
2:32:19 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz MOVED to report CSHB 363 (FIN) out of
committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal note.
There being NO further OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
CSHB 363(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with six "do
pass" recommendations and one "amend" recommendation and
with one new fiscal impact note by the Department of
Commerce, Community and Economic Development.
2:32:47 PM
AT EASE
2:33:05 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Merrick reviewed the agenda for the following
meeting on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
2:33:20 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 2:33 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 363 Amendment 1 LeBon 041422.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 363 |
| HB 363 Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 1 LeBon 041522.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 363 |
| HB 308 Letter of Support.Long Term Care Ombudsman.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 308 |
| HB 363 Public Testimony 4.14.22.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 363 |
| HB 363 Public Testimony Rec'd by 041522.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 363 |
| HB 291 DV SA Statement.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 291 |
| HB 414 Public Testimony Rec'd by 041522.pdf |
HFIN 4/15/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 414 |