03/04/2004 09:17 AM House STA

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
             HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                           
                         March 4, 2004                                                                                          
                           9:17 a.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, Chair                                                                                           
Representative Jim Holm, Vice Chair                                                                                             
Representative John Coghill                                                                                                     
Representative Paul Seaton                                                                                                      
Representative Max Gruenberg                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bob Lynn                                                                                                         
Representative Ethan Berkowitz                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DISCUSSION WITH DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION STAFF                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
04-28, SIDE(S) A                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BRUCE  WEYHRAUCH convened  the meeting  of the  House State                                                             
Affairs Standing Committee at 9:17 a.m.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WEYHRAUCH  called  the hearing  for  discussion  with  the                                                               
Department of  Transportation & Public Facilities  (DOT&PF) staff                                                               
to order  at 9:17  a.m.   He explained that  the purpose  of this                                                               
hearing is to offer questions  and comments to the representative                                                               
from  the Department  of Transportation  and have  the Department                                                               
come back to the committee at a later date with responses.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Questions  and   comments  were   given  to  the   Department  of                                                               
Transportation  &  Public   Facilities  regarding  the  following                                                               
subjects and questions:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Aging  of  public facilities  and  the  status of  their  repair;                                                               
whether there is  a need for statutory changes in  that area; the                                                               
percentage [of  the budget  of public  facilities] being  used by                                                               
the department for repair and  maintenance; the amount of [money]                                                               
going  into the  maintenance  of Alaska's  large public  facility                                                               
infrastructure; the  amount of more  [money] necessary to  do the                                                               
job  right;  possible  alternatives   for  meeting  those  needs;                                                               
clarity with  regard to  the change in  ownership of  some public                                                               
facilities  from  DOT&PF  to the  Department  of  Administration;                                                               
update on the  portion of Homeland Security  covered under DOT&PF                                                               
and whether the state will be  able to meet the new criteria; the                                                               
status  of  the equipment  fleet;  explanation  of the  Ketchikan                                                               
bridge  project;  update   on  the  use  and   range  of  private                                                               
contractors  and private  contracting facilities;  the status  of                                                               
the Pilot Procurement Program; the  status of contracting out for                                                               
reservations  for  the  Alaska Marine  Highway  System;  the  new                                                               
policy on driveway permits;  contract awards procedures; timeline                                                               
for the  public process mentioned  by Deputy  Commissioner Briggs                                                               
regarding contracting jobs and/or moving Marine Highway jobs.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH adjourned the meeting at 9:34 a.m.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment  of the  second  session  of the  Twenty-Third                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.