02/08/2011 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB19 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 8, 2011
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Lynn, Chair
Representative Wes Keller, Vice Chair
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Max Gruenberg
Representative Pete Petersen
Representative Kyle Johansen
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 19
"An Act relating to special request registration plates; and
providing for an effective date."
- MOVED OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 19
SHORT TITLE: SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) LYNN, KELLER, GATTO
01/18/11 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/11
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) STA, FIN
02/08/11 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
WHITNEY BREWSTER, Director
Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Department of Administration
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
19.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:24 AM
CHAIR BOB LYNN called the House State Affairs Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Keller, Seaton,
Wilson, Johansen, Petersen, and Lynn were present at the call to
order. Representative Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
HB 19-SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES
8:04:57 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the only order of business was HOUSE
BILL NO. 19, "An Act relating to special request registration
plates; and providing for an effective date."
CHAIR LYNN introduced HB 19 as joint prime sponsor. He said on
a recent trip to Indiana, he noted there were a great number of
license plates on which were the words "In God We Trust." He
reported that the Indiana Borough of Motor Vehicles issued
250,000 of those license plates in the first six months that
they were available. He said HB 19 would create a special
request license plate on which would be the American Flag and
the words, "In God We Trust." He noted that the Indiana plate
is pictured in the committee packet. He said the typical
procedure would be followed to have similar plates in Alaska;
the driver would request the "national motto plate" and pay a
[$30] fee.
8:07:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN noted that some special license plates
in Alaska cost $30 and some cost $50, and he asked how the
prices are set.
8:08:21 AM
WHITNEY BREWSTER, Director, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV),
Department of Administration, said the fees associated with a
license plate are set by the legislature. She said the fees
vary; sometimes the specialty plate is designed as a fund
raiser, so the fee may be higher, for example. In response to
Representative Keller, she said in a majority of cases, the DMV
works with the impacted organization on the development of the
plate design. The DMV essentially checks with law enforcement
to ensure the design meets its needs. She said the most recent
plates made were for firefighters and emergency medical service
(EMS) workers and the Iditarod plate. She said the DMV has the
ability to do less sophisticated design, but does not have
design staff.
8:11:08 AM
CHAIR LYNN noted that in the committee packet are the designs
from license plates not only from Indiana, but also from
Virginia and South Carolina.
MS. BREWSTER, in response to Representative Keller, confirmed
that the division would work with the joint prime sponsors on
the design of the proposed plate.
8:12:16 AM
CHAIR LYNN closed public testimony.
8:12:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON directed attention to a sentence [on
page 1, lines 9-10, of HB 19], which read as follows:
The department may disapprove the issuance of
registration plates under this subsection when the
requested plates are a duplication of an existing
registration.
MS. BREWSTER, in response to Representative Wilson, said it is
not a problem if someone wants to change from one plate design
to another. She explained that the aforementioned language
means that if the symbols on the plate have already been issued,
then the division will not duplicate that registration.
8:13:46 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to a question from Representative
Johansen, said these plates would be available to commercial
vehicles and motorcycles. In response to Chair Lynn, she
confirmed that the design can be shrunk to fit on the smaller
license plates used on motorcycles.
8:14:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG related that New Hampshire once had a
plate which stated, "Live Free or Die." He said someone opposed
that expression and covered it up, and the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld that action.
MS. BREWSTER said she has never dealt with that issue. In
response to a follow-up question, she confirmed that the DMV is
a member of the American Administration of Motor Vehicle
Administrators (AAMVA), which has membership from all 50 states
and the territories. She said she has not heard the AAMVA
discuss any occurrences where a license plate owner covered up
the motto on the plate.
8:17:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN opined that Representative Gruenberg has
brought up an interesting point. He said someone might
interpret "The Last Frontier" on their plate as meaning Alaska
is a place where trees should not be cut down or mining should
not occur. He suggested the committee may want to consider
amending the bill so that a person could have a "blank plate."
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG clarified that he was interested in the
legal issue and finding out how the division addressed it if it
had arisen. However, he said since the division has not
addressed the issue, he is not planning to pursue it.
8:18:56 AM
MS. BREWSTER, in response to Representative Wilson, estimated
that currently there are 50 different plates available to
Alaskans, including specialty plates designed for the military
and the university.
8:20:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG asked if there is a mechanism in the
division for striking statutes concerning license plates when
the eligible recipients have all died, such as a plate for Pearl
Harbor survivors.
MS. BREWSTER offered her understanding that there is not. In
response to a follow-up, she offered her understanding that
currently there are no plates that are obsolete, but she said
perhaps soon there will be, for example, the Pearl Harbor plates
mentioned by Representative Gruenberg.
CHAIR LYNN remarked that it amazes him that it takes legislation
to get rid of legislation.
8:22:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN predicted that "In God We Trust" should
last.
8:23:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER moved to report HB 19 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no further objection, HB 19 was reported out
of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.
8:24:11 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 8:24
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01 HB 19.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| 02 Sponsor Statement HB 19.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| 03 Sample In God We Trust License Plates HB 19.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| 04 Memo-Constitutionality of HB 19 - Revised1.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| 05 HB019-STA-DOA-DMV-02-04-11.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |