02/11/2025 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB50 | |
| SB63 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 50 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 63 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 11, 2025
1:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Kelly Merrick, Chair
Senator Forrest Dunbar, Vice Chair
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
Senator Robert Yundt
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Donald Olson
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 50
"An Act relating to the comprehensive plans of first and second
class boroughs."
- MOVED CSSB 50(CRA) OUT OF COMMITTEE
SENATE BILL NO. 63
"An Act relating to the Local Boundary Commission; and providing
for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 50
SHORT TITLE: MUNICIPAL COMPREHENSIVE PLANS: HOUSING
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) DUNBAR
01/17/25 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/17/25
01/22/25 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/22/25 (S) CRA, L&C
02/04/25 (S) CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/04/25 (S) Heard & Held
02/04/25 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
02/11/25 (S) CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
BILL: SB 63
SHORT TITLE: LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) CRONK
01/24/25 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/24/25 (S) CRA, STA
02/11/25 (S) CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
WITNESS REGISTER
SENATOR MIKE CRONK, District R
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SB 63.
PAUL MENKE, Staff
Senator Mike Cronk
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the sectional analysis for SB 63
on behalf of the sponsor.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:30:35 PM
CHAIR MERRICK called the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Present at the
call to order were Senators Gray-Jackson, Yundt, Dunbar, and
Chair Merrick.
SB 50-MUNICIPAL COMPREHENSIVE PLANS: HOUSING
1:31:08 PM
CHAIR MERRICK announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 50
"An Act relating to the comprehensive plans of first and second
class boroughs."
CHAIR MERRICK said this is the second hearing on SB 50. She
invited the bill sponsor to give a brief recap of the bill.
1:31:18 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR gave a recap of SB 50, stating the bill adds a
housing plan element that may be included in comprehensive plans
for municipal governments. He said SB 50 does not require
existing plans to be updated; rather, it applies prospectively,
meaning the State asks that future comprehensive plans include
housing.
1:31:54 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR moved to adopt the committee substitute (CS) for
SB 50, work order 34-LS0356\N, as the working document.
1:32:05 PM
CHAIR MERRICK objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR DUNBAR presented the summary of changes. He explained
that Legislative Legal Services made a technical change to clean
up statutory language. Although the technical change had no
legal effect, it caused confusion among stakeholders. For
clarity, this CS reverses the technical change, restoring the
original statutory language.
1:32:40 PM
CHAIR MERRICK removed her objection.
CHAIR MERRICK found no further objection and CSSB 50 was adopted
as the working document.
1:32:51 PM
CHAIR MERRICK opened public testimony on SB 50; finding none,
she closed public testimony.
1:33:14 PM
CHAIR MERRICK solicited the will of the committee.
1:33:16 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR moved to report CSSB 50, work order 34-LS0356\N,
from committee with individual recommendations, attached fiscal
note(s), and authorization for Legislative Legal Services to
make conforming changes.
1:33:32 PM
CHAIR MERRICK found no objection and CSSB 50(CRA) was reported
from the Senate Community and Regional Affairs Standing
Committee.
1:33:37 PM
At ease.
SB 63-LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION
1:34:55 PM
CHAIR MERRICK reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 63 "An Act relating to the
Local Boundary Commission; and providing for an effective date."
CHAIR MERRICK invited the bill sponsor and his staff to put
themselves on record and introduce the bill.
1:35:16 PM
SENATOR MIKE CRONK, District R, Alaska State Legislature,
Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of SB 63, paraphrased the following
sponsor summary:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Senate Bill 63 is the final product of last session's
HB 279, which passed the House unanimously, made it
through the Senate committee process and was
calendared for Senate Floor vote, but the clock ran
out before it could be voted on. SB 63 is adding
language to exiting statute to accomplish three goals:
1.) To ensure commissioners appointed from each of the
four Judicial Districts actually live in and vote
in the Judicial District from which they are
appointed.
2.) To create an additional seat on the Commission and
ensure that at least one of the six Commissioners
come from the Unorganized Borough.
3.) To change statute regarding the selection of the
Commission chair. Instead of the chair
automatically being the member from the state at-
large, the chair of the commission will be elected
from amongst its members.
Note: The effective date of January 31, 2026 is
selected so the present Local Boundary Commission
(LBC) makeup will be retained until the next LBC seat
becomes open. At that time a person from the
Unorganized Borough will be selected.
1:36:19 PM
PAUL MENKE, Staff, Senator Mike Cronk, Alaska State Legislature,
Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional analysis for SB 63 on
behalf of the sponsor:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Section 1:
- Changes the number of seats on the Local Boundary
Commission from 5 seats to 6 seats.
- Changes the terms for the commissioner seats from
5 years to 6 years.
- Establishes that at least one Commissioner be from
the Unorganized Borough.
- Requires a commissioner appointed from a Judicial
District to be domiciled and registered to vote in
that District.
- Establishes that the Chair of the Local Boundary
Commission be elected from among its members,
rather than the Chair being the member at-large by
default.
Section 2:
Amends the uncodified law of the State of Alaska to
state that members appointed to the Local Boundary
Commission will serve six-year terms, and this act
will not affect the term of a member appointed prior
to January 31, 2026.
Section 3:
Establishes an effective date of January 31, 2026.
MR. MENKE emphasized that the effective date of the bill ensures
this act will not affect the terms of currently seated members.
1:37:28 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR asked whether SB 63 is identical to the bill that
was reported from the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Committee last year.
SENATOR CRONK replied that SB 63 is identical and deferred to
his staff for confirmation.
MR. MENKE confirmed that SB 63 is identical to the version
reported from the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Committee last year, which was Senate Committee Substitute for
Committee Substitute for House Bill 279(CRA).
1:38:27 PM
CHAIR MERRICK opened public testimony on SB 63; finding none,
she closed public testimony.
1:38:49 PM
SENATOR CRONK expressed appreciation to the committee for
hearing SB 63 early in the session.
1:39:00 PM
CHAIR MERRICK held SB 63 in committee.
1:39:14 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Merrick adjourned the Senate Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting at 1:39 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 63 Research About the LBC 2.4.2025.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 63 |
| SB 63 Sectional Analysis version A.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 63 |
| SB 63 Sponsor Statement version A.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 63 |
| SB50 CS work draft Version N.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 50 |
| SB 63 DCCED-DCRA-02-07-25 Fiscal Note.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 63 |
| SB 50 Public Testimony - Allmeroth 02.08.2025.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 50 |
| SB 63 Public Testimony - Allmeroth 02.08.2025.pdf |
SCRA 2/11/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 63 |