Legislature(2023 - 2024)SENATE FINANCE 532

03/14/2024 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

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Audio Topic
09:04:07 AM Start
09:10:06 AM Spring Revenue Forecast – Department of Revenue
09:44:48 AM Governor's Budget Amendments – Office of Management and Budget
10:24:18 AM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Overview: Spring Revenue Forecast TELECONFERENCED
by Department of Revenue
Overview: Governor's Budget Amendments
by Office of Management and Budget
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                 SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                      March 14, 2024                                                                                            
                         9:04 a.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:04:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman called the Senate Finance Committee                                                                            
meeting to order at 9:04 a.m.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Donny Olson, Co-Chair                                                                                                   
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair                                                                                                  
Senator Click Bishop                                                                                                            
Senator Jesse Kiehl                                                                                                             
Senator Kelly Merrick                                                                                                           
Senator David Wilson                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Senator Cathy  Giessel; Adam Crum,  Commissioner, Department                                                                    
of  Revenue; Dan  Stickel,  Chief  Economist, Department  of                                                                    
Revenue; Lacey  Sanders, Director, Office of  Management and                                                                    
Budget, Office of the Governor.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SPRING REVENUE FORECAST  DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET AMENDMENTS  OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT and                                                                          
BUDGET                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
^SPRING REVENUE FORECAST  DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:10:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADAM CRUM, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, introduced                                                                      
himself.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:10:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAN  STICKEL,   CHIEF  ECONOMIST,  DEPARTMENT   OF  REVENUE,                                                                    
discussed  a  presentation  entitled "Spring  2024  Forecast                                                                    
Presentation - Senate Finance Committee"  (copy on file). He                                                                    
turned to slide 2, "Agenda":                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     1. Forecast Background and Key Assumptions                                                                                 
     2. Spring 2024 Revenue Forecast                                                                                            
          • Total State Revenue                                                                                                 
          • Unrestricted Revenue                                                                                                
     3. Petroleum Forecast Assumptions Detail                                                                                   
          • Oil Price                                                                                                           
          • Oil Production                                                                                                      
          • Oil and Gas Lease Expenditures                                                                                      
          • Oil and Gas Transportation Costs                                                                                    
          • Oil and Gas Credits                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel showed slide 3, "Forecast Background and Key                                                                        
Assumptions."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel referenced slide 4, "Background: Spring Revenue                                                                     
Forecast":                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     • Released March 13, 2024                                                                                                  
     •  Historical,  current,  and  estimated  future  state                                                                    
     revenue                                                                                                                    
     • Updates key data from Fall Revenue                                                                                       
     Sources Book                                                                                                               
     •  Official  revenue  forecast used  for  final  budget                                                                    
     process                                                                                                                    
     • Located at tax.alaska.gov                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel turned to slide 5, "Spring Forecast                                                                                 
Assumptions":                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     • The  economic impacts  of financial  and geopolitical                                                                    
     events  are uncertain;  DOR has  developed a  plausible                                                                    
     scenario to forecast these impacts                                                                                         
     • Key Assumptions:                                                                                                         
     o  Investments: Stable  growth  in investment  markets,                                                                    
     7.40%  annualized rate  for remainder  of  FY 2024  and                                                                    
     7.60% for FY 2025+                                                                                                         
     o Federal:  The forecast incorporates known  funding as                                                                    
     of  March  1,  2024,   includes  updated  estimates  of                                                                    
     potential  Infrastructure   Investment  and   Jobs  Act                                                                    
     funding                                                                                                                    
     o Petroleum: Alaska North Slope oil price of $84.08                                                                        
     per barrel for FY 2024 and $78.00 per barrel for FY                                                                        
     2025                                                                                                                       
     o   Non-Petroleum:  Continued   economic  growth.   1.6                                                                    
     million cruise  passengers yearly,  three-year recovery                                                                    
     for fishing industry, minerals  prices based on futures                                                                    
     markets                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel  considered slide 6, "Relative  Contributions to                                                                    
Total State  Revenue: FY 2023," which  showed the assumption                                                                    
of total state revenue for FY 23.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:15:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel  displayed slide  7, "Relative  Contributions to                                                                    
Total  State Revenue:  FY 2024."  He cited  a projection  of                                                                    
$15.5 billion in total state revenue in FY 24.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel showed slide 8, "Spring 2024 Revenue Forecast,"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel  looked  at   slide  9,  "Unrestricted  Revenue                                                                    
Forecast: FY 2023 and Changes to Two-Year Outlook,"                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel addressed slide 10,  "Total Revenue Forecast: FY                                                                    
2023 to FY  2025 Totals," which showed a  table dividing the                                                                    
state revenue streams into pie sections.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel discussed other  restricted revenues, which were                                                                    
limited in  use. He used the  example of a share  of royalty                                                                    
revenue, which was dedicated to the Permanent Fund.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:19:12 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel advanced  to  slide  11, "Unrestricted  Revenue                                                                    
Forecast: FY 2023 to FY 2025 Totals."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel looked  at slide  12, "Unrestricted  Investment                                                                    
Revenue: FY 2023 to FY 2025 Totals."                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:20:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel  showed   slide  13,  "Unrestricted  Investment                                                                    
Revenue: Percent of Market Value (POMV) Transfer Forecast,"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel referenced  slide  14, "Unrestricted  Petroleum                                                                    
Revenue: FY 2023 to FY 2025 Totals."                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel turned to  slide 15, "Unrestricted Non-Petroleum                                                                    
Revenue: FY 2023  to FY 2025 Totals," which  showed a table.                                                                    
He  noted  that  the  largest  share  of  the  non-petroleum                                                                    
revenue was taxes.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:25:36 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.   Stickel   viewed   slide   16,   "Petroleum   Forecast                                                                    
Assumptions Detail."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Stickel displayed slide 17,  " Petroleum Detail: Changes                                                                    
to Long-Term Price Forecast."                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel   highlighted  slide  18,   "Petroleum  Detail:                                                                    
Nominal Brent  Forecasts Comparison  as of March  12, 2024,"                                                                    
which  showed  a  line graph  depicting  how  the  forecasts                                                                    
compared with each other.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel looked  at slide  19, "  Petroleum Detail:  UGF                                                                    
Relative  to  Price per  Barrel  (without  POMV): FY  2025,"                                                                    
which  showed a  graph of  how the  oil price  translated to                                                                    
revenue. The graph showed a sensitivity.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel addressed  slide 20,  "Petroleum Detail:  North                                                                    
Slope  Petroleum Production  Forecast," and  noted that  any                                                                    
nuanced questions  about the  production forecast  should be                                                                    
deferred to DNR.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel  advanced  to   slide  21,  "Petroleum  Detail:                                                                    
Changes  to  North  Slope  Petroleum  Production  Forecast,"                                                                    
which showed  a graph  comparing the production  forecast to                                                                    
the forecast issued in the fall.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:30:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel looked  at slide  22, "Petroleum  Detail: North                                                                    
Slope Allowable  Lease Expenditures,"  which showed  a graph                                                                    
depicting  how  lease  expenditures  had  changed  over  the                                                                    
previous four years.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel spoke  to slide  23,  "Petroleum Detail:  North                                                                    
Slope Transportation Costs."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Stickel referenced  slide  24,  "Petroleum Detail:  Tax                                                                    
Credits for  Purchase Detail," which  showed a bar  graph of                                                                    
tax credits.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  recommended that the  commissioner address                                                                    
the issue of tax credits.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:35:07 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:44:17 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
^GOVERNOR'S  BUDGET AMENDMENTS    OFFICE  OF MANAGEMENT  and                                                                  
BUDGET                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:44:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LACEY SANDERS,  DIRECTOR, OFFICE  OF MANAGEMENT  AND BUDGET,                                                                    
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, relayed  that she // She discussed a                                                                    
presentation  entitled "FY2025  Governor's Amended  Budget -                                                                    
Senate Finance Committee - March 14, 2024" (copy on file).                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders   showed  slide   2,  "FY2025   Updated  Fiscal                                                                    
Summary."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders  spoke  to slide  3,  "Updated  10-Year  Fiscal                                                                    
Outlook,"  which   showed  a  table  as   requested  by  the                                                                    
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders  referenced slide  4, "Operating  Governor Amend                                                                    
Requests,"  which showed  a table  outlining the  governor's                                                                    
amendments.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders   continued  that  within  the   Department  of                                                                    
Commerce, Community  and Economic Development, there  was an                                                                    
item that  she would reference  multiple times and  that was                                                                    
addressed by a forthcoming slide.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:51:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders continued to address  slide 4. In the Department                                                                    
of Military  and Veterans  Affairs there  was a  request for                                                                    
$400,000  to transition  the department  from the  Office of                                                                    
Information  Technology (OIT)  to an  internal oversight  of                                                                    
the IT functions.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl asked about the  DMVA move from OIT, and asked                                                                    
if the amendment would move the DTO to OIT.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders agreed to follow up on that question.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:55:14 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders  turned to  slide  5,  "Capital Governor  Amend                                                                    
Requests," which  provided a  summary of  capital amendments                                                                    
for FY 25.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders  continued to address  slide 5 and  identified a                                                                    
joint use facility in Juneau.  The federal receipts // There                                                                    
had been a misunderstanding  within the University of Alaska                                                                    
Southeast.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders  considered  slide 6,  "Operating  Supplemental                                                                    
Requests,"  which showed  a  table  of additional  operating                                                                    
supplemental requests that had been submitted.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:02:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders identified  an amendment  in the  Department of                                                                    
Public  Safety, which  showed that  the conclusion  was that                                                                    
the workload  could not be  performed by a  single position,                                                                    
and an additional position was a requirement.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders identified two  additional judgements and claims                                                                    
identified by  the Department  of Law. She  spoke to  a line                                                                    
for fund transfers.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
10:07:44 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator   Bishop  asked   for   the   balance  between   the                                                                    
allocations for AVTEC.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders thought she may  have misspoken, and stated that                                                                    
the total need was $629,500 to complete the year.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Bishop recalled that Ms.  Sanders had indicated that                                                                    
AVTEC needed 85 percent enrollment to balance the budget.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders agreed.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
10:09:01 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders   displayed  slide  7,   "Capital  Supplemental                                                                    
Requests," which  showed a table. She  reiterated that there                                                                    
were three pieces that constituted the AEA.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders  highlighted  slide  8,  "Grid  Resilience  and                                                                    
Innovation  Partnership (GRIP),"  which  detailed pieces  of                                                                    
the GRIP project.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Merrick  asked  about  the $12.7  million  in  GRIP                                                                    
matching funds, and asked if there was any concern.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders relayed  that AEA  Director  Curtis Thayer  had                                                                    
confirmed with the federal government.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Merrick  thought there had been  discussion of using                                                                    
a General Obligation (GO) Bond for the project.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders explained that OMB  was still having discussions                                                                    
to  determine if  a  bond  package was  the  best course  of                                                                    
action.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:15:33 AM                                                                                                                   
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:16:20 AM                                                                                                                   
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson referenced  the GRIP  project, and  asked if                                                                    
there  were  any  concerns being  voiced  about  the  energy                                                                    
prices in other areas.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms.   Sanders  affirmed   that   there  were   conversations                                                                    
occurring that .                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Stedman  asked   for  additional   discussion  on                                                                    
judgment and claims.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Sanders shared  that first  item was  $400,000 and  was                                                                    
titled   "Lacano   Investment,   LLC   and   Nowell   Avenue                                                                    
Development  vs.  State  of Alaska,  Department  of  Natural                                                                    
Resources."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders  explained that the spreadsheets  summarized the                                                                    
items she had addressed in her presentation.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman noted that the  capital budget chairman Co-                                                                    
Chair Hoffman was not present.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:20:32 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman asked about a summary of reductions.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Sanders acknowledged that there was a $19 million                                                                           
reduction for DNR's duplication of expenses.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Bishop noted that the decrement that came out of a                                                                      
conversation in subcommittee.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman anticipated a $94 million, so the $19                                                                          
million decrement was good news.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman discussed the agenda for the afternoon                                                                         
meeting.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
10:24:18 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 10:24 a.m.                                                                                         

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
031424 Attachment F - 03.13.24 DEC CPVEC Fund.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment G - GRIP Project Funding Plan as of 03.07.2024.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment E - 03.13.24 DNR Intent Language Response Final.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment D - FY2024 Capital Supplemental Bill Summary Spreadsheet 3.13.2024.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment C - FY2024 Operating Supplemental Summary Spreadsheet 3.13.2024.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment B - FY2025 Capital Governor Amend Bill Summary Spreadsheet 3.13.2024.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 Attachment A - FY2025 Operating Governor Amend Summary Spreadsheet 3.13.2024.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
03.14.24 OMB Senate Finance FY2025 Gov Amend Budget Overview.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Governor's Budget Amendments
031424 S.FIN Spring 2024 Forecast Presentation 3.14.24.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM
Spring Revenue Forecast 2024
03.15.24 SFIN OMB Gov Amend Budget Follow-up to 03.14.24 Hearing.pdf SFIN 3/14/2024 9:00:00 AM