HB 71-SCHOOL DISTRICT ONLINE CHECKBOOK  8:05:19 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 71, "An Act relating to education; and relating to a school district online checkbook." 8:06:24 AM The committee took an at-ease from 8:06 a.m. to 8:07 a.m. 8:07:20 AM REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUSCHER, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 71 and began with the sponsor statement [included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: The School Districts around Alaska spend millions of dollars each year without a clear understanding of where the money goes. We believe it goes to everything from office supplies, to teacher salaries, administrative workers and hopefully the kids in the classroom. A tool like an online checkbook will help the Governor and Legislature understand where the deficit is, and where funding is needed. Public accountability helps ensure that funds are spent wisely, and the public is entitled to understand where the funding goes also. The intent of the online checkbook is to create a free, searchable website that provides Alaskans with easy access to detailed and comprehensive information on School District spending. This will encourage better understanding of district needs and, ultimately, help ensure that funding is directed to where it should be. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER brought attention to the sectional analysis [included in the committee packet]. He related that his staff would be available to read it at the will of the committee. 8:09:07 AM KATHY MCCOLLUM, Vice President, Matanuska-Susitna School Board, gave invited testimony in support of HB 71. She said she advocated for transparency, accountability, public funds, and school responsibility. She offered her belief that it may be a unique situation in the Matanuska-Susitna ("Mat-Su") Borough School District in that everything is currently visible online, which she summarized. She noted that the borough was moving over to a new budget development software that would be more user friendly for the public, and she offered to answer questions regarding it. 8:10:58 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked what "open data" cost. MS. MCCOLLUM clarified that the budget development software is called Gravity Software and although the open data part is included with the software there would be a very small cost. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. McCollum whether she could specify how much staff time is needed. MS. MCCOLLUM offered her belief that the borough was switching to Gravity Software because it would reduce staff time. She said she had no knowledge of exact staff time, and the finance person at the district could answer that specific question. 8:12:38 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked Representative Rauscher whether the bill required a district to have a license to any particular software program. REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER replied that the bill does not call out for any specific software program. 8:13:28 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD opened public testimony on HB 71. After ascertaining no one wished to testify, she closed public testimony. 8:13:50 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced that HB 71 was held over.