HB 154-MUSEUM OF THE NORTH  8:12:23 AM CHAIR GATTIS announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 154, "An Act relating to natural and cultural history collections at the University of Alaska Museum of the North." 8:12:38 AM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD moved to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 154, labeled 28-LS0613\N, Mischel, 3/20/13, as the working document. There being no objection, it was so ordered. REPRESENTATIVE STEVE THOMPSON, Alaska State Legislature, introduced HB 154, and paraphrased from the sponsor statement [Included in members' packets]: House Bill 154 is an act relating to natural and cultural history repositories. It revises statutes governing the University of Alaska adding a new section that designates the Museum of the North as a repository of the state natural and cultural history collections and gives the university the authority to designate other repositories as needed. The bill also defines the purpose and the functions of a repository. Museum collections include 1.4 million artifacts and specimens representing millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions. These are crucial resource items that need to be available. Designating the Museum of the North as a repository will help ensure that the historical collections remain available to researchers, students, Alaska citizens and others with an interest in cultural history and an interest in repositories. 8:14:47 AM LYNETTE BERGH, Staff, Representative Steve Thompson, Alaska State Legislature, said that she would answer any questions about proposed HB 154. 8:15:12 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON directed attention to page 1, lines 6 - 7, and asked why the University of Alaska Fairbanks was being offered the power to designate museums throughout Alaska as repositories. 8:15:36 AM MS. BERGH, in response, explained that the intention was for campuses with museums to be designated as repositories, and that the designations could not be made outside the University of Alaska system. 8:16:20 AM KEVIN WINKER, Chief Curator; Acting Director, University of Alaska Museum, explained that the designations were limited to within the other campuses in the University of Alaska system. 8:17:06 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON suggested that the designation was too broad, and he questioned whether it was the University of Alaska or the museum that was given power to designate. MR. WINKER agreed that the main purpose was the designation for the University of Alaska Museum of the North, and he also requested clarification for future designations. He pointed out the potential for the use of these resources for both research and education, stating that "it's a great idea." 8:18:26 AM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD, noting that there was a zero fiscal note attached [Included in members' packets], asked if there were any projected costs in the future. MR. WINKER replied that he did not anticipate any cost directly associated with the proposed bill, though he conceded there were costs for the maintenance of collections. He pointed out that the proposed bill designated a home to allow for collections to remain in Alaska. 8:21:08 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked whether the Alaska State Museum was designated as a repository, and whether it had the authority to designate other museums as repositories. LINDA THIBODEAU, Director, Office of the Director, Libraries, Archives & Museums, Department of Education and Early Development, replied that the repository language was not in statute, but that statute did designate the museum and its branches as the State Museum, which was satisfactory for its purposes. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked to clarify that statute and policy had been designated by the Legislature for both the museum and its branches. MS. THIBODEAU expressed her agreement. 8:22:36 AM CHAIR GATTIS closed public testimony. 8:22:44 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON expressed his concern with proposed HB 154 for giving authority to the Museum of the North for the designation of repositories, as the Alaska State Legislature had previously made those designations to museums. He questioned whether this was an integral part of the proposed bill. 8:23:34 AM MS. BERGH, in response to Representative Seaton, offered her belief that allowing the Museum of the North as the sole repository would not allow other campuses to have a repository, which would create a separate class of museum. 8:24:23 AM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD moved to report the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 154, labeled 28-LS0613\N, Mischel, 3/20/13, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal notes. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked that the sponsor clarify the repository requirement language which gave the University of Alaska the ability to designate other museums in the University of Alaska system as repositories, a designation which he opined should be reserved for the Legislature to determine. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON removed his objection. There being no further objections, CSHB 154(EDC) was moved from the House Education Standing Committee.