HOUSE BILL NO. 197 "An Act extending the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission; and providing for an effective date." 10:29:34 AM REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK, BILL SPONSOR, introduced the bill with a prepared statement: Thank you for hearing House Bill 197 to extend the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. As we all know, Alaska is one of the most seismically active regions on earth with a history of very large and damaging earthquakes. In January, the Alaska Earthquake Center issued a summary of Alaska's seismic activity in 2019. (The report is in your packet). Alaska experienced 50,289 earthquakes in 2019. • 2nd most in Alaska's history. • So far this year, there have been 7,050 earthquakes. The State of Alaska has worked diligently to prepare for future earthquakes to ensure the safety of our people and our infrastructure. As part of this work, the state created the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission in 2001. This Commission provides recommendations on goals and priorities to mitigate seismic hazards in Alaska through... • Gathering and disseminating information on how to reduce Alaska's vulnerability to earthquakes; and • Reviewing earthquake recovery and reconstruction efforts to make recommendations to improve these efforts. The commission is made up of volunteer experts and key government officials to "provide advice to policymakers on disaster preparedness and seismic hazard mitigation." • The commission is staffed by the Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. • The Director of the Division, Steve Masterman, is on the line if you have any questions. • The latest annual report for the commission was included in your bill packet. • House Bill 197 would extend the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission through June 30, 2028. • The bill includes an immediate effective date because the current authorization expires at the end of this June. • A recent audit of the commission included a specific recommendation to extend the commission until 2028. • Kris Curtis, the legislative auditor, will go through the results of the audit. • In conclusion, Alaska is threatened by earthquakes 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. • The Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission has played a key role in preparing the public and private sectors for future earthquakes. • With the passage of House Bill 197 that vital work can continue. 10:33:07 AM Co-Chair Johnston asked to hear a sectional analysis. MIKE MASON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TUCK, provided the sectional analysis. The bill would amend AS 44.66.010 and change the sunset date from June 30, 2020 to June 30, 2028. The act would take place immediately. Co-Chair Johnston asked to hear from the Division of Legislative Audit. KRIS CURTIS, LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR, ALASKA DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE AUDIT, referenced the audit titled "A Sunset Review of the Department of Natural Resources, Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission," dated March 15, 2019 (copy on file). She reminded the committee that the purpose of a sunset audit was to determine whether a board or commission was serving the publics' interest and whether it should be extended. The audit found there continued to be a public policy need for the commission's continued existence. The audit findings recommended a maximum extension of eight years. She turned to a schedule of expenditures on page 9 of the audit. The audit found that the commission was a fairly low cost way of leveraging the volunteer expertise. She elaborated that annual expenditures ranged from over just over $3,500 per year to just over $13,000. Ms. Curtis turned to a summary of the commission's activities during the audit period on page 12. The schedule showed the commission to be very active. She pointed to the third bullet under Strategic Plan Goal 2 and explained that during the audit period the commission helped secure Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants that were used by school districts to assess the vulnerabilities of school buildings susceptible to significant structural damage during an earthquake. The number of the buildings and specific locations were listed at the bottom of page 12. Ms. Curtis relayed that the audit had also reviewed how the commission helped respond to the major earthquake in November 2018. She directed attention to page 14 and highlighted that after the earthquake the commission provided a list of certified evaluators who had assessment training to assist with inspecting structures. A total of 11 volunteers had assisted with damage assessments, 8 of which had completed training sponsored by the commission in September 2018. Additionally, several commission members helped with damage assessments by working directly with state agencies. The audit recognized that FEMA reached out to the commission after the earthquake and requested its assistance in generating a damage report with future recommendations for preparedness. Ms. Curtis reported that the audit had identified two administrative improvements, which began on page 16. The audit recommended that the commission chair ensures procedures were implemented to publish meeting notices timely and accurately. She detailed that auditors had tested 25 meetings during the audit period, 5 of the meetings were not public noticed or not public noticed timely. Second, the audit recommended the commission chair ensure the strategic plan was updated to reflect the current goals and priorities based on experience (page 17). Ms. Curtis reported that responses to the audit began on page 27. The commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources and the chair of the commission agreed with the findings and recommendations and corrective action had been taken. HB 197 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration.