HOUSE BILL NO. 296                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  relating to program receipts;  and relating to                                                                    
     the acceptance of gifts, donations,  and grants for the                                                                    
     purpose  of  providing  signage for  assets  under  the                                                                    
     control of the Department  of Transportation and Public                                                                    
     Facilities."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:41:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE  RAUSCHER, SPONSOR, suggested  that it                                                                    
was  important for  legislators  to acknowledge  individuals                                                                    
who had contributed  to their community. One of  the ways to                                                                    
achieve recognition  was to name a  geographical location or                                                                    
structure  after  a person  of  note.  However, this  naming                                                                    
could  be expensive  to  implement and  the  cost alone  had                                                                    
caused legislators  to vote against legislation  proposing a                                                                    
commemorative  naming.  He  explained   that  HB  296  would                                                                    
provide a  mechanism for funding  a commemorative name  to a                                                                    
project by  allowing receipt authority to  the Department of                                                                    
Transportation  and  Public  Facilities (DOT)  so  it  could                                                                    
collect  donations for  signage.  It would  not require  the                                                                    
costs  to be  paid by  outside groups,  but it  would ensure                                                                    
that the process not be necessarily reliant on state funds.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:43:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RYAN MCKEE,  STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUCHER,  read the                                                                    
sectional analysis:                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1:  AS 37.05.146(c)  Page  1,  Lines 5-7  This                                                                    
     section adds  gifts, donations, and grants  received by                                                                    
     DOT  & PF  to the  definition of  program receipts  and                                                                    
     non-  general  fund  programs  receipts  found  in  the                                                                    
     Fiscal Procedures  Act in accordance with  section 2 of                                                                    
     this bill.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2:  AS 44.42.060  Page 1,  Lines 8-14,  Page 2,                                                                    
     Lines  1-3 This  section adds  that the  department may                                                                    
     receive  gifts,  donations,  and grants  in  accordance                                                                    
     with  a  memorandum  of understanding  with  the  donor                                                                    
     party. This  section also outlines  that the  funds may                                                                    
     not  be  used  until  the  necessary  funds  have  been                                                                    
     collected from the donor.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:45:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool asked if the  bill required the approval                                                                    
of a sign before collecting fees.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Rauscher deferred to Mr. Andy Mills.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:45:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANDY    MILLS,    LEGISLATIVE   LIAISON,    DEPARTMENT    OF                                                                    
TRANSPORTATION AND  PUBLIC FACILITIES  (via teleconference),                                                                    
responded  that  when  a  bill that  sought  to  name  state                                                                    
infrastructure was introduced, it  would include a provision                                                                    
pointing  to the  codifying language  in HB  296 that  would                                                                    
allow the  bill to  be paid  for through  outside donations.                                                                    
The  interested donators  would  then sign  a memorandum  of                                                                    
understanding (MOU) as outlined  in the bill's language. The                                                                    
naming  legislation  would be  taken  from  a legislator  to                                                                    
instigate a fiscal note and  point to statutorily designated                                                                    
program receipts as the source of funding.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wool  commented that if a  group raised money                                                                    
for  a  sign  and  received the  funding,  the  group  could                                                                    
potentially  influence the  bill. He  was glad  there was  a                                                                    
solution  to  the  funding problem  through  donations,  but                                                                    
thought it was important that the bill had to come first.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:47:44 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:47:49 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Merrick  indicated the  Senate version of  the bill                                                                    
was an  exact match and  the committee would be  taking that                                                                    
version up in the future.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
HB  296  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:48:19 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:49:37 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED