HCR 8 - DEFERRED MAINTENANCE TASK FORCE The next order of business to come before the House State Affairs Standing Committee was HCR 8, Creating the Deferred Maintenance Task Force. CHAIR JAMES called on Speaker Gail Phillips, sponsor of the bill, to present the resolution. Number 907 SPEAKER GAIL PHILLIPS, Alaska State Legislature, stated that deferred maintenance was the result of years of unmet maintenance of Alaska's public facilities. She was referring not just to buildings, or to the university campus; but to roads, harbors, and airports-everything that the state considered an asset. Meeting the maintenance needs was not about building a skywalk from the court building to the capitol, she cited. It was about a capitol building that leaked every spring causing severe damage to the building. It was about docks that were rotting and falling into harbors. It was about an infrastructure that needed mending. It was those types of needs that needed to be taken care of all across the state. The cost estimates placed Alaska's unmet maintenance needs at well over $1 billion. "I happen to personally think it'll be more closely to $2 billion." SPEAKER PHILLIPS further stated that the resolution would establish a legislative task force to make recommendations to the Governor and to the legislature on how to address the unmet maintenance costs. The task force would be made up of five members from the House and five members from the Senate. The Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate would also serve as non-voting members. The task force would be specifically charged with the following: 1) To review and evaluate existing reports and publications about deferred maintenance recommendations previously made; SPEAKER PHILLIPS stated that over the last few years several of the Administrations had concentrated on this issue, therefore, a lot of work had already been done, and all of the reported needed to be compiled. She cited work had already been done for specific areas, such as, the university. SPEAKER PHILLIPS continued to list the duties that the task force would be charged with. 2) To identify and evaluate all current and deferred maintenance needs; 3) To solicit public comment on the topic from all over the state; 4) To submit a report of their findings and recommendations to the Governor and to the legislature by the convening of next session; and, 5) To forward recommendations about the funding. SPEAKER PHILLIPS explained the recommendations about the funding would be the second part of the task force. SPEAKER PHILLIPS continued by stating that the task force would begin work as soon as the members were appointed. In conclusion, she announced the Governor agreed with the concept and pledged his support from his office and from all of his commissioners. She also announced that she had received written and spoken support from the Truckers Association, the Associated General Contractors of Alaska, and the Laborers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO illustrating the wide-spread support from around the state. Number 1090 CHAIR JAMES stated she admired the courage of Speaker Phillips for bringing this issue forward. "It is a huge, huge task; and it's like climbing a mountain with no shoes." Number 1098 REPRESENTATIVE FRED DYSON asked Speaker Phillips if most of the work would be done during the interim? SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied most of the work would be done during the interim. In addition, she also explained a zero fiscal note was attached. The work would be done by the appointed legislators and their staff. And, there would be public teleconference hearings across the state. Number 1124 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked Speaker Phillips if the travel expenses incurred and the per-diem would come out of the legislative budget? SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied, "Right." Number 1148 REPRESENTATIVE IVAN IVAN wondered if the report would need to be done by the convening of the second session of the Twentieth Alaska State Legislature. He asked Speaker Phillips if he was correct? Number 1160 SPEAKER PHILLIPS replied, "Right. Right. With recommendations not only on what the needs are but how we're going to pay for them." Number 1175 CHAIR JAMES called for a motion to move the bill out of the committee. Number 1178 REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS moved that HCR 8 move from the committee with the attached fiscal note(s) and individual recommendations. Number 1200 REPRESENTATIVE DYSON stated that he had spent most of his life working as an engineer so he understood the importance of the resolution. He was apprehensive that the Chair would appoint him to the task force. "And, if it was going to happen during the interim, I was going to object to the passing of the bill out of self interest." REPRESENTATIVE DYSON further stated that the resolution was long overdue. "We in the maintenance business say, `pay me now or pay me later' and, in fact, its do the work now or do an awful lot more work at less convenient times in the future." He commended the efforts of Speaker Phillips. Number 1239 CHAIR JAMES stated that when she dealt with this issue no one wanted to talk about the money part. So, she suggested bonding as a solution. However, the solution was met with adversity for fear of going into debt. "My point is we are already in debt, if we do a bonding package or some other package, that allows us to pay our debt." CHAIR JAMES stated there was no objection to the motion. House Concurrent Resolution 8 was so moved from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.