HB 219-FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:59:41 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that the final order of  business was HOUSE                                                               
BILL NO.  219, "An  Act exempting  certain emergency  medical and                                                               
fire department services from regulation as insurance."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:59:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER moved  to adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS) for HB 219, Version  27-LS0638\D, Bailey, 3/15/12, as a work                                                               
draft.   There  being  no  objection, Version  D  was before  the                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:00:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL PASCHELL, Staff, Representative  Eric Feige, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, presented HB 219 on  behalf of Representative Feige,                                                               
sponsor.  He disclosed that  Representative Feige is the chief of                                                               
the Chickaloon Fire  Service, Inc., and said he  is the assistant                                                               
chief  and  board member  of  the  Rural Deltana  Volunteer  Fire                                                               
Department.  He  said HB 19 would provide a  mechanism to provide                                                               
fire and  emergency services  organizations to  receive donations                                                               
or support  from community  members, and  if the  entities charge                                                               
for their  services, they could,  in turn, discount  the services                                                               
for  those  people who  contributed  to  the organization.    The                                                               
problem has been  that that activity is deemed  as insurance, and                                                               
HB 219 would remove that activity from the state insurance laws.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. PASCHELL  said Version  D would make  changes in  response to                                                               
committee comments at the last  bill hearing.  Those changes are:                                                               
on page 1, lines 5 and  10, the word "voluntary" was added before                                                               
"agreement"; and  on page 1, lines  8 and 13, the  phrase "in the                                                               
community" was added.   In response to a request  at the previous                                                               
hearing, he said  he spoke to the Alaska  Municipal League (AML),                                                               
and he indicated  that issuing an opinion on HB  219 was not high                                                               
on AML's priority list.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:02:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  reported   that  [his  office]  contacted                                                               
Anchor Point  Volunteer Fire & Rescue,  Bear Creek Fire/Emergency                                                               
Medical   Services   Department,  Central   Emergency   Services,                                                               
Kachamak  Emergency  Services,   Seward  Fire  Department,  Homer                                                               
Volunteer  Fire   Department,  and  Moose  Pass   Volunteer  Fire                                                               
Company,  all of  which expressed  no problem  with the  proposed                                                               
bill and "generally support it."                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:02:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER opined that HB 219 is a good bill.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:02:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER  moved to  report  CSHB  219, Version  27-                                                               
LS0638\D,  Bailey,  3/15/12,  out of  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection, CSHB  219(STA) was reported out of  the House State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.