HB 443-TEACHERS AND NURSES HOUSING LOAN PROGRAM                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The committee took up HB 443.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. JULI  LUCKY, Staff to  Representative Beth  Kerttula, sponsor                                                               
of HB 443, explained that  this bill would add licensed practical                                                               
nurses to an existing no  down-payment home loan program that was                                                               
put in place last year in SB 25 by Senator Wilken.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  asked if  the effect  of deleting  "registered" from                                                               
page  2  would make  this  program  more available  to  [licensed                                                               
practical] nurses.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WILKEN  asked what  defines  "nurses"  on  line 6  as  a                                                               
"licensed practical nurse."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  LUCKY referred  to page  2,  and said  the way  [SB 25]  was                                                               
written  last  year it  included  AS  08.68.230 (a),  "registered                                                               
nurses,"  whereas  (b)  includes "licensed  practical  nurse"  or                                                               
"licensed vocational nurse."   She noted there  are no vocational                                                               
nurses in  the state  at this  time, and  there are  834 licensed                                                               
practical nurses under this section.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  LUCKY clarified  that the  desire was  not to  make no-down-                                                               
payment housing  loans available  to temporary nurses  because of                                                               
wanting to make  sure the nurses were licensed and  going to stay                                                               
in the state.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILKEN asked if it applies to (a) or (b) and no others.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. LUCKY confirmed this was correct.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BETTYE DAVIS  moved to  report HB  443 out  of committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON asked if there was  any objection.  There being none,                                                               
it was so ordered.