HB 143-REAL ESTATE:SURETY FUND & COMMISSION                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MACKIE called the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee                                                                  
meeting to order at 2:23 p.m. and announced HB 143 to be up for                                                                 
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG, sponsor of HB 143, said this is a                                                                      
housekeeping bill that relates to the surety fund of the Real                                                                   
Estate Commission.  It makes modest changes to provide more                                                                     
flexibility for use of the funds within the surety fund by removing                                                             
the lapsing requirement and allows the publications specialist to                                                               
be used not just for the educational requirement, but to back up                                                                
the executive administrator of the Commission.  He explained that                                                               
the publications specialist, because they are paid by the surety                                                                
fund, can't assist the executive administrator when they are out of                                                             
town, because they can only do things that are related to                                                                       
education.  This bill allows that person to be able to help out.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
The fund is calculated on an average basis and this increases the                                                               
efficiency of the fund.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. CATHERINE REARDON, Division of Occupational Licensing, said the                                                             
Department supports the bill.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LEMAN moved to report HB 143 from committee with individual                                                             
recommendations.  There were no objections and it was so ordered.