HB 232-HOMER MERCURY CLASSIC/GAMING PRIZE LIMIT  CHAIR CON BUNDE called the meeting back to order at 1:40 p.m. Present were SENATORS SEEKINS, STEVENS and BUNDE. He announced HB 232 to be up for consideration. REPRESENTATIVE PAUL SEATON, sponsor of HB 232, said the Homer Mercury Classic is similar to the Nenana Ice Classic in which ticket purchasers buy a chance to guess the time when the mercury will go down to 15 degrees. A drawing for the prize is held when the mercury goes up to 55 degrees in the spring. The Boys and Girls Club, Homer Chapter, has a computerized weather station on top of its building that monitors [the temperature] every hour in conjunction with the NASA Globe Project, a project that monitors global warming. The only other mercury classic in the state was held in Fairbanks in 1987-88. This classic will not conflict or preclude anyone else from doing the same thing. CHAIR BUNDE commented that it is interesting that some of the same people who oppose other forms of gambling would think this is a good idea and asked how much money is involved. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON replied that the tickets cost $2 a piece and the total depends on how many tickets the children sell. Fifty percent goes to the Boys and Girls Club. MS. JANE TOLLEFSRUD, Coordinator of Projects, Homer Boys and Girls Club, offered to answer questions and added that the Homer Club in particular has 350 members and the Kenai Peninsula Boys and Girls Club has a total of 3,000 members. SENATOR SEEKINS said there could be a large number of winners. MS. TOLLEFSRUD replied that they thought using the hour would be okay and multiple winners could split the pot. If they need to use minutes, the device could be recalibrated to read every minute. SENATOR SEEKINS asked if the Homer Boys and Girls Club have a charitable gaming permit now. MS. TOLLEFSRUD replied that the Kenai Peninsula Boys and Girls Club has the gaming permit it is going to use. SENATOR SEEKINS asked if gaming permits are normally limited to a certain dollar amount on an annual basis. CHAIR BUNDE responded that pulltab winnings are limited, but he wasn't familiar with any limitation on the classics like the ice pool. SENATOR SEEKINS said he was trying to figure out if this will expand the amount this charity would bring in in terms of gambling revenue in a calendar year. MS. TOLLEFSRUD said she didn't know the answer to that. She does know that the only thing they use their permit for in Kenai is the raffle and an auction that they have once per year. CHAIR BUNDE said he thought the limit on the prizes is $1 million and it's not likely that they are approaching that amount. SENATOR SEEKINS said the only reason he questioned that is because the number of groups that want to get into charitable gaming, in addition to charities (like municipalities and questionable non profits), is increasing. REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said that his understanding is that the Boys and Girls Club is not involved in pulltabs. The Classic will be a twice-a-year lottery, a guessing game that will involve the kids in monitoring. CHAIR BUNDE asked Ms. Tollefsrud and Representative Seaton to investigate if the Boys and Girls Club was using its permit for pulltabs and whether, with the classic, they would be held under a one-umbrella limit or whether this would expand their limit. He closed public testimony and asked the will of the committee. SENATOR STEVENS moved to pass HB 232 with zero fiscal note and individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.