SB 137-EXTEND SEISMIC HAZARDS SAFETY COMMISSION  4:15:38 PM CHAIR GIESSEL announced SB 137 to be up for consideration. 4:15:57 PM BRITTANY HUTCHISON, staff to Senator Bishop, sponsor of SB 137, presented the bill for the sponsor. She said that SB 137 extends the termination date of the Alaska Seismic Hazard Safety Commission from June 30, 2014 to June 30, 2020. She said that Alaska has more earthquakes than any other region in the United States and is one of the most seismic reactive areas in the world. In fact, we are fast approaching the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, the most powerful recorded in North American history. Given the historical record and inevitable potential of future earthquake activity, she said Alaska needs this Commission. The Commission was created in 2002 in able to help reduce the disaster potential of major earthquakes and reduce dependence on disaster relief. It is an advisory body administered through the Department of Natural Resources in the Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. They operate on a $10,000 annual budget; they have six standing committees and 11 members each appointed for three-year terms by the governor. They are designed to include a cross-section of public and private sector representatives. She said the Commission serves all Alaskans and works in providing policy, goal, and priority recommendations to the governor, legislature, local governments, and the public and private sectors alike in order to reduce the state's vulnerability to seismic hazards and to advise them on approaches for mitigating earthquake risks and potential damage. They have significantly impacted school safety by collaborating with the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) on seismic issues concerning school construction and renovations. In addition, they have amended state regulation and departmental practices to ensure that all registered civil and structural engineers have a full understanding of Alaska's earthquakes. They also assist with seismic hazard training efforts by coordinating with the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA) in order to help put on two day workshops focusing on post disaster facility safety assessments and work with other organizations who are concerned with seismic hazards. MS. HUTCHISON said for these reasons and many more Senator Bishop agrees with the legislative audit, which concluded that the commission should be extended for six more years and that they are serving the public's interest. 4:19:01 PM SENATOR MICCICHE asked if six years is a typical extension period. MS. HUTCHISON answered no; they were originally designed in 2002 and came up again two years ago. The problem with a two-year extension is that the commission is not able to focus on their job in that short of a time. SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the budget is $10,000 a year. MS. HUTCHISON answered yes. 4:20:24 PM KRIS CURTIS, Legislative Auditor, Legislative Audit Division, Legislative Affairs Agency, said their agency did conduct a sunset audit of the commission and the purpose was to review whether it was serving the public's interest and whether its termination date should be extended. The last time they did a sunset audit was 2011 and then they recommended a four year extension accompanied by some recommendations. They were given a two year extension at that point and their progress is being reviewed. They did conclude that the commission was serving the public's interest and recommended a six year extension. 4:22:01 PM At ease from 4:22 to 4:27 p.m. 4:27:06 PM MS. CURTIS said the audit included four recommendations: 1. Improve prioritization and accountability within its strategic planning documents: the prior sunset audit found the commission lacked a clear strategy for prioritizing and monitoring its efforts, but this audit found the commission had made significant progress toward resolving this finding by developing a strategic plan that identifies objectives and strategies to correlate with the commission's statutory mandate. Each strategy lists a priority, a target date and a planned outcome; the commission also used goals contained in its annual report and action list during committee meetings to really focus its efforts. 2. They offered another recommendation to basically fine tune their strategic plan (page 9). They clearly need to prioritize their tasks. While each task has a priority, 27 of 29 tasks are listed as important and the commission goals and action lists did not contain priorities. They recommended consistently identifying the person or subcommittee responsible for task completion. 3. They recommended associating their goals and action lists with the commission's over-arching strategic plan objectives and consistently identifying specific outcomes. By improving their prioritization and accountability, the commission could improve its ability to serve the public. 4:29:03 PM On page 12 of the audit they found that the commission did not consistently specify the organization responsible for implementing a recommendation. Additionally, they found that not all recommendations adequately identify the action to be performed. At times the commission was uncertain about where to direct its recommendations. So they recommended that it ensure that recommendations clearly identify the organization responsible for implementing an action and the action to be performed. Additionally, they recommend that the commission seek assistance from Department of Natural Resources (DNR) management in identifying the appropriate organization responsible for implementing their recommendations. 4. Finally, there are two more administrative type recommendations: one directing the commission to recommend replacement of habitually absent members and the other to work with the Office of the Governor to fill vacant positions in a timely manner. 4:30:11 PM ROBERT SCHER, Chair, Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission, Anchorage, Alaska, supported SB 137. He said the Commission is an advisory body that recommends goals and priorities for mitigating seismic hazards - things like strong ground shaking, landslides, avalanches, tsunami inundation, fault displacements, large area subsidence - recommending policies including needed research mapping, monitoring programs, reviewing practice for recovery and reconstruction after a major earthquake, recommending improvements to mitigate losses from future earthquakes as well as gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information of general interest on seismic hazards. These duties are done on behalf of the legislature, the Governor, local governments, as well as the public and private sectors at large; these duties are not shared by any other state department or commission. MR. SCHER said the commission was originally formed under HB 53 in 2002; but in 2005 the first commissioners were appointed by Governor Murkowski. In 2006, HB 83 increased the membership from 9 to 11 commissioners and extended the commission through 2012 (6 years). Most recently, HB 279 extended it through June 30, 2014, which is where they are right now. They are an eclectic body, comprised of geologists, seismologists, civil and structural engineers, emergency response planners and managers, and a representative from the insurance industry. They believe they have been functioning in the state's and publics' interest as was concluded by the Division of Legislative Audit's report of September 2013. They look forward to being extended for another six years and already have a full list of projects that are either started or in the planning stages that they would take advantage of performing during that period of time. They would welcome any opportunity to assist this committee and the full legislature with matters pertaining to earthquakes and tsunamis. 4:35:43 PM SENATOR DYSON asked him to talk a little about their large gathering of seismologists this summer. MR. SCHER answered that it is the 50th year following 1964 Good Friday Alaska Earthquake and the Seismological Society of America is hosting its annual meeting in Anchorage in its commemoration and hundreds of seismologists and geologists will attend; then in July there will be a week-long conference sponsored by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute entitled the Tenth National Conference on Earthquake Engineering. It is held every four years in the North America, but it has international influence and over 800 papers are being presented. CHAIR GIESSEL thanked him for serving. 4:37:44 PM CHAIR GIESSEL, finding no further comments, closed public testimony. SENATOR DYSON moved to report SB 137 from committee to the next committee of referral with attached fiscal note and individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.