SB 261 - SPECIAL OLYMPICS 2001 CHAIRMAN GREEN introduced SB 261 as the first order of business. MARY GORE, staff to Senator Mike Miller who is the prime sponsor of SB 261, noted that she is also the area director for Special Olympics in Juneau. Ms. Gore said the legislation is the result of hard work by a variety of different people to guarantee that Anchorage would be awarded the World Special Olympics Winter games in 2001. Last summer the Anchorage organizing committee was told by Special Olympics International that in order to be awarded the bid, the state would need to be the financial guarantor for the games. The money didn't need to be appropriated prior to the bid being awarded, but the state needed to show that it was behind the organizing committee. It was determined that the cash did not need to be appropriated and held in an account; only that the state needed to be on record as the "deep pocket" if private resources didn't come up with the money. Ms. Gore said SB 261 morally obligates the state to make up the difference, up to four million dollars, if the organizing committee does not raise the funds, but the likelihood of that is small. The total budget for the games is eight million dollars, four million dollars in hard cash and four million dollars in-kind. Thus far, about one million of the hard cash has been raised and the organizing committee has three years left to raise the remainder. Ms. Gore said the legislation has a set of checks and balances. Primarily the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) will oversee the funding of the organizing committee and report to the Legislature every January 2 on the status of the efforts of the organizing committee to raise the money. It also morally obligates future legislatures. In the year 2001, the legislature would need to appropriate the dollars and then approve the actual spending of those dollars during the legislative session if the private sources didn't raise the money. The organizing committee is making a statewide effort by getting people involved and lining up corporate sponsors, and Ms. Gore doesn't think there will be any problems in raising that money. Number 097 MELISSA ANDERSON, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2001, testifying from Anchorage via teleconference, said in their visit to Juneau the previous week, members of the organizing committee received tremendous support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. She is confident that the organizing committee will be able to raise the money for the games. She pointed out that should the state of Alaska at any time elect to go on the "real" Olympics and try to bring those games to Alaska, it would be a detriment to the state should these funds not be raised; however, she added that it is a near guarantee on their behalf that they will be able to raise these funds. CHAIRMAN GREEN noted Keith Laufer of the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority was listening in to the meeting at the Anchorage LIO and was available to respond to questions. There being no further testimony or questions on SB 261, CHAIRMAN GREEN asked for the pleasure of the committee. SENATOR WARD moved and asked unanimous consent SB 261, along with the accompanying fiscal note, be passed out of committee with individual recommendations. Hearing no objection, it was so ordered.