CSHB 93(FIN)-BOATING SAFETY,REGISTRATION, NUMBERING    CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced HB 93 to be the next order of business. [The committee considered SCS CSHB 93(TRA).] LINDA SYLVESTER, staff to Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, explained that the bill reauthorizes the boating safety program that passed in 2000. "It created a superb comprehensive boating safety statute for Alaska." As a result, safety on Alaska's inland and marine waters increased and fatalities decreased. The Act did two things: it consolidated boating regulatory functions and it created a steady funding source for boater education programs for the state of Alaska. Funding for the new registration function is derived from federal motor fuel taxes collected in Alaska as well as revenues from the boat registration program. Originally the bill had a sunset to ensure that this didn't become an unfunded mandate if the federal funds didn't continue. The federal funding stream is currently in place and the House Finance Committee placed a 2010 sunset provision on the program. MS. SYLVESTER noted that there are 350 active sites in about 140 communities across the state that participate in the "Kids Don't Float" lifejacket loan program. This is a successful program that is funded by the boating safety program. SENATOR JOHN COWDERY asked if this included documented boats or just registered boats. SUE HARGAS, Coast Guard Boating Safety Specialist, told him this includes only registered boats. Documented boats are documented under a national documentation program. SENATOR COWDERY said, "I just wanted that on the record. I knew that." MS. HARGAS told Senator Cowdery that the program wouldn't affect his boat. Continuing, she said Alaska has done a good job with the program since inception. "Alaska was the last state in the nation to take a program on and [the state] really took the opportunity to work with us and work with other states to put together a good program." This is an education rather than compliance program with 75 percent of the federal proceeds going to education and safety. The authority for the programs went to the states in 1958 and the funding followed in 1971. Since September 11 it's become more important for states to run the program because the Coast Guard has increased national security duties. SENATOR BERT STEDMAN noted some of the exemptions and was curious why recreational boat tenders aren't exempted. MS. HARGAS explained that the federal law requires that all boats equipped with machinery propulsion be registered. The original exemption for less than 10 feet was included because the Legislature decided to include registration requirements for vessels not equipped with machinery propulsion that were over 10 feet long. This meant that canoes, kayaks and other similar craft had to be registered. Since that time the public has spoken up in opposition to that requirement so that was one of the first things taken out. As written, CSHB 93(TRA) requires any boat with machinery propulsion to be registered, which is in line with the federal requirement, and does not require non-motorized vessels to be registered. "Tenders under both federal law and state law would be required to register." SENATOR STEDMAN asked for verification that tenders would have to be registered regardless of state law because federal requirements trump state laws. MS. HARGAS agreed. SENATOR STEDMAN asked what happens if you put a 2 HP motor on your canoe. MS. HARGAS told him that once you put a motor on the canoe, you'd have to register it. "Anything that's equipped with machinery propulsion. Same thing with sailboats; if they have a motor on them, which many sailboats do, they have to register." SENATOR STEDMAN remarked that he didn't agree with the requirement. CHAIR GARY STEVENS noted that Jeff Johnson, with the Office of Boating Safety in DNR, was available to answer questions. He then called on Mr. Quinlan. KEVIN QUINLAN, chief of safety advocacy at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington D.C., described the board as the independent transportation accident investigation agency. He reiterated, "The Boating Safety Program is an exceptionally effective program. Nationally we were running about 1,200 fatalities per year before the Boating Safety Program started and we're down to about 6 or 7 hundred now." His only criticism of the bill was in Section 3. Because the program is so successful, he could see no reason for the sunset; this should be a permanent program. SENATOR STEDMAN asked how boats without title are addressed. MR. QUINLAN told him the Coast Guard representative was better able to answer that question. MS. HARGAS advised that there has been better compliance since the state took over the program. She opined this is because there is an increased awareness of the program and it's more convenient and visible located in the DMV. She asked if that addressed his basic question. The number of registrations is up and they haven't heard resistance from boaters regarding fees, which are $24 for 3 years. SENATOR STEDMAN replied boaters are motivated when fish and game officers check fishing licenses and find boats that aren't registered. He reported that all his motorized boats are now registered. "We're all-legal now," he said. MS. HARGAS said that the Coast Guard relies on those numbers heavily for search and rescue operations. They are particularly important in the coastal areas and Southeast Alaska in particular. CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced that he would lose a quorum in nine minutes and he would like to move the bill. JACK CADIGAN, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, retired, stated that he was representing the Coast Guard auxiliary, an organization that has 400 volunteers around the state. He read testimony in support of HB 93 into the record. A copy of his full testimony may be found in the bill file. There was no further testimony. SENATOR COWDERY made a motion to move SCS CSHB 93(TRA) from committee with accompanying fiscal note and individual recommendations. There being no objection, it was so ordered.