ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  JOINT COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE BUDGET AND AUDIT  January 15, 2004 12:07 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Ralph Samuels, Chair Representative Mike Chenault Representative Mike Hawker Representative Vic Kohring Representative Beth Kerttula Representative Reggie Joule, alternate Senator Gene Therriault, Vice Chair Senator Ben Stevens Senator Gary Wilken Senator Lyman Hoffman MEMBERS ABSENT  Senator Con Bunde Senator Lyda Green, alternate COMMITTEE CALENDAR  APPROVAL OF MINUTES EXECUTIVE SESSION OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS AUDIT REQUESTS PREVIOUS ACTION No previous action to record WITNESS REGISTER RON SOMERVILLE, Member of the Board of Game Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Commented briefly on navigable waters and RS 2477s. ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 04-1, SIDE A  Number 0001   CHAIR RALPH SAMUELS called the Joint Committee on Legislative Budget and Audit meeting to order at 12:07 p.m. Representatives Samuels, Hawker, Kohring, Chenault, and Kerttula were present at the call to order. Representative Joule and Senators Therriault, Ben Stevens, Wilken, and Hoffman arrived as the meeting was in progress. ^APPROVAL OF MINUTES  REPRESENTATIVE HAWKER made a motion to approve the minutes of December 12, 2003. There being no objection, the minutes from the meeting of December 12, 2003 were approved. ^EXECUTIVE SESSION    Number 0025 REPRESENTATIVE HAWKER made a motion to move to executive session for the purpose of discussing confidential audit reports under AS 24.20.301. There being no objection, the committee went into executive session at 12:10 p.m. REPESENTATIVE SAMUELS brought the committee back to order at 12:50 p.m. ^OTHER COMMITTEE BUSINESS    Number 0059 CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the Joint Committee on Budget and Audit has contracted with ISER [Institute of Social and Economic Research] to review the methodology used for The American Institutes for Research Alaska School District Cost Study report which will come out on January 30, 2004. Mr. Tuck from ISER will make a presentation of that report by the first week in February. Number 0138 CHAIR SAMUELS said that the veterans' home contract had been let to ASCG [Arctic Slope Consulting Group], a conglomeration of the groups that had the previous veterans' home contract, and stated that progress was being made in that area. ^AUDIT REQUESTS    Number 0200 SENATOR THERRIAULT made a motion for the final audits for the Special Education Service Agency - sunset audit, and the audit on the Department of Environmental Conservation Village Safe Water Program to be released to the appropriate agencies for response. There being no objection, it was so ordered. Number 0400 RON SOMERVILLE, member of the Board of Game, stated that he didn't have any more [information] than the committee had in the monthly Report of Expenditures and Progress from Tina Cunning, Nav/Access Program Manager, Department of Fish and Game. He commented on the 20 rivers in the Tenana Region, but reserved the rest of his testimony until Ms. Cunning could be contacted via teleconferencing. The committee took an at-ease from 12:51 p.m. to 12:53 p.m. Number 0410 CHAIR SAMUELS, after noting the unsuccessful attempt to contact Ms. Cunning, stated that he would obtain the information from Ms. Cunning and distribute it to the committee. ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the Joint Committee on Legislative Budget and Audit meeting was adjourned at 12:54 p.m.