ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
              HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC                                                                             
                 DEVELOPMENT, TRADE AND TOURISM                                                                               
                       February 28, 2002                                                                                        
                           4:09 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT  OF COMMUNITY  AND ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT RE:                                                               
ALASKA ECONOMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
02-3, SIDE(S) A                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LESIL McGUIRE,  Chair, called  the House  Special                                                               
Committee on Economic Development, Trade  and Tourism to order at                                                               
4:09 p.m.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee  members present  were Representatives  McGuire, Green,                                                               
and Dyson.  Also in attendance was Representative Wilson.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
PETER FREER,  Economic Development  Project Manager,  Division of                                                               
Community  and Business  Development, Department  of Community  &                                                               
Economic Development (DCED), presented  information on the Alaska                                                               
Economic Information System  (AEIS).  The AEIS is a  tool to help                                                               
grow  Alaska's base  economy.   It is  a content-rich,  web-based                                                               
economic database that describes  and analyzes the Alaska economy                                                               
by industry  sector and census area.   It is based  on the belief                                                               
that  good   information  is   the  foundation   for  investment,                                                               
development, and opportunity.   The AEIS provides  and collates a                                                               
vast  amount  of  economic  and  supporting  information  through                                                               
economic  development narratives,  and  is a  portal to  relevant                                                               
material  and  source  material availability.    Mr.  Freer  also                                                               
presented a live demonstration of the  system on the Internet.  A                                                               
handout was provided.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
JOSEPH MEHRKENS,  Economist, Division  of Community  and Business                                                               
Development,  Department  of  Community &  Economic  Development,                                                               
gave  backup support  to  the AEIS  presentation  and helped  Mr.                                                               
Freer with questions throughout the presentation.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR McGUIRE  adjourned the House Special  Committee on Economic                                                               
Development, Trade and Tourism meeting at 4:45 p.m.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting was  recorded and handwritten log  notes were                                                               
taken.  A  copy of the tape(s)  and log notes may  be obtained by                                                               
contacting the  House Records  Office at  State Capitol,  Room 3,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska  99801  (mailing address),  (907)  465-2214,  and                                                               
after  adjournment of  the second  session  of the  Twenty-Second                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature  this  information may  be obtained  by                                                               
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.