HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE April 28, 2001 4:58 P.M. TAPE HFC 01 - 106, Side A CALL TO ORDER Co-Chair Williams called the House Finance Committee meeting to order at 4:58 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Bill Williams, Co-Chair Representative Eldon Mulder, Co-Chair Representative Con Bunde, Vice-Chair Representative Eric Croft Representative John Davies Representative Richard Foster Representative Carl Moses Representative John Harris Representative Bill Hudson Representative Ken Lancaster Representative Jim Whitaker MEMBERS ABSENT None ALSO PRESENT Representative Gary Stevens; Dale Anderson, Staff, Representative Mulder; Kevin Jardell, Staff, Representative Green; Michael Conway, Division of Air and Water Quality, Department of Environmental Conservation. SUMMARY HB 37 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student loans; and providing for an effective date. HB 37 was HEARD and HELD in Committee for further consideration. HB 43 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student loans; and providing for an effective date. CS HB 43 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education dated 2/16/01. HB 260 An Act requiring the owners or operators of certain passenger vessels operating in the marine waters of the state to register the vessels; establishing information-gathering, record keeping, and reporting requirements relating to the vessels' gray water and sewage; prohibiting the discharge of untreated sewage from the vessels unless exempted; placing limits on discharges of treated sewage and gray water from the vessels unless exempted; establishing a commercial passenger vessel coastal protection fund; establishing a fee on commercial passenger vessels, that are not exempt from the fee, for each voyage during which the vessels operate in the marine waters of the state based on the overnight accommodation capacity of the vessels determined with reference to the number of lower berths; establishing penalties for failure to comply with certain laws relating to the vessels; authorizing the Department of Environmental Conservation to encourage and recognize superior environmental protection efforts related to commercial passenger vessels; authorizing exemptions from some laws relating to discharges from the vessels and from the fee requirements related to the vessels; requiring a report from the Department of Environmental Conservation concerning matters relating to the vessels; and providing for an effective date. CSHB 260 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by Department of Environmental Conservation. HOUSE BILL NO. 43 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student loans; and providing for an effective date. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to report CS HB 43 (HES) out of Committee with individual recommendations and with the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to RESCIND action taken on CS HB 43 (HES). There being NO OBJECTION, previous action was rescinded. Co-Chair Mulder observed that the Committee had been provided with a proposed committee substitute, work draft, 22-LS0225\P, Ford, 2/13/01. [Copy on File]. KEVIN JARDELL, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GREEN, explained the committee substitute. He noted that the HESS Committee had expanded the language to include counselors, librarians and private schools. The sponsor requested that language be narrowed. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT the work draft as the version before the Committee. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to report CS HB 43 (FIN) out of Committee with individual recommendations and with the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CS HB 43 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education dated 2/16/01. #HB37 HOUSE BILL NO. 37 An Act relating to reimbursement of certain student loans; and providing for an effective date. REPRESENTATIVE GARY STEVENS spoke in support of the legislation. He noted that the bill would allow the State to reimburse a borrower who has received an undergraduate degree from a college or university and was employed at a public elementary or secondary school within the State as a teacher and had complied with AS 14.43.120. The amount to be reimbursed would be the portion of payments made by the borrower for a loan made under AS 14.43.110 and equal to the following percentages of the total loan received plus interest, for up to a total of 50% of the total loan plus interest: · One year employment, 10 percent; · Two year employment, an additional 10 percent; · Three years employment, an additional 10 percent; · Four years employment, an additional 10 percent; · Five years employment, an additional 10 percent. Representative Stevens noted that the loan amount reimbursed to the borrower may not exceed the loan amount paid by the borrower to the State. He discussed that school districts throughout the State, primarily in the rural school system, are experiencing great difficulties recruiting teachers. Currently, the Teacher Scholarship Loan program is available to rural Alaska high school graduates who declare an interest in teaching in rural Alaska and are nominated by their school districts. HB 37 would allow students of any academic discipline to receive reimbursement of their Alaska student loan upon meeting the criteria of the bill. Representative Stevens added that he was "shocked" at the size that the fiscal note had grown too. He pointed out that the original fiscal note did not include Anchorage or Fairbanks. HB 37 was HELD in Committee for further consideration. HOUSE BILL NO. 260 An Act requiring the owners or operators of certain passenger vessels operating in the marine waters of the state to register the vessels; establishing information-gathering, record keeping, and reporting requirements relating to the vessels' gray water and sewage; prohibiting the discharge of untreated sewage from the vessels unless exempted; placing limits on discharges of treated sewage and gray water from the vessels unless exempted; establishing a commercial passenger vessel coastal protection fund; establishing a fee on commercial passenger vessels, that are not exempt from the fee, for each voyage during which the vessels operate in the marine waters of the state based on the overnight accommodation capacity of the vessels determined with reference to the number of lower berths; establishing penalties for failure to comply with certain laws relating to the vessels; authorizing the Department of Environmental Conservation to encourage and recognize superior environmental protection efforts related to commercial passenger vessels; authorizing exemptions from some laws relating to discharges from the vessels and from the fee requirements related to the vessels; requiring a report from the Department of Environmental Conservation concerning matters relating to the vessels; and providing for an effective date. Co-Chair Mulder provided Committee members with Amendments #21 - #25. [Copies on File]. DALE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE MULDER, explained Amendment #21 which would add the language, "AS 46.03.488, or other applicable law or regulation" to Page 4, Line 6. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #21. There being NO OBJECTION, it was adopted. Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #22 on Page 5, Lines 1-4, deleting all the material and inserting, "Sec. 46.03.465. Logbook and sampling requirements, etc.". Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #22. There being NO OBJECTION, it was adopted. Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #23 to Page 5, Line 30, adding the language "information gathering, gathered the type of information required under (a), [OR] (b), or (c) of this section,." He noted that the amendment would bring the information gathered through testing in subsection (c) under the same "let's not duplicate other efforts" provision in subsection (d). Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #23. There being NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted. Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #24, which would address reports that the cruise ship lines would have to follow, outlining discharging of hazardous wastes or hazardous substances. Co-Chair Mulder interjected that the reports would have to be filed within 21 days. Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #24, which he noted would provide a significant change. There being NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted. Mr. Anderson explained Amendment #25 which would add language to Page 8, Lines 13-16, "© The legislature may make appropriations from the fund to the department to pay for the department's operational and administrative costs necessary to carry out activities under AS 46.03.460- 46.03.490, the assessment report required of department and activities under department regulations establishing standards for marine vessel visible emissions adopted under AS 46.14." Mr. Anderson noted that the amendment would allow the Legislature to make appropriations from the Alaska Commercial Passenger Vessel Coastal Protection Fund to the Department in order to cover the costs of preparing the assessment report. Otherwise, the Department would have no identified funding source for the assessment work. In response to comments made by Co-Chair Williams, Co-Chair Mulder advised that the following language would be inserted: "assessment report required of department, and activities". Co-Chair Mulder MOVED to ADOPT Amendment #25. There being NO OBJECTION, the amendment was adopted. MICHAEL CONWAY, DIVISION OF AIR AND WATER QUALITY, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, agreed that the legislation had been improved with the addition of the amendments. He added that HB 260 "falls short" of the bill proposed by the Governor. Representative Hudson MOVED to report CS HB 260 (FIN) out of Committee with individual recommendations and with the accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CSHB 260 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal note by Department of Environmental Conservation. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 P.M.