ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE  March 2, 2009 4:35 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Lesil McGuire, Co-Chair Senator Bill Wielechowski, Co-Chair Senator Hollis French Senator Bert Stedman Senator Gary Stevens MEMBERS ABSENT  Senator Charlie Huggins, Vice Chair Senator Thomas Wagoner COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE BILL NO. 3 "An Act authorizing an Alaska regional development organization to use the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission as an informational resource." MOVED SB 3 OUT OF COMMITTEE   PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION    BILL: SB 3 SHORT TITLE: CFEC AS INFORMATION RESOURCE SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) OLSON 01/21/09 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/09 01/21/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/21/09 (S) CRA, RES 02/05/09 (S) CRA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211 02/05/09 (S) Moved SB 3 Out of Committee 02/05/09 (S) MINUTE(CRA) 02/06/09 (S) CRA RPT 3DP 2NR 02/06/09 (S) DP: FRENCH, THOMAS, MENARD 02/06/09 (S) NR: OLSON, KOOKESH WITNESS REGISTER TIM BENINTENDI, Staff to Senator Olson, sponsor SB 3, read the sponsor statement. POSITION STATEMENT: FRANK HOHMAN, Chairman Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 3. ACTION NARRATIVE 4:35:26 PM CO-CHAIR LESIL MCGUIRE called the Senate Resources Standing Committee meeting to order at 4:35 p.m. Present at the call to order were Senators Wielechowski, Stevens, French, Stedman and McGuire. SB 3-CFEC AS INFORMATION RESOURCE  4:35:59 PM CHAIR MCGUIRE announced SB 3 to be up for consideration. TIM BENINTENDI, Staff to Senator Olson, sponsor of SB 3, said SB 3 would provide a benefit to Alaska's Economic Development Organizations (ARDOR) by providing them with the opportunity to obtain information from the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) without charge - in reference to AS 16,05.815, which says no confidential information may be disclosed. Contractors working for ARDORs would be able to get information, but they would have to have a letter showing that they were on ARDOR business. The information would especially benefit the eight ARDORs with commercial fishing as a significant portion of their economies, and would help them anticipate regional economic trends and development opportunities. The CFEC supports this bill; they have determined the loss of revenue would be negligible. 4:37:13 PM SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked how much data he was talking about. MR. BENINTENDI answered that he didn't know exactly, but this would not affect the routine volume of work year to year. FRANK HOHMAN, Chairman, Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, said it would be negligible because the data is already provided on their website. It would take a few minutes of an analyst's time. SENATOR FRENCH asked if they are collecting data about fish or the fisheries participants. MR. HOHMAN answered that they collect data about both from every fish ticket in every fishery. The CFEC can't release individual records, but they can release area-wide statistics. 4:40:03 PM SENATOR FRENCH asked if they release area earnings. 4:40:07 PM MR. HOHMAN replied that they just provide regional earnings, not individual. They never release anything with less than four sources of information. 4:40:18 PM SENATOR MCGUIRE asked what prompted the bill. MR. BENINTENDI replied that it was introduced last year and didn't have time to go through the process. He wasn't sure of the original impetus. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if he expected more of a work load for the ARDORs if people come to them with a request for information. MR. BENINTENDI replied that folks can't do that; the ARDORs don't work as a middle entity. They generated the request to analyze their own region. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI wondered if some groups would be subject to public disclosure requirements. MR. HOHMAN reminded him that these groups would not be given any confidential information. The bill is designed to assist the regional development corporations. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if they are subject to Alaska's public disclosure laws. 4:42:25 PM MR. HOHMAN said he couldn't answer that, but he did know they wouldn't get anything confidential from the CFEC. MR. BENINTENDI agreed. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if you disclose something to an ARDOR, could someone ask it for the information. He was concerned that this would cause more work for them. MR. HOHMAN replied that the information is for their own use. 4:43:39 PM CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE closed public testimony. CO-CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI moved to report SB 3 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There were no objections and it was so ordered. 4:44:24 PM There being no further business to come before the committee, Co-chair McGuire adjourned the meeting at 4:44 p.m.