ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE  April 1, 2014 1:31 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Dennis Egan, Chair Senator Fred Dyson, Vice Chair Senator Click Bishop Senator Hollis French MEMBERS ABSENT  Senator Anna Fairclough COMMITTEE CALENDAR  CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10(FIN) Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska creating a transportation infrastructure fund. - MOVED CSHJR 10(FIN) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HJR 10 SHORT TITLE: CONST. AM: TRANSPORTATION FUND SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) P.WILSON 02/15/13 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/15/13 (H) TRA, JUD, FIN 02/26/13 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124 02/26/13 (H) Moved Out of Committee 02/26/13 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 02/27/13 (H) TRA RPT 6DP 02/27/13 (H) DP: LYNN, FEIGE, ISAACSON, GATTIS, KREISS-TOMKINS, P.WILSON 04/03/13 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/03/13 (H) Heard & Held 04/03/13 (H) MINUTE(JUD) 04/05/13 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/05/13 (H) Moved CSHJR 10(JUD) Out of Committee 04/05/13 (H) MINUTE(JUD) 04/06/13 (H) JUD RPT CS(JUD) 5DP 1DNP 04/06/13 (H) DP: FOSTER, LEDOUX, LYNN, PRUITT, KELLER 04/06/13 (H) DNP: GRUENBERG 02/04/14 (H) FIN AT 8:30 AM HOUSE FINANCE 519 02/04/14 (H) Heard & Held 02/04/14 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 02/28/14 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 02/28/14 (H) Moved CSHJR 10(FIN) Out of Committee 02/28/14 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 03/03/14 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) 2DP 7NR 03/03/14 (H) DP: T.WILSON, MUNOZ 03/03/14 (H) NR: GUTTENBERG, GARA, NEUMAN, EDGMON, HOLMES, COSTELLO, AUSTERMAN 03/13/14 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 03/13/14 (H) VERSION: CSHJR 10(FIN) 03/14/14 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/14/14 (S) TRA, FIN 03/20/14 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/20/14 (S) 03/25/14 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/25/14 (S) Scheduled But Not Heard 03/27/14 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/27/14 (S) Heard & Held 03/27/14 (S) MINUTE(TRA) 04/01/14 (S) TRA AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 WITNESS REGISTER REPRESENTATIVE PEGGY WILSON Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HJR 19. ACTION NARRATIVE 1:31:47 PM CHAIR DENNIS EGAN called the Senate Transportation Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:31 p.m. Present at the call to order were Senators French, Bishop, and Chair Egan. 1:32:20 PM SENATOR DYSON joined the committee. HJR 10-CONST. AM: TRANSPORTATION FUND  1:32:24 PM CHAIR EGAN announced HJR 10 to be up for consideration [CSHJR 10(FIN) was before the committee]. 1:32:37 PM REPRESENTATIVE PEGGY WILSON, sponsor of HJR 10, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said she didn't take changing the Constitution lightly, but this is reinstatement of a constitutional provision that was in place at statehood. She said she believes the voters deserve an opportunity to decide on reinstating a dedicated transportation fund. 1:33:26 PM SENATOR FRENCH asked for some historical background. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON explained that the fund actually was in the Constitution at one point. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention recognized that there wasn't enough money in the state budget for a lot of dedicated funds, but they did grandfather the two transportation funds in existence before statehood. One was for roads and one was for water and harbors. She noted that this resolution combines both into one transportation fund. SENATOR FRENCH asked if those dedicated funds were in the Territorial statutes. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON replied she wasn't sure, but it was added to the Constitution. It was eliminated when the state raised the gas tax from 3 cents to 5 cents because the current thinking was that it won't be needed because that extra 2 cents would bring in so much money. SENATOR FRENCH summarized that it was in the Constitution, but it was taken out. He asked when that occurred. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON answered that it was in 1963. 1:35:22 PM SENATOR DYSON asked if the state underwent the rigorous process to amend the Constitution to take it out. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON deferred to Mark Hickey who was the Commissioner of Transportation at the time. She recalled that the drafters thought the fund had to be eliminated in order to increase the tax. SENATOR DYSON asked if the people voted on the change. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said no; it was done through legislation. SENATOR FRENCH stated that he made himself a note to research the history of the constitutional provisions related to transportation. He added that he wouldn't hold the bill up. SENATOR DYSON moved to report CS for HJR 10(FIN), version 28- LS0133\C, from committee to the next committee of referral with attached fiscal notes and individual recommendations. There were no objections and CSHJR 10(FIN) passed from the Senate Transportation Standing Committee. 1:38:07 PM At ease from 1:38 to 1:39 p.m. 1:39:56 PM CHAIR EGAN called meeting back to order and adjourned the Senate Transportation Standing Committee meeting at 1:40 p.m.