"JUNEAU UPDATE"
Kodiak Daily Mirror publication date of April 30, 1997
Effective Monday, April 21st, with the appointment of the Finance Conference Committee, the legislature went to the 24 hour notice rule. This means committees need only provide 24 hours notice for hearings, which certainly quickens the pace around here.
This bill deals with private students attending public school on a part-time basis. HB 158 passed the House last Friday. The prime sponsor of this bill is by Representative Fred Dyson of Eagle River and co-sponsored by myself. It requires a school district to enroll a part-time student even if the child is enrolled at a private school, is a correspondence student or is being home schooled. This would allow students who do not have access to classes such as science or gym facilities to get a well-rounded education. HB 158 is now in the Senate waiting for hearings.
Competency testing
Teacher and student competency testing. HB 145 requires the Board of Education to come up with examinations that it finds will test the skills and abilities of new teachers. New teachers must pass these examinations to get a teaching certificate in the state of Alaska. HB 146 sets up a system of competency examinations that secondary school (high school) students must pass before they can receive a graduation diploma. The competency examinations will be in the areas of reading, English and mathematics. The students will be able to start taking the test as freshmen and must pass the testing before they graduate. There was a lot of discussion about whether or not we should start testing students in the lower grades. It is hoped that with the competency testing in high school, that this will get the school districts to start testing in the lower grades on their own. Both of these pieces of legislation have passed the House and are now in the Senate.
PFD-HJR 25
This resolution would place the dividend in Alaska's Constitution. The distribution of the interest earnings of the permanent fund, including the dividend program and inflation proofing of the fund, are currently set by Alaska Statute. Statutes are laws that the legislature creates. The legislature, with concurrence of the Governor, could change this same law and do away with the dividend program at anytime. I introduced HJR 25 to amend the Alaska Constitution, to place the dividend program and inflation proofing the Permanent Fund into the Alaska Constitution, changeable only by a vote of the people. This resolution passed out of its first committee of referral, House State Affairs, and is now in the House Judiciary Committee. We have had three Judiciary committee meetings on this resolution so far. Because of IRS tax questions by the Permanent Fund Directors, the committee has tabled this resolution for now. I plan on continuing to work on this resolution and creating an atmosphere by where we as Alaskan's can sit down and talk about the intent of the Permanent Fund. This is separate from the dividend program itself.
AADC Board
HB 208, which I introduced, changes the make up of the AADC Board of Directors by adding more business-oriented people to the board. This bill has passed all the way through the House and is now in the Senate Rules Committee waiting to be scheduled for a floor vote in the Senate. We are hopeful this bill will pass this week and then sent to the Governor.
Tobacco Tax
The Senate has passed SB 13 which increases the tobacco tax by 71 cents, making the Alaska tax at $1.00 per pack of cigarettes. The House companion, HB 1, has stalled in House Rules Committee. I support this tax and have signed onto getting this bill to the House Floor for a vote. The House majority leaders have been holding this bill and so far have not been willing to release it to the floor for a vote. I have also signed on as a co-sponsor to HB 189, by Representative Cowdry. HB 189 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to sell tobacco to a person under 19 years of age . HB 189 also states that a person may not sell tobacco products unless:
Fisheries
The Finance Conference Committee, three legislators from each house, has recently begun meeting. They are deciding between operating budget numbers of the House and Senate. The Department of Fish and Game conference committee is expected to be the last one discussed. As I indicated two weeks ago, the Senate budget numbers on Fish and Game's budget are awful. For Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division there is a $1,664,600 cut statewide, including a $254,500 reduction in the Westward Region office. The Senate plans to cut Region Supervision and Administration $72,700, Peninsula and Aleutian Salmon $84,400 and Bering Sea/Aleutian Shellfish $96,600. Additionally, over $700,000 has been cut in the Headquarters/Statewide Projects which will definitely impact all regions. The only opportunity left to change these numbers closer to the House Finance numbers will be in conference committee, presumably in a week or so. I am cautiously optimistic that favorable corrections will be made during the conference committee process.
HB 13, my AMSEA bill, was heard and moved out of Senate Finance last Thursday morning. Thankfully, Senate Finance attached a $150,000 fiscal note to be disbursed through the Department of Community and Regional Affairs. When the DCRA budget comes before the conference committee this week, they will decide whether to fund the AMSEA grant through the fiscal note or operating budget. Meanwhile, HB 13 the bill itself, should be on the Senate Floor this week as well.
On ASMI, Senator Dave Donley added language to the operating budget bill on the Senate Floor, that makes landing tax litigation money appropriation's contingent upon all Seattle employees above a Range 21, transfer to Alaska. The House ASMI budget closed out with a 1 percent reduction from the Governor's budget. I am anticipating a favorable hybrid which would eliminate the contingency language.
HB 19, my sport fish guide licensing bill, passed out of House Finance on April 17, which was not an easy task. There were unfriendly amendments offered by Representative Eldon Mulder who was supported by Representatives Vic Kohring and Terry Martin, and to a lesser extent others on the committee. Again, the part of the bill which authorizes the Board of Fisheries to regulate "the sport fishing services industry as needed for the conservation, development, and utilization of fishery resources" was at issue. The Board of Fish is in full support of inclusion of this language, so they can manage for the resource on a regional basis as needed, but some prefer to keep guides insulated from the board's authority. I anticipate a House Floor vote on this bill Tuesday, April 29th.
SB 40, Senator Rick Halford's Discrete Stock Management bill has not moved from his Senate Resources Committee. As I wrote two weeks ago, Senator Halford's committee substitute, brought to the committee weeks ago, does not mandate the Board to change its management emphasis as the original bill did, but provides for the Board, with public input, to prioritize research needs. The money for this research would be provided by $1 from sport fish licenses, $10 from crew member license increased fees and $500,000 from all salmon limited entry permit holders to be prorated based on fishery value. Coincidentally, SB 7, which is expected to pass this year, decreases sport fishing licenses $1 voiding any effective increase in cost on sport fishers.
HB 149, the F.I.S.H. Initiative legislation, will be heard this week in the House Special Committee on Fisheries. I agreed to hear this legislation in order to minimize or avoid problems when HB 19 reaches the House Floor. I anticipate a great deal of statewide testimony, so please inform your friends and plan on visiting the LIO to share your views on this legislation.
I have still not received a written response to Kodiak fishermen's concerns on the Kodiak Coded Wire Tagging Project scheduled to begin this year. In my discussion with Commissioner Frank Rue and Director Bob Clasby on this subject, I voiced those concerns and believe some adjustments will be made as a result of that meeting. However, I am not sure of the "bottom line" on several of the issues that we spoke of.
Appointments
I have just been notified by Speaker Gail Phillips of the following appointments. I requested and was given a seat on the Pacific Fisheries Legislative Task Force. I was reappointed to the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation Board of Directors as an ex-officio member. I will continue to serve the Committee on Science, Energy & Environmental Resources to the National Conference of State Legislators. In addition, I will sit on the Western Legislative Conference's Water Policy Committee.
Visitors
Several folks were in Juneau these past two weeks for a variety of reasons. Those stopping by the office were Marty Shuravloff, Walter Sapp and Terry Stone. Also visiting from the lower 48 was Dawn (Jarvela) Henthorn, a former Kodiak resident.
As the session winds down, I will try to communicate at least one more time with the Juneau Update, a format that the Kodiak Daily Mirror have so graciously given to Senator Mackie and myself to keep you informed.