STATE OF ALASKA

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Representative Jeannette James

Joint Administrative Regulation Review Committee

MEMO

February 27, 1997 revised

To: Senators and Representatives

From: Rep. Jeannette James, Chair

Re: Joint Administrative Reg. Review Committee status report

What is the Reg. Review Committee doing?

It is realistically impossible to find a weekday meeting time that falls between 7AM and 7PM that all Committee members can attend. Hence our meetings will need to take place on Saturday or Sunday. Therefore I have chosen to keep you informed of what we are doing, solicit your input, and keep you in the operational loop via cc-mail and hand delivery. Meetings will be held as necessary for hearings. Please let me know if that causes any concern.

Staff is working 80% of the time for Reg. Rev. Committee and about 20% of the time on other projects including:

A sampling of legislation, correspondence and current projects, in progress by me and Regulation Review Committee staff is overviewed herein. At the Committee's direction the following concerns are reactive to constituent concerns and complaints.

Legislation

  1. Drafting a regulatory reform/review House Bill based on Colorado's lengthy successful experiment with regulation sunset and sunrise statute. Examining other ways to create better regulation legislation.
  2. Working HB 17 through the Legislative process, the Bill fixes a inequity in the statute. Current law allows sole proprietorships to receive disabled bidder preferences, equal treatment is not given to total disabled owned corporations and partnerships. The bill is in House Rules.
  3. Working HB 18 through the Legislative process, this Bill closes a loophole in the Statutes. Currently there is no regulatory oversight of plats/subdivisions in the Unorganized Boroughs, this Bill gives the oversight to DNR on a revenue neutral basis. The bill is in House Rules.
  4. Working HB 157 through the Legislative process, this Bill repeals an unfair portion of law. Currently a borrower of school funds from Post Secondary Education who is over 60 days overdue on the payment may under law be denied professional license renewal. The bill is in House HSS Committee.
  5. Working HB 161 through the Legislative process, this Bill deregulates refuse collection authority of the APUC. The APUC must have more important things to do than regulate refuse collection business . The bill is in House Labor and Commerce Committee.
  6. Rep. Rokeberg and I have introduced HJR 2, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to repeal of regulations by the legislature. Summary: the legislature may, by joint resolution, repeal a regulation adopted by a State department or agency. The repeal of the regulation is effective thirty days after the passage of the resolution by the legislature unless a different prospective effective date is specified in the resolution. The amendment proposed by this resolution shall be placed before the voters of the state at the next general election. Scheduled for House State Affairs 3/6.

Current projects

  1. Review and follow any controversial regs in progress.
  2. Find unwritten policies and force agencies to make them into regs or drop them if they impact the public. Per Ombudsman's recommendation of 1/7/97
  3. Letter to agencies regarding statutes on the books that have not had necessary regs. promulgated for what ever reason.
  4. Legislation to prepare annual report to the Legislature to provide status of regs. from statutes that are required, are over one year old and that are not in progress with an explanation of why.
  5. Legislation to require all entities except the UA and the ARRC to be under the APA, including all boards and commissions.
  6. Develop an exhaustive list of who writes and enforces regulations.

If you wish additional information on any issue please call Walt 6819.