House Bill 56, regarding commercial fisheries loan limits made by the state, and sponsored by Rep. Dan Ortiz, I- Ketchikan, has passed from the House Finance committee to be heard by the Rules Committee.
The bill would boost the total of balances outstanding on loans made from $300,000 to $400,000.
Co-sponsors are Representatives Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, D-Sitka; Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage; Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage; Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage; Sam Kito, D-Juneau; and Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage.
In his sponsor statement, Ortiz noted that the amount of $300,00 was assigned in 1982 and that his bill does not raise the aggregate amount a borrower may hold unpaid, therefore not affecting the solvency of the fund from which the loan came.
Due to inflation and technological advances, this $300,000 amount has become outdated, Ortiz said. According to the calculation method of the Consumer Price Index, $300,000 in 1982 is equivalent to approximately $746,136 today. That is why a $100,000 increase to the aggregate limit of $300,000 to $400,000 is reasonable and pertinent today, he said.
Also this past week, the committee substitute for House Bill 87 passed the House Resources Committee and was scheduled for a second reading on the House floor on April 3. That measure, sponsored by Representative Lousie Stutes, R-Kodiak and co-sponsored by Kreiss-Tomkins, relates to conflict of interest matters before the state boards of fish and game.
State law current prohibits a board member from participating in and voting on matters in which they have a personal or financial interest.
HB 87 would allow members of these boards to deliberate on subjects for which they have a declared personal or financial interest to offer remarks and input on such matters, but not vote on the matter at hand.
“Allowing members with expertise in particular fields to deliberate will help the board make more informed decisions and lead to stronger fisheries management statewide,” Stutes said in her sponsor statement.
