HB 247 conference committee named

Two dramatically different versions of House Bill 247, Gov. Bill Walker’s oil tax credit bill, are headed for conference committee in the Alaska Legislature. The version passed by the House was proposed on the floor by Republican Reps. Paul Seaton of Homer and Tammie Wilson of North Pole.

Senate Finance adopted a committee substitute which was substantially different than the House bill.

The House rejected the Senate CS by a vote of 14-24, similar to the 21-16 margin for Seaton-Wilson amendment. House Speaker Mike Chenault appointed House members of a conference committee, all of whom heard the governor’s bill and worked on a committee substitute in House Resources: Reps. Dave Talerico, R-Healy (chair), Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna and Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage.

That occurred at the end of the regular session.

The special session gaveled in May 23 and on May 24 the House adopted a resolution suspending legislative rules to allow certain bills on the governor’s call for the special session to be carried over from the regular session.

Although the House minority voted for amended version of HB 247 in the regular session, members of the Alaska Independent Democratic Coalition sponsored an amendment to remove HB 247 from the resolution, a move which would have required beginning with a new bill. The amendment failed 13-22 with those opposed reviewing the amount of time the House had already spent on the measure.

The Senate concurred in the resolution and Senate President Kevin Meyer appointed Sens. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage (chair), John Coghill, R-North Pole, and Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, to the conference committee. All serve on Senate Resources, which heard earlier versions of the bill; Micciche also serves on Senate Finance, which heard the House-passed version and prepared the Senate CS.

No conference committee meetings had been announced when this issue of Petroleum News went to press May 26.

- KRISTEN NELSON