Committee adopts substitute for Alaska–Ireland Trade Commission bill, shifts costs to donations

The House State Affairs Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 278 on March 5 that changes organizational and fiscal features of the proposed Alaska–Ireland Trade Commission.

The substitute, prepared with the sponsor’s office, lengthened commission terms from two to three years, added transitional language to stagger appointments, clarified that commission members serve voluntarily without compensation (and are not entitled to per diem or travel expenses unless a grant or donation is provided for that purpose), and moved the commission’s report from a one‑time deliverable to an annual report with donor disclosure requirements. The CS also restricts contracting for report preparation unless a donation is made expressly for that purpose.

The chair asked Hannah Lager (Department of Commerce) about fiscal impacts; she said she needed more time to analyze the substitute and that travel and reporting changes could affect the fiscal note. Representative Costello, the sponsor, said the substitute was drafted to minimize state costs and rely on donations to cover expenses.

The committee removed its objection and adopted the substitute as the working document, setting an amendment deadline of Monday, March 9 at 5 p.m. The bill was set aside pending further analysis and possible amendments.