ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE

Reservation Telecommunications Legislative Study Committee

Minutes of the Meeting

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

1:30 p.m.  House Hearing Room 3

Members Present:

Senator Albert Hale, CoChairman	Representative Tom Chabin, CoChairman
Senator Robert Blendu	Representative Bill Konopnicki
Senator Jay Tibshraeny

Members Absent:

Representative John Nelson

Staff:

Stacy Weltsch, House Financial Institutions and Insurance Analyst

Justin Weaver, Senate Assistant Analyst

Chairman Tobin called the meeting to order at 1:38 p.m. and attendance was noted.

REVIEW OF PREVIOUS FINDINGS

Representative Chabin provided an overview of findings from previous          Committee hearings, referring to a handout entitled “State Tax Collections by       Reservation” (Attachment A) and to a copy of draft legislation with the reference title of “Native American tribes; revenue sharing” (Attachment B).

The Committee members discussed the previous findings regarding reservation telecommunications.

OVERVIEW OF DRAFT LEGISLATION

Stacy Weltsch, House Financial Institutions and Insurance Analyst, explained the draft legislation (Attachment B) and answered questions posed by the Committee members.

Eric Jorgensen, Principle Fiscal Analyst, Joint Legislative Budget Committee, provided a brief analysis of the fiscal impact of the draft legislation, referring to a handout entitled “Joint Legislative Budget Committee Staff Memorandum” (Attachment C).  Mr. Jorgensen also answered questions posed by the Committee members.

PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Pearl Lee, Program Manager, Navajo Nation Telecommunication and Utilities Department, testified regarding the Navajo Nation’s need for updated radio communications infrastructure, referring to handouts entitled “Navajo Nation Telecommunication & Utilities” (Attachment D), “NN Telecommunication and Utilities” (Attachment E), and “NNTU Leased Two Way Radio       Equipment” (Attachment F).  Ms. Lee also answered questions posed by the Committee members.

Ernest Franklin, Executive Director, Navajo Nation Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, briefly explained the use and need for telecommunications services for economic and community development.                Mr. Franklin also answered questions posed by the Committee members.

Ron Lee, Navajo Nation Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, testified regarding the sources of funding for infrastructure projects for the Navajo Nation and all tribal communities.  Mr. Lee also stated that all of the tribal communities are in need of telecommunications infrastructure.

Jesse Thompson, Supervisor, Navajo County, testified regarding the importance of telecommunications in Navajo County and what has been done to improve the communication infrastructure in that area.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

The Committee members discussed recommendations for possible legislation.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Ritz

Committee Secretary

(Audio recordings and attachments on file in the Secretary of Senate’s Office/Resource Center, Room 115).

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           Reservation Telecommunications

Legislative Study Committee

October 22, 2008

Page 3

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