02/13/2014 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

        SB 145-VETS' RETIREMENT/LOANS/HOUSING/EMPLOYMENT                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:08:00 AM                                                                                                                   
CHAIR DYSON announced the consideration of SB 145.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CURTIS  THAYER,   Commissioner,  Department   of  Administration,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska, presented information  about SB 145. He explained                                                               
that there  are over 75,000  veterans and 25,000  active military                                                               
with their  families in  Alaska. The bill  was introduced  by the                                                               
Governor  to rectify  three main  provisions  in statute.  First,                                                               
there is  a hiring preference  for veterans, which the  state has                                                               
not  revised since  the  Vietnam  War. SB  145  would bring  this                                                               
provision up to date and in line with federal definitions.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
He said the  second revision concerns Alaska  Housing Finance. It                                                               
allows the  federal definition of  a veteran  to also be  used by                                                               
the  state  for  the  Alaska   Housing  Program  and  for  future                                                               
federally funded veteran programs.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Thirdly, the state is not  in compliance with the Heroes Earnings                                                               
Assistance  and Relief  Tax (HEART)  Act, passed  by Congress  in                                                               
2008. The  bill would provide benefits  to the family of  a state                                                               
employee in the reserves, who is  called up to active duty and is                                                               
killed.  The family  would receive  state  benefits the  employee                                                               
would have  received if  they had  remained employed.  He pointed                                                               
out  that the  state is  out of  compliance on  these issues  and                                                               
there is an audit coming in 2015.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER  THAYER  noted  a   zero  fiscal  note  because  the                                                               
aforementioned situation has  never occurred. He called  SB 145 a                                                               
"clean up bill."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DYSON  asked  Commissioner  Thayer  if  he  knows  of  any                                                               
opposition to the bill.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER THAYER answered no.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:11:52 AM                                                                                                                   
CHAIR DYSON announced the committee would stand at ease.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON [held SB 145 in committee.]