04/16/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

         HB 19-LIMITED TEACHER CERTIFICATES; LANGUAGES                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:15:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR STORY  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO.  19, "An  Act relating  to  instruction in  a                                                               
language other  than English;  and establishing  limited language                                                               
immersion teacher certificates."                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:16:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   JONATHAN  KREISS-TOMKINS,   as  prime   sponsor,                                                               
presented HB  19.   He thanked the  committee for  the discussion                                                               
during the previous hearing.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:17:14 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ZULKOSKY moved  to adopt  Amendment 1  to HB  19,                                                               
labeled 32-LS0169\B.1, which read as follows:                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, lines 18 - 19:                                                                                                     
          Delete "(f) of this section and"                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, lines 24 - 30:                                                                                                     
     Delete all material.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:17:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:17:27 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ZULKOSKY  explained  that  this  amendment  would                                                               
remove subsection (f) from the  proposed legislation.  She argued                                                               
that the language was "looking to  resolve an issue that does not                                                               
exist."  She directed attention  to subsection (c) and said there                                                               
were already safety measures in  place for a rigorous application                                                               
process  that would  preclude world  language teachers  who teach                                                               
non-indigenous languages from  being able to misuse  this type of                                                               
certificate.   She  stated her  belief that  it was  important to                                                               
simplify the  language, which would  clarify the intention  of HB
 and focus on Alaska Native languages.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:19:28 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND removed her objection.   There being no further                                                               
objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:20:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND  commented that she  was excited to  bring this                                                               
option to  schools and  noted that it  was the  third legislative                                                               
session she  had heard the  proposed legislation.   She mentioned                                                               
that she  was disappointed  by the lack  of public  testimony and                                                               
alluded to  testimony that  was given  during past  iterations of                                                               
the proposed legislation.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:21:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOPKINS  asked if  HB  19  was identical  to  the                                                               
recent version that  was crafted in the House  Labor and Commerce                                                               
Standing Committee during the previous legislative session.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS  responded that it is  identical to                                                               
the version from the House  Labor and Commerce Standing Committee                                                               
from  the  previous  legislature,   with  the  exception  of  the                                                               
amendment that was just adopted.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:22:14 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND  moved to report  HB 19, as  amended, out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal  notes.   There  being  no  objection,  CSHB
(EDC)  was  reported  out  of   the  House  Education  Standing                                                               
Committee.