Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 106
03/25/2008 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB241 | |
| HB397 | |
| HB403 | |
| HB306 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 241 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 397 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 403 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 306 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 397-POSTSECONDARY SCHOLARSHIPS 3:15:11 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 397, "An Act creating a postsecondary scholarship grant program for Alaska residents based on high achievement and financial need." 3:15:45 PM REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GUTTENBERG, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor, referred to an electronic letter that addressed questions raised during the previous hearing. 3:16:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH acknowledged receiving the information electronically. 3:16:52 PM REPRESENTATIVE GUTTENBERG expressed his pride in the quality of the testimony from the UA students. 3:17:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER moved that the committee adopt Amendment 1, that read: Page 2, line 9, following "$1,000": Insert "and not more than $5,000 a year" 3:18:03 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:18:18 PM CHRISTIAN GOU-LEONHARDT, Staff to Representative David Guttenberg, Alaska State Legislature, explained that Amendments 1 through 5 were proposed by the Postsecondary Education Commission. 3:19:00 PM DIANE BARRANS, Executive Director, Postsecondary Education Commission, Department of Education and Early Development, informed the committee that the original version of the bill did not include an annual cap, or an aggregate cap, on the amount of the scholarship. Amendment 1 would establish a maximum. 3:20:30 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH removed her objection. 3:20:43 PM There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 3:20:51 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 2, that read: Page 2, line 11, following "year.": Insert "The commission may not award a scholarship to an eligible applicant for more than four years or more than a cumulative amount of $20,000." REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:20:58 PM MS. BARRANS stated that Amendment 2 creates a cumulative cap on the amount of the scholarship. 3:21:19 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH removed her objection. There being no further objection, Amendment 2 was adopted. 3:21:31 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 3, as follows: Page 3, line 22, following "AS 14.43.190": Insert ",for the cost of administering the Alaska achievers' scholarship program," REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:21:40 PM MS. BARRANS explained that the amendment ensures that any direct cost to establish the program was to be paid by the fund. 3:21:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH removed her objection. 3:22:13 PM There being no further objection, Amendment 3 was adopted. 3:22:20 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 4, which read: Page 3, line 16: Delete "July" Insert "May" There being no objection, Amendment 4 was adopted. 3:22:48 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 5, which read: Page 2, line 23, following "achieved": Delete "a" Insert "and maintained a cumulative" 3:22:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:22:57 PM MS. BARRANS stated that Amendment 5 establishes an ongoing academic criteria in order for a student to continue to be qualified for a scholarship after the initial receipt. 3:23:13 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH removed her objection. There being no further objection, Amendment 5 was adopted. 3:23:23 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 6, which read: Page 2, line 16: Delete "needed" 3:23:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:23:39 PM MS. BARRANS noted that the word was extraneous and a source of future debate. 3:23:48 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH remarked: So the new sentence, for those listening at home, on page 2, line 16, item (d) under 14.43.190, would say, "The commission shall adopt regulations to administer the program." With that, I'll withdraw my objection. 3:24:16 PM There being no further objection, Amendment 6 was adopted. 3:24:23 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES moved that the committee adopt Amendment 7, which read: Page 4, following line 1: Insert a new bill section to read: "*Sec.3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read: ALASKA ACHIEVERS' SCHOLARSHIP FUND; TRANSITION. Notwithstanding AS 14.43.195(c), added by sec. 2 of this Act, the commissioner of revenue shall determine the amount available for appropriation for scholarships from the Alaska achievers' scholarship fund as follows: (1) as soon as practicable after the first appropriation is deposited into the fund, the commissioner shall determine the first full month-end market value of the fund and identify five percent of that amount available for the remainder of the fiscal year; (2) as soon as practicable after May 1, 2009, the commissioner shall determine the month-end market value of the fund and identify five percent of that amount as the amount available for the following fiscal year; and (3) as soon as practicable after May 1, 2010, the commissioner shall determine the average month-end market value of the fund for the preceding fiscal year and identify 10 percent of the amount as the amount available for the following fiscal year." 3:24:34 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH objected. 3:24:38 PM VICE CHAIR ROSES paraphrased Amendment 7. 3:25:01 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER objected to offer Amendment 1 to Amendment 7, as follows: Page 1, line 16, Delete "10" Insert "five" There being no objection, Amendment 1 to Amendment 7 was adopted. 3:25:38 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:25:45 PM to 3:27:07 PM. 3:27:09 PM MR. GOU-LEONHARDT explained that Amendment 7 adds transition language to correct an omission in the original bill and allow the determination of the market value of the fund. 3:28:07 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH withdrew her objection. There being no further objection, Amendment 7, as amended, was adopted. 3:28:40 PM REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH moved to report HB 397, Version 25- LS1395\M, Mischel, 3/21/08, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 397(HES), was reported out of the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee. The committee took an at-ease from 3:29:02 PM to 3:32:12 PM
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