Legislature(2015 - 2016)SENATE FINANCE 532

03/18/2016 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled: TELECONFERENCED
+= SB 1 REGULATION OF SMOKING TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+= SB 124 EXTEND SUNSET ON AK COMMISSION ON AGING TELECONFERENCED
Moved SB 124 Out of Committee
SENATE BILL NO. 124                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act extending the termination date of the Alaska                                                                       
     Commission on Aging; and providing for an effective                                                                        
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon discussed housekeeping.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:42:34 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Micciche read  from Page 2 of  the amended fiscal                                                                    
note:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     The  amended fiscal  note  reflects  a staff  reduction                                                                    
     from  four  full-time   positions  to  three  full-time                                                                    
     positions  in   FY2017  and  two   full-time  positions                                                                    
     beginning in FY2018 going forward.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Micciche  added that  the reduction would  be $93                                                                    
thousand in personal services.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:44:26 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:45:49 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:45:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   MacKinnon  remarked   that  there   had  been   a                                                                    
discussion  in the  previous meeting  regarding the  4 staff                                                                    
member support  for the  Board of  the Alaska  Commission on                                                                    
Aging. She  noted the  reduction in  staff reflected  on the                                                                    
amended  fiscal  notes.    She  requested  that  legislative                                                                    
finance walk through the fund allocations.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
KELLY  CUNNINGHAM,  FISCAL   NOTE  COORDINATOR,  LEGISLATIVE                                                                    
FINANCE DIVISION,  informed the committee that  one position                                                                    
would be cut  in FY2017, which would result in  a savings of                                                                    
$93.3  thousand;  $36  thousand   in  General  Funds,  $57.3                                                                    
thousand  in interagency  receipts. She  furthered that  the                                                                    
second  year of  the reductions,  2018, the  second position                                                                    
would be removed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:47:51 AM                                                                                                                    
9:43:45 AM                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   MacKinnon  queried   whether   the  fiscal   note                                                                    
information that the  department had sent to  her office for                                                                    
FY18 going forward, was reflected in the note.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
DUANE MAYES,  DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF SENIOR  AND DISABILITIES                                                                    
SERVICES,   DEPARTMENT  OF   HEALTH  AND   SOCIAL  SERVICES,                                                                    
ANCHORAGE  (via teleconference),  responded that  the fiscal                                                                    
note that  the department proposed  would had reduced  the 2                                                                    
positions in FY18.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:47:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon stated  that the  numbers reflected  for                                                                    
FY18 through FY22, had been  provided by the department, and                                                                    
that the  only change  that the committee  had made  was the                                                                    
FY17 reduction.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Mayes agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:48:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon  reminded  Mr.  Mayes  that  interagency                                                                    
receipts  were also  General Fund  spending.  She wanted  to                                                                    
ensure that the two positions  had not been moved to another                                                                    
division or department, but had been cut completely.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Mayes replied  that the positions were  not being moved,                                                                    
but were being eliminated.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:49:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon  understood that the positions  would not                                                                    
be moved to the State Unit on Aging.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Mayes  replied  that  the   State  Unit  on  Aging  was                                                                    
delegated to the Division of  Senior Disability Services. He                                                                    
explained that as  a requirement of the  Older American Act,                                                                    
the department  had to gather input  from seniors throughout                                                                    
the  state, and  to  have an  advisory  council; the  Alaska                                                                    
Commission on Aging was the advisory council.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:50:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon  solicited additional  information  form                                                                    
Mr. Mayes.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Mayes replied that he did not.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:51:47 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SANA  EFIRD, ASSISTANT  COMMISSIONER,  DEPARTMENT OF  HEALTH                                                                    
AND   SOCIAL  SERVICES,   commented   that  the   department                                                                    
understood the  fiscal climate of  the state. She  said that                                                                    
the governor's  FY17 budget for  the commission  had already                                                                    
been established,  which was why  they had  recommended that                                                                    
the reductions begin in FY18.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon relayed  that  the committee  understood                                                                    
that the cuts would impact  the work that the commission was                                                                    
under schedule to complete.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:53:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Dunleavy warned  that the cuts would  occur over all                                                                    
areas  of  government.  He  said  that  many  long-standing,                                                                    
effective programs would be scrutinized.  He thought that it                                                                    
was appropriate to reduce the fiscal note.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon hoped  that all  boards and  commissions                                                                    
could be fairly evaluated in the future.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:53:50 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:55:51 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Micciche MOVED to REPORT  SB 124 out of committee                                                                    
with  individual  recommendations  and the  attached  fiscal                                                                    
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SB   124   was   REPORTED   out  of   committee   with   "no                                                                    
recommendation" and with  a new fiscal impact  note from the                                                                    
Department of Health and Social Services.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:56:10 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
9:57:28 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB 1 CSSB 1 work draft Version V.pdf SFIN 3/18/2016 9:00:00 AM
SB 1
SB 1 Amendment Packet.pdf SFIN 3/18/2016 9:00:00 AM
SB 1