04/05/2023 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

           SB 83-PROFESSIONAL LICENSING; TEMP PERMITS                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:34:37 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR BJORKMAN announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL NO. 83                                                               
"An  Act   relating  to   professional  licensing;   relating  to                                                               
temporary  licenses for  some professions;  and providing  for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
He stated that this is the  third hearing of this bill and Sylvan                                                               
Robb will provide a recap.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:35:03 PM                                                                                                                    
SYLVAN  ROBB, Director,  Division of  Corporations, Business  and                                                               
Professional  Licensing, Department  of  Commerce, Community  and                                                               
Economic Development, Juneau,  Alaska, offered a recap  of SB 83.                                                               
She  stated that  this  bill  allows the  department  to issue  a                                                               
temporary license  for 180  days to  an individual  who currently                                                               
holds  a license  in good  standing in  another U.S.  or Canadian                                                               
jurisdiction.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BJORKMAN  advised  that  in  previous  bill  hearings  the                                                               
division informed  the committee  that in  its current  form, the                                                               
bill fails  to comply with  federal regulations because  it lacks                                                               
the proper  language to address  military courtesy  licenses. The                                                               
proposed committee substitute addresses  this issue. He solicited                                                               
a motion.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:36:37 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BISHOP moved  to adopt the committee  substitute (CS) for                                                               
SB 83, work order 33-GS1614\S, as the working document.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion. He asked Mr.                                                                
Jackson to explain the changes in the CS.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:37:06 PM                                                                                                                    
KONRAD  JACKSON,  Staff,  Senator Jesse  Bjorkman,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  presented the  summary of  changes                                                               
from  version A  to version  S of  SB 83,  paraphrasing from  the                                                               
following statement:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The draft proposed CS  before members for consideration                                                                    
     addresses  a  gap  in the  bill.  That  being  military                                                                    
     courtesy licenses.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The  changes made  in  the CS  will  bring Alaska  into                                                                    
     conformation with  Federal Code- 50 U.S.C.  4025a (Sec.                                                                    
     19, 10  Veterans Auto and Education  Improvement Act of                                                                    
     2022).                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The changes  made by the CS  begin in sec. 2  which can                                                                    
     be found on page 3, line 9 and continuing to page 5.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Following  this change,  there are  numerous conforming                                                                    
     changes  which  replace  the term  "Temporary  Military                                                                    
     Courtesy"  license  with   simply  "Military  Courtesy"                                                                    
     license.  Also, the  term  "military servicemember"  is                                                                    
     introduced to replace the term "active duty member".                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     On page  4, lines  13-18 and 24-28  amending paragraphs                                                                    
     (4) and  (5) requiring a  licensee must remain  in good                                                                    
     standing  with  the  original licensing  authority  and                                                                    
     complies with continuing education requirements.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     In section  4 on page  5, language is  added specifying                                                                    
     that  these military  courtesy licenses  are valid  for                                                                    
     the  duration   that  the  service  members   is  under                                                                    
     official  orders,  under (a)  of  this  section or  180                                                                    
     days, which ever is longer.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     There  are  additional   conforming  changes  found  in                                                                    
     sections 4 and 6  regarding the terms military courtesy                                                                    
     license and military servicemember.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     In  new  section 7,  found  on  page  6, we  align  the                                                                    
     definition of  a "military service  member  to  that of                                                                    
     the definition found in 50 U.S.C 3911.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The remaining section of the bill are then renumbered.                                                                     
     The  next change  is found  in the  new section  29, on                                                                    
     page 15,  lines 9-15 where the  regulations annulled by                                                                    
     the bill are listed.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     The  following sections  are  renumbers and  conforming                                                                    
     changes  are made  to the  sections listed  in the  two                                                                    
     effective date clauses (30 & 31)                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:39:57 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  BJORKMAN   removed  his  objection.  Finding   no  further                                                               
objection,  version  S  of  SB  83 was  adopted  as  the  working                                                               
document and held in committee.