Legislature(2011 - 2012)BUTROVICH 205
03/24/2011 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB53 | |
| HCR6 | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Commissioner of Revenue | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 53 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HCR 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 53-COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
9:03:53 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the first order of business would
be SB 53, an act reestablishing the Commission on the Status of
Women.
CELESTE HODGE, staff to Senator Bettye Davis, provided an
overview of SB 53. She said the Alaska Commission on the Status
of Women was originally created in 1978, renewed and renamed to
the Alaska Women's Commission in 1983, then combined with the
Alaska Human Relations Commission in 1993. The Alaska Human
Relations Commission has never been funded and was declared
inactive in 1996.
Staggering statistics for women in Alaska show the need to
reestablish the commission, to exclusively focus on major issues
facing women. Alaska has the highest rates of sexual assault and
domestic violence in the nation. Poverty rates for unmarried
female householders with children are particularly high, and
have consistently been two or three times as high as overall
male and female poverty rates. Survey data shows that of 26,518
families in Alaska with a female head of household, 22.6 percent
live below the poverty level.
The gender wage gap persists in Alaska; in 2009 Alaskan women on
average earned only 66.6 percent of what men earned. Although
more women than men in Alaska hold a bachelor's degree or
higher, data shows that men's median annual earnings are higher
in every education level. Alaskan women also experience health
care disparities.
Reestablishing the Alaska Commission on the Status of Women will
help Alaskans focus on these critical areas. If we sincerely
care about the women and children in this state, we must do more
to deal with these staggering statistics. Throughout the
commission's existence, it conducted many public hearings and
trainings, developed manuals, conducted research, and provided
opportunities in the areas of education, homemaking, civil and
legal rights, and labor and employment.
The commission developed a comprehensive statewide plan and made
recommendations to enhance the quality of life for women and
children. Alaska has an opportunity to once again show we
sincerely care about the women in this state. We need
innovative, forward thinking in a commission that exclusively
concentrates on improving the status of women in Alaska.
9:07:56 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if Ms. Hodge could walk the committee
through the bill.
MS. HODGE responded the bill creates the Alaska Commission on
the Status of Women, consisting of two members of the executive
branch and seven public members, all appointed by the governor.
The appointments are to be nondiscriminatory and nonpartisan.
The bill further sets out terms of office, powers and duties of
the commission, and provides for staggered terms of office for
the members.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the commission would have staff.
MS. HODGE replied they hope that staff would be provided,
because there is a lot of work involved. For the commission to
be successful requires a staff.
SENATOR MEYER asked if this would return to the commission as it
existed when it was terminated.
MS. HODGE affirmed that it would.
SENATOR MEYER asked if there was fiscal note.
MS. HODGE answered she had a fiscal note from 2009 with travel
costs, per diem, and a three person staff.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI said the committee had not yet received the
fiscal note for this bill, but noted that the bill has a Finance
referral.
9:11:26 AM
SENATOR MEYER asked why the six year limit.
MS. HODGE answered she was not sure, but the membership has
staggered terms.
9:12:14 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI opened public testimony. Due to time
constraints, he asked witnesses to limit their testimony to
three minutes each.
KATIE HURLEY, former Executive Director of the Alaska Women's
Commission, said she served in that position for three years.
The seven public members appointed by the governor were all
outstanding women. She hired new staff and they worked as a
team; their biggest achievement was a statewide conference in
Anchorage attended by 1,000 women.
ANNABELLE STEVENS, Anchorage, said the commission was
established in 1978 to address the status and to achieve equal
legal, economic, social, and political status for women. The
Human Relations Commission never got funded, so the Women's
Commission faded away. More women are in the workplace today but
the wage gap has not changed. Women in Alaska still earn 66.6
cents on the dollar compared to men, on average. Significant
differences exist between rural and urban Alaska. It is time to
step up and reinstate the women's commission.
9:15:54 AM
CAREN ROBINSON, Alaska Women's Lobby, said the lobby strongly
supports reestablishment of the commission. A recent report by
President Obama says that while the population of men and women
is aging, women outnumber men at older ages and are more likely
to be in poverty. Gains in education for women outpace men. The
labor force participation rate for women has held steady in
recent years. Those are national statistics; reestablishing the
commission would enable us to research those issues in Alaska.
9:19:18 AM
MARIE DARLIN, representing the American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP) said they had provided a letter of support. The
women's initiative of AARP was active in the late 1980s and
early 1990s, but has since moved on to other issues. It is
interesting to note that 25 years ago women made 59 percent of
what men did. So 66 percent shows some improvement but we still
have a long way to go. AARP has always supported women's
commissions in the different states and will continue to do so.
9:21:13 AM
ARLENE SUZANNE SMALLEY, Kenai, said she served on the Women's
Commission until 1990; during that time she was primarily a
homemaker, mother of two boys, wife, and volunteer. Twenty years
later she is a grandmother and a volunteer at Highland Mountain
Women's Prison and other agencies. Now that she is a senior
citizen, she looks at the commission from a different
perspective. This goes along with the domestic violence focus of
Governor Parnell. The commission is really critical for young
women today, because the culture of violence is negatively
affecting young women.
9:24:00 AM
REGINA MANTEUFEL, Back to Work Network, said her parolee
conferences provide women with interview outfits, makeup, proper
shoes, plus psychological and career guidance. Dress for Success
has been successful, but lacks funding. Because of Department of
Labor (DOL) definitions the money does not trickle down. Teenage
girls need to be adequately dressed for school. For example, if
a girl does not have proper tennis shoes she may not show up for
PE. Then her GPA goes down, which makes it harder for her to
advance out of poverty. She has run a rooming house in Fairview
for 26 years. When pregnant girls drop out of school, there is
not enough of a safety net for them.
9:28:04 AM
YVONNE GUTIERREZ, representing herself, said she is a community
volunteer in Anchorage, and testified in support of SB 5. She is
also a civil rights investigator. The commission could monitor
the status of sexual assaults against women, domestic violence,
employment status, affirmative action, sexual harassment in the
workplace, and access to health care for women.
9:30:16 AM
JOY GREEN-ARMSTRONG said she is a former member of the
commission and a former chair. The state benefitted greatly from
the commission in the past. At that time they looked at the
family law system and inequities within the court system,
violence against women, education, and day care. She would like
to see the commission take up where it left off. She was on the
commission when it sunset. As an assistant District Attorney she
saw much domestic violence. If the commission was reestablished
it could help to get more women judges on the bench.
9:32:42 AM
HATTIE GARDNER, past state president of the Alaska Federation of
Business and Professional Women (BPW), testified in support of
SB 5. She is the mother of four daughters and has been in the
workplace for over 50 years. Women are still the major
caregivers in the family; many of them are also wage earners.
Women on average earn substantially less than men in the
workplace. She said Alaska need an agency to track and report on
these injustices. It is a shame that Alaska leads the nation in
the area of violence against women. The Alaska BPW has sponsored
a fly-in to the legislature for many years. They have always had
a legislative arm, and are still in support of the Alaska
Commission on the Status of Women.
9:36:57 AM
KATHY DIETRICH, Fairbanks, Alaska Works Partnership, said she
runs a program designed to help prepare women for work in
nontraditional employment. Women are extremely underrepresented
in the trades. The commission would benefit women in Alaska by
focusing attention on the need for training and opportunities
for women.
9:39:08 AM
PORTIA WU, Vice President, National Partnership for Women and
Families, a nonpartisan advocacy institute based in Washington,
D.C., said the status of women in employment has changed
dramatically in recent years. Women's earnings are now critical
to working families; 40 percent of working mothers are bringing
home over 50 percent of the income in their households. Women
are the majority of college degree holders in the country,
including advanced degrees. Despite these trends, women are
still paid far less on average than men.
9:41:32 AM
KAREN TARR, Chair, Anchorage Women's Commission, said they are
busy in Anchorage trying to deal with these issues and could use
support from around the state.
9:41:58 AM
CLOVER SIMON, Planned Parenthood of the Greater Northwest, said
Planned Parenthood is the main advocate for family planning in
the state. Family planning makes life better for families,
women, and children. The voice for family planning in Alaska is
often lost; the commission could be a noncontroversial voice
supporting health care access and family planning access.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI closed public testimony and set SB 53 aside.
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