Legislature(2015 - 2016)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)

02/26/2016 08:30 AM House LEGISLATIVE BUDGET & AUDIT

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Audio Topic
08:31:54 AM Start
08:33:01 AM Public Comment on Performance Reviews of the Department of Education and Early Development, the Alaska Commission on Post-secondary Education, and the Alaska Student Loan Corporation
08:54:52 AM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Performance Review - Juneau with Statewide TELECONFERENCED
Public Comment to Assist the Contractors
Conducting the Performance Reviews:
- Dept. of Education & Early Development
- Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education
- Alaska Student Loan Corporation
-- Public Testimony <Time Limit 3 Minutes> --
** Meeting in JNU with a teleconference for
Fairbanks & Statewide **
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
             LEGISLATIVE BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE                                                                           
                       February 26, 2016                                                                                        
                           8:31 a.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Mike Hawker, Chair                                                                                               
Representative Sam Kito                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Anna MacKinnon, Vice Chair                                                                                              
Senator Lyman Hoffman                                                                                                           
Senator Cathy Giessel                                                                                                           
Senator Bert Stedman                                                                                                            
Senator Click Bishop                                                                                                            
Senator Pete Kelly (alternate)                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Kurt Olson                                                                                                       
Representative Lance Pruitt                                                                                                     
Representative Steve Thompson                                                                                                   
Representative Mark Neuman (alternate)                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PUBLIC COMMENT ON PERFORMANCE REVIEWS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF                                                                      
EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT~ THE ALASKA COMMISSION ON POST-                                                                 
SECONDARY EDUCATION~ AND THE ALASKA STUDENT LOAN CORPORATION                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
JESSE JENKINS                                                                                                                   
Morningside Research                                                                                                            
Austin, Texas                                                                                                                   
POSITION STATEMENT:  Answered questions during the public                                                                     
comment hearing.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
JENNIFER WALL                                                                                                                   
Public Works LLC                                                                                                                
San Francisco, California                                                                                                       
POSITION STATEMENT:  Answered questions during the public                                                                     
comment hearing.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:31:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MIKE  HAWKER  called  the  Legislative  Budget  and  Audit                                                             
Committee meeting  to order at  8:31 a.m.   Representative Hawker                                                               
was present  at the call  to order.  Representative  Kito arrived                                                               
as the meeting was in progress.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HAWKER explained  that, as the purpose of  this hearing was                                                               
to gather information  for the contractors, and, as  it was being                                                               
held during a  legislative day, legislators were  not expected to                                                               
compromise their other committee schedules.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
^Public  Comment  on Performance  Reviews  of  the Department  of                                                             
Education and  Early Development, the Alaska  Commission on Post-                                                             
Secondary Education, and the Alaska Student Loan Corporation                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
   Public Comment on Performance Reviews of the Department of                                                               
 Education and Early Development, the Alaska Commission on Post-                                                            
  Secondary Education, and the Alaska Student Loan Corporation                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:33:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HAWKER announced  that the only order of  business would be                                                               
public comments specifically conducted  for the Legislative Audit                                                               
Division  to  review  agency  activities,  identify  problems  or                                                               
concerns, and  assist the contractors conducting  the Performance                                                               
Reviews  of the  Department of  Education and  Early Development,                                                               
the  Alaska  Commission  on  Post-Secondary  Education,  and  the                                                               
Alaska Student  Loan Corporation  as mandated  by House  Bill 30,                                                               
and required  under AS 44.66.040(a)(2).   He reiterated  that the                                                               
purpose  of the  meeting was  to  gather public  feedback on  the                                                               
operations,  functions, and  interactions  of  the Department  of                                                               
Education and  Early Development, the Alaska  Commission on Post-                                                               
Secondary  Education, and  the Alaska  Student Loan  Corporation.                                                               
He  emphasized that  this  was an  informational  hearing, not  a                                                               
budget  hearing,  and  that  written   testimony  would  also  be                                                               
accepted.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:35:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JESSE JENKINS,  Morningside Research, explained  that Morningside                                                               
Research was  performing the review  of the Alaska  Commission on                                                               
Post-Secondary   Education   and    the   Alaska   Student   Loan                                                               
Corporation.  He  reported that they had been  "on-site in Juneau                                                               
once," and  that they had  conducted interviews with many  of the                                                               
staff.    Currently,  they  were   preparing  a  bench  mark  for                                                               
comparison  with   other  states   and  other   loan  competitors                                                               
nationally.   He  relayed that  they would  return to  Juneau for                                                               
follow-up.   In  response to  Chair  Hawker, he  stated that  the                                                               
preliminary draft  would be  completed by  June, with  the report                                                               
due to the Alaska State Legislature by September.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:36:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JENNIFER WALL, Public  Works LLC, explained Public  Works role as                                                               
the  prime   contractor  for  the   performance  review   of  the                                                               
Department  of  Education  and   Early  Development,  the  Alaska                                                               
Commission on  Post-Secondary Education,  and the  Alaska Student                                                               
Loan  Corporation.   She relayed  that Morningside  was the  sub-                                                               
contractor for the Alaska  Commission on Post-Secondary Education                                                               
and the  Alaska Student Loan  Corporation aspect of  the project.                                                               
She reported  that Public  Works had  "people on  site throughout                                                               
the  state   in  Alaska  interviewing   key  people   within  the                                                               
Department of Education and Early  Development, from directors to                                                               
staff,  as  well  as  people   throughout  the  state  at  school                                                               
districts and at campus levels."   She noted that they were still                                                               
in the  research phase  but would soon  begin preparation  of the                                                               
preliminary finding.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:37:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HAWKER identified that the  two groups had been very active                                                               
in  contacting  and  working directly  with  the  department  and                                                               
commissions  under review,  and he  reiterated that  this hearing                                                               
was not the sum total, but  simply the opportunity for the public                                                               
to testify and contribute to the process.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:38:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HAWKER  opened public testimony.   He noted that  there was                                                               
no  one  in the  public  who  currently  wanted to  testify,  and                                                               
reminded  that  this  was  the   second  opportunity  for  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:39:47 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 8:39 a.m. to 8:54 a.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:54:10 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HAWKER brought the committee back to order.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:54:36 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KITO stated that he did not have any testimony to                                                                
offer at this time.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
[Public testimony was closed]                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:54:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no further business before the committee, the                                                                       
Legislative Budget and Audit Committee meeting was adjourned at                                                                 
8:54 a.m.                                                                                                                       

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
Agenda_LBA_Feb 26_DEED Performance Review Public Testimony.pdf JBUD 2/26/2016 8:30:00 AM