03/14/2023 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s)|| Regulatory Commission of Alaska | |
| HB78 | |
| HB30 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 78 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 14, 2023
8:05 a.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative CJ McCormick, Chair
Representative Kevin McCabe, Vice Chair
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Justin Ruffridge
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
Representative Donna Mears
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Josiah Patkotak
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Robert Doyle - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 78
"An Act establishing September 10 as Alaska Community Health
Aide Appreciation Day."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 30
"An Act relating to daylight saving time; and providing for an
effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 78
SHORT TITLE: AK COMMUNITY HEALTH AIDE APPRECIATION DAY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) MCCORMICK
02/20/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/20/23 (H) CRA
03/14/23 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
BILL: HB 30
SHORT TITLE: OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ALL YEAR
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) ORTIZ
01/19/23 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/23
01/19/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/19/23 (H) CRA, STA, L&C, FIN
03/14/23 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
ROBERT DOYLE, Appointee
Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Regulatory
Commission of Alaska.
CALLAN CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF, Staff
Representative CJ McCormick
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 78 on behalf of Representative
CJ McCormick, prime sponsor.
JESSICA HYATT, Community Relations Advocate
Guardian Flight Alaska
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 78.
CAROLYN CRAIG, Director
Community Health Aide Program
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 78.
JENNY BROWN, Instructor
Tanana Chiefs Conference
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 78.
ASELA CALHOUN, Director
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 78.
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 30.
CAROLINE HAMP, Staff
Representative Dan Ortiz
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
30 in support of Representative Ortiz, prime sponsor.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:05:10 AM
CHAIR CJ MCCORMICK called the House Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:05 a.m.
Representatives McKay, Himschoot, Mears, McCabe, and McCormick
were present at the call to order. Representative Ruffridge
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Regulatory Commission of Alaska
CONSIDERATION OF GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES
Regulatory Commission of Alaska
8:06:08 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the first order of business would
be the Consideration of Governor's Appointees.
8:07:12 AM
ROBERT DOYLE, Appointee, Regulatory Commission of Alaska, joined
via teleconference and testified as appointee to the Regulatory
Commission of Alaska. He provided his intention in accepting
the opportunity for community service, and said he came out of
retirement to do so. He thanked the committee for the
consideration and welcomed any questions.
8:07:49 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK invited the committee to begin their questions.
8:07:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked for a synopsis of Mr. Doyle's
background in relation to this consideration.
8:08:07 AM
MR. DOYLE explained that he spent 31 years in public schools in
Alaska and the past five years as superintendent of the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. After retirement, he
served on the Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) Board of
Directors for 12 years, which included serving several years as
secretary/treasurer. He described that during his time with the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District he had worked on
energy issues, energy conservation, and contributed to doing
whatever needed to be done to make sure things were completed in
a safe, reliable, and affordable way so that more money could be
spent on the children's education.
8:09:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS expressed her appreciation of his
background on the utility board.
8:09:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked Mr. Doyle for his opinion on the
renewable direction of electric utilities that Golden Valley
Electric Association (GVEA) and MEA are taking and how he might
further or block that agenda.
MR. DOYLE replied that during the time he was serving on the MEA
Board at the start of the solar power project in Willow, Alaska,
the key was connectivity and trying to make sure that these
independent power producers and the movement to renewable power
could be done in a reliable way, being that a lot of it is
variable; the base power must be a back-up, and at the same time
make sure there is battery storage to offset when the wind
doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine. He noted one of the key
things he is proud of in terms of working with MEA was, he
reiterated, to keep the renewable projects reliable, affordable,
and safe.
8:11:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE expressed appreciation for Mr. Doyle's
commitment to sustainable energy and asked if the wind turbines
in northern Mat-Su or Denali would be able to compensate for the
shutdown of Golden Valley or Healy.
MR. DOYLE replied that is the plan that GVEA has, and Chugach is
looking at wind and solar power. At the same time, in the short
term and for energy security purposes, there is natural gas and
the generation that MEA has, and in Chugach that can help. The
future goal is to open wind and solar power up to all areas from
Fairbanks down to Kenai.
8:14:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE referred back to the mention of intertie
[an interconnection permitting passage of current between two or
more electric utility systems], and that it is likely not an
intertie but an "extension cord" running from Homer to
Fairbanks. He asked if, through the Regulatory Commission of
Alaska (RCA), Mr. Doyle would support a $1.2 billion increase in
electrical lines. He also asked about his stance on support of
nuclear power.
MR. DOYLE explained all sources of power need to be looked at
and to have everyone come to the table and gather all the facts.
The rate payers do not expect anything less; therefore, he
supports the development of good backbone. Un-constraining
power and having a redundant system to where if there is a
problem with one power line, there is a second one to back it up
are all good things.
8:17:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE thanked Mr. Doyle for his work in the
field.
8:17:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked what some of the issues are the
RCA is facing right now.
MR. DOYLE replied he cannot talk about open dockets specifically
but one of the big concerns is energy security, not just in
Southcentral but throughout the state. The focus needs to
continue to be on small village rural cooperatives to make sure
they are operating efficiently. Other major concerns are school
closures during power outages, senior citizens being without
lights, and washeterias not working. He stressed again that
energy security is foremost on his mind.
8:19:44 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK stated the House Community and Regional Affairs
committee has reviewed the qualifications of the governor's
appointee and recommends that the following name be forwarded to
a joint session for consideration: Robert Doyle, Regulatory
Commission of Alaska. He said that signing the report regarding
appointments to boards and commissions in no way reflects an
individual member's approval or disapproval of the appointee,
and the nomination is merely forwarded to the full legislature
for confirmation or rejection.
8:20:40 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:20 a.m. to 8:23 a.m.
HB 78-AK COMMUNITY HEALTH AIDE APPRECIATION DAY
8:23:28 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the next order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 78, "An Act establishing September 10 as
Alaska Community Health Aide Appreciation Day."
8:23:42 AM
CALLAN CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF, Staff, Representative CJ McCormick,
Alaska State Legislature, provided her background and personal
connection to the health aide community before presenting HB 78
on behalf of Representative CJ McCormick, prime sponsor. She
explained the Community Health Aide Program is unique to the
state and was established out of necessity for many of the rural
communities across the state, and the role is very complex.
Community health aides are often on call all hours and are
critical to coordination for doctors and nurses traveling to
rural villages. In the 1950s, during the tuberculosis epidemic,
the profession began out of necessity to ensure that medication
and medical care was received in rural communities. September
10 commemorates the first Planning and Advisory Committee
meeting for Health Aide Programs in Alaska.
8:26:35 AM
MS. CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF continued to synopsize HB 78 by briefly
following a 9-page PowerPoint, titled "HB 78 Establishing Alaska
Community Health Aide Appreciation Day," showing visuals of the
discussion so far. She reiterated that community health aides
are the "trust" for a lot of Alaska in the medical care system,
and she thanked the committee for its time.
8:29:18 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK invited the committee to provide questions at
this time.
8:29:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked for an idea of what the training
involves, and if there are wages, who pays them.
8:29:53 AM
MS. CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF replied that the Community Health
Aide/Practitioner (CHAP) training is fairly expensive and
consists of weeks of training at one of four hubs: [typically]
Anchorage, Bethel, Nome, or Fairbanks. In response to a follow-
up question, she explained wages for aides depend on each
community, and sometimes they will not receive pay for all the
time they are on call.
8:31:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS expressed her privilege to have worked for
the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium early in her career,
and explained she was able to see firsthand the facilities and
the care provided to communities. She stated she strongly
supports HB 78.
8:32:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked for a description of what a day
looks like for a health aide.
8:33:12 AM
MS. CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF spoke of her personal knowledge through her
mother's work as a health aide. She explained the close work
with the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) in the village,
stating that the aide and VSPO were the primary responsibility
for all crises; aides not only provide medical attention but are
also part of the law and order in a community. Health aides are
sometimes required to go house to house if a village does not
have a clinic - from helping the elderly, to responding to
trauma.
8:34:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked if health aides are mandatory
reporters.
8:35:05 AM
MS. CHYTHLOOK-SIFSOF replied there are some members from the
CHAP program present who could better address the question.
8:35:22 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK welcomed invited testifiers.
8:35:47 AM
JESSICA HYATT, Community Relations Advocate, Guardian Flight
Alaska, gave invited testimony in support of HB 78 on behalf of
Alaska Community Health Aides, as they work shoulder to shoulder
with Guardian Flight Alaska on a daily basis. She explained
Alaska pioneered the CHAP program, and the work of the aides is
tireless and around the clock. As stated prior, September 10 is
a significant date to give recognition where recognition is due.
8:39:23 AM
CAROLYN CRAIG, Director, Community Health Aide Program, gave
invited testimony in support of HB 78 and provided her
background. She described the CHAP program as unique, amazing,
and proven effective at providing culturally competent and
quality healthcare for remote and underserved areas throughout
Alaska. She noted 15 weeks is the total training an aide must
complete and is broken down into four sessions. In 2015, a
distance learning program for basic training had been started,
and this has allowed students to complete portions of their
training at home and minimize their time away. The program has
also gained both national and international attention. She
explained that health aides deal with many hardships that remain
unheard and it is a "24/7" job. She thanked the committee and
will remain online to answer any questions.
8:45:22 AM
JENNY BROWN, Instructor, Tanana Chiefs Conference, provided a
brief background, and explained her time working with many rural
and under-resourced medical providers, compared to other parts
of the state. She stated the group that gains the most respect
from her are the community health aides, as their situation
varies greatly from region to region but the underlying scene is
that they provide the essential medical care to the villages
without any advanced degrees. She encouraged the committee to
establish an annual Community Health Aide Recognition Day that
will remind Alaskans to acknowledge these health care providers.
8:47:53 AM
ASELA CALHOUN, Director, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation,
provided a brief background and expressed her fondness for the
CHAP program and for the work of health aides. She described
personal connections with many health aide workers and
recognized the tremendous amount of work they do - and how well
they do it. She gave an overview of communities served, and a
brief breakdown of which ones also have a clinic. She
reiterated that the program has become a model that is imitated
nationwide, and she stated it is fitting that community health
aides be recognized as the pillars of health care in remote
Alaska and honored with a day of recognition.
8:52:48 AM
MS. CALHOUN continued and gave examples of survey outcomes,
noting that the program is widely described as "a very personal
and deeply held tradition for the community." She also noted
that being an aide is generational; children become aides
because their parents were aides, and so on. It is a pattern
that has been repeated multiple times. In closing, she offered
her wholehearted support of HB 78 and dedicating a day of
recognition to community health aides.
8:56:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT reiterated her question as to whether
health aides are mandatory reporters.
8:56:16 AM
MS. CALHOUN replied yes, they are, just like any other health
professional.
8:56:35 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK thanked the invited testifiers.
8:56:50 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:56 a.m. to 8:58 a.m.
8:58:27 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that HB 78 was held over.
8:58:53 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:58 a.m. to 9:02 a.m.
HB 30-OBSERVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ALL YEAR
9:02:57 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 30, "An Act relating to daylight saving time;
and providing for an effective date."
9:03:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HB 30. He began by explaining that if
enacted, HB 30 would establish Daylight Saving Time (DST) as the
official time for Alaska year-round, currently observed between
the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday of November. He
explained the benefits of staying in DST [supporting
documentation included in committee packets] include increased
physical activity, a decrease in robberies, an increase in
economic spending, and a decrease in fatal car crashes. Also
included in the packets are public support to stop changing the
clocks and further explanation of HB 30 in the sponsor
statement, which read as follows, [original punctuation
provided]:
House Bill 30 establishes Daylight Saving Time (DST)
as the official time for the State of Alaska year-
round, subject to the authorization of federal law.
DST is observed between the second Sunday of March
and the first Sunday of November. Adoption of this
legislation is the first step. To fully implement the
change to full-time DST, action by the United States
Congress is required. Congress will need to amend
federal law to allow states to observe DST throughout
the calendar year.
Nationally, the initiative to change to full-time DST
is gaining traction. As of March 2022, 18 states have
enacted DST legislation. In 2022 alone, 28 states are
considering DST legislation. On the west coast,
California voters authorized the change pending
legislation and in 2019, both Washington and Oregon
passed legislation similar to HB30. Our Canadian
neighbors have also taken steps to move to full-time
DST. British Columbia passed legislation to implement
full-time DST contingent on the U.S. west coast also
implementing it. Yukon began full-time DST on March 8,
2020.
Because of our close economic and geographic ties to
the U.S. and Canadian west coasts, Alaska can avoid
being 'left in the dark' by passing HB30.
9:07:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ acknowledged that a permanent move to DST
could create some concern particularly in the far western part
of the state, being they already have a late sunrise, but he
noted receiving support from Anchorage and Southeast Alaska. He
thanked the committee and welcomed any questions.
9:08:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE inquired on electronic devices that
automatically change for DST, and if there is reprogramming, or
a way to shut it off.
9:09:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ replied he does not have the answer but
will do some research and get back to the committee at a later
date.
9:09:35 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK stated he thought devices could be reset by
Internet connection.
9:09:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ agreed with Chair McCormick. He continued
to explain HB 30 is not about a preference between standard time
versus DST but is more about in the event that the west coast
changes, we do not want to be "off," which he opined is bad in a
lot of ways. It is about staying in line with the West Coast.
9:11:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if there is a companion resolution
from the Alaska State Legislature encouraging Congress to pass
HB 30.
9:12:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ replied he will look into that possibility.
9:12:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS reflected on time changes over the years
and expressed concern over the western part of the state. She
supports the idea of keeping the time the same but keeping it at
standard time in consideration of western Alaska.
9:14:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked about consideration for the span
of Alaska and returning back to some sort of split.
9:14:56 AM
CAROLINE HAMP, Staff, Representative Ortiz, Alaska State
Legislature, replied there could be a preference stated but it
is ultimately a federal decision if Alaska is to have multiple
time zones.
9:17:14 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK questioned the original purpose of DST, and
asked if it was to benefit farmers.
9:17:29 AM
MS. HAMP replied that originally DST was a measure to help with
light, and the ability to do day to day tasks without burning
candles down or using electricity. The time change, she stated,
was never supported by farmers and is not to this day.
9:18:28 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK asked if energy consumption increases during
DST.
9:18:40 AM
MS. HAMP mentioned a study [she can provide to the committee at
a later date] that shows very little difference in energy cost
and consumption.
9:19:22 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced that HB 30 was held over.
9:19:44 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:19 a.m. to 9:21 a.m.
9:21:29 AM
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced future business.
9:22:08 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 9:22 a.m.