Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519
01/26/2022 01:30 PM House FINANCE
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB281 || HB282 | |
| Presentation: Alaska Mental Health Trust | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 281 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 282 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
January 26, 2022
1:35 p.m.
1:35:36 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Foster called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:35 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative Kelly Merrick, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz, Vice-Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Bart LeBon
Representative Sara Rasmussen
Representative Steve Thompson
Representative Adam Wool
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Brodie Anderson, Staff, Representative Neal Foster; Steve
Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Alaska Mental Health
Trust Authority (AMHTA).
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Marie Marx, Legal Counsel, Legislative Legal Services;
Kelly Cunningham, Budget Analyst, Legislative Finance
Division; Anita Halterman, Chair, Board of Trustees, Alaska
Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA).
SUMMARY
HB 281 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET/LOANS/FUNDS
HB 281 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
HB 282 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET
HB 281 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
PRESENTATION: ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the day.
HOUSE BILL NO. 281
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and loan
program expenses of state government and for certain
programs; capitalizing funds; amending appropriations;
making reappropriations; making supplemental
appropriations; making appropriations under art. IX, sec.
17(c), Constitution of the State of Alaska, from the
constitutional budget reserve fund; and providing for an
effective date."
HOUSE BILL NO. 282
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and capital
expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental
health program; making capital appropriations and
supplemental appropriations; and providing for an effective
date."
1:36:18 PM
Co-Chair Foster indicated the Committee Substitutes (CS)
work drafts reflected the governors proposed budgets and
the only changes made were technical and structural as
advised by the Legislative Finance Division (LFD) and
Legislative Legal Services.
Co-Chair Merrick MOVED to ADOPT proposed committee
substitute for HB 281(FIN), Work Draft 32-GH2686\B (Marx,
1/21/22).
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion. He asked his staff
to review the proposed changes in the bill.
1:37:41 PM
BRODIE ANDERSON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE NEAL FOSTER,
explained that the committee substitute for HB 281, the
Operating Budget bill, reflected the technical and drafting
changes made in accordance with the Legislative Drafting
Manual and aligned it with legislative drafting practices.
He pointed out some the major changes made in the CS. He
began with page 1 and noted that the prior title contained
a reference to the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR). The
language was removed from the title since the governor's
budget did not require a CBR appropriation in.
Representative Rasmussen asked if the legislature did amend
language to include backfill provisions would it warrant a
title change. Mr. Anderson responded in the affirmative. He
added that a reference to the CBR required a title change.
Mr. Anderson referred to page 55, Section 7, Line 1,
which read Supplemental Request for Commerce Community and
Economic Development that was moved forward from its
previous location into the supplemental portion of the
bill. The change was consistent with standard practice that
previous fiscal year Supplemental requests were placed
before the current year's request in the language section.
Co-Chair Foster asked for the reference where it was
previously located. Mr. Anderson replied that it was found
on page 58, Section 14 of the original version of the bill.
1:41:29 PM
Representative Josephson asked if the change reflected the
committee being asked to consolidate the supplemental for
FY 23. Mr. Anderson replied that it was consistent with the
legislative drafting practice and conformed it to the
typical order of the language section. Originally, the
governor did not identify the item as a supplemental
request, however it was a supplemental item and was changed
in the CS.
Co-Chair Foster asked Ms. Marx to comment.
1:42:39 PM
MARIE MARX, LEGAL COUNSEL, LEGISLATIVE LEGAL SERVICES (via
teleconference), explained that the change was not
substantive and was merely reorganizing the item in its
proper place according to the Legislative Drafting Manual.
Customarily, the supplemental requests were placed in the
front of the bill. Drafting the bill consistently each year
made it easier for readers to find items when placed in the
same place every year. The supplemental appropriations were
first and the appropriations for the upcoming year were
listed second.
Representative Carpenter asked which fiscal year the money
was coming from; FY 2022 or FY 2023.
1:44:22 PM
KELLY CUNNINGHAM, BUDGET ANALYST, LEGISLATIVE FINANCE
DIVISION (via teleconference), responded that the money
came from insurance money and the roughly $6.8 million in
carry-forward dollars from the prior year. Representative
Carpenter asked if the administration viewed the item as a
supplemental request. Ms. Cunningham responded in the
affirmative and furthered that she verified it with the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Mr. Anderson continued to Page 56, Section 12 through Page
57, line 22 regarding the Alaska Permanent Fund (PF) and
highlighted that had been reordered by sections and
reflected the following:
• Subsection (a) Page 56, line 31 through Page 57, line
3 currently reflected the mandatory royalty deposits
into the principal of the PF.
Co-Chair Foster asked Mr. Anderson if mandatory royalty
payment was referring to 25 percent of royalties for the
post-1979 fields. Mr. Anderson replied that it reflected
the pre-1979 fields and the post-1979 fields were in
subsection (b). Mr. Anderson continued as follows:
• Subsection (b), Page 57, lines 4 through 7 was the
deposit for post-1979 fields royalties.
• Subsection (c) Page 57, lines 8 through 14, regarded
the percent of market value (POMV) payout and the
Governor's 50 percent/50 percent split (50/50)
Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) payment.
• Subsection (d), page 57, lines 15 through 17 reflected
the deposit into the Alaska Capital Income Fund.
Co-Chair Foster asked if any of the numbers changed or
whether it was merely reordering the items place in the
bill. Mr. Anderson responded in the affirmative. Co-Chair
Foster asked where the subsection was originally located.
Mr. Anderson confirmed that the subsection order changed,
and he deferred to Ms. Marx for the answer.
Co-Chair Foster asked Ms. Marx to comment.
Ms. Marx commented that items related to the Permanent Fund
were customarily kept in a certain order to maintain
consistency. The sections were reordered from the original
bill (Version A) where it began with an appropriation for
the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) but legislative legal
routinely started the section with the amount that was
required to be deposited according to the constitution.
1:48:28 PM
Representative Rasmussen cited subsection (e) regarding
inflation proofing and asked whether it was included in the
governors original budget.
Mr. Anderson apologized that he forgot to comment on
subsection (e) and indicated it was included in the
governors request.
Representative Carpenter wanted to hear from Ms. Cunningham
about whether she had any concerns over the structural
changes. Ms. Cunningham commented that LFD concurred with
the changes made by Legislative Legal Services.
Mr. Anderson referenced Page 63, Section 19, Lines 14
through Page 65, Line 14 regarding the Department of Health
and Social Services (DHSS) item. He relayed that the item
was originally designated as a supplemental request but was
determined to be an appropriation extension into FY 2023,
therefore, was moved farther back in the CS in the language
section. He moved to Page 68, Section 25, Lines 4 through
14 of the CS pertaining to the Office of the Governor. In
accordance with legislative drafting, Office of the
Governor appropriations were placed after agencies, and it
was moved to Section 25. He added that there was an
additional section called Cost Allocations in version A
that fell under the governors section and was combined
with Section 25. Therefore, subsection (a) reflected the
appropriation and subsection (b) pertained to the cost
allocations. He concluded with his report of the changes
for HB 281 CS.
Co-Chair Foster WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
The proposed committee substitute for HB 281, Work Draft
32-2686\B (Marx, 1-21-22) was ADOPTED.
1:53:14 PM
Co-Chair Merrick MOVED to ADOPT the proposed committee
substitute for HB 282, Work Draft 32-GH2687\B (Marx,
1/26/22).
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion.
Mr. Anderson reviewed the changes which were nominal. He
restated that the CS reflected only technical and
structural changes made by the Legislative Finance Division
and Legislative Legal Services. He pointed to the only
change on page 1, lines 1 through 4. He indicated the
change was to the title that had previously referenced
Capital requests and Supplemental appropriations and the
lines were removed, as there were no capital requests nor
supplemental appropriations outside the scope of the Mental
Health Budget. The budget only contained requests from the
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA).
Co-Chair Foster clarified that previously the committee was
discussing the operating budget, HB 281 and the Mental
Health Budget, HB 282, was being discussed presently. He
clarified that the title was changed but he noted that the
CS title contained language referencing capital expenses.
He asked Mr. Anderson to restate the changes.
Mr. Anderson explained that the Mental Health Budget was
unique that it had about 8 capital projects that were
reflected in a single appropriation bill and were referred
to as capital expenses. The previous title referenced
capital appropriations, which were outside the scope of the
Mental Health Budget capital projects.
Co-Chair Foster WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
The proposed committee substitute for HB 282, Work Draft
32-2687\B (Marx, 1-26-22) was ADOPTED.
1:57:03 PM
AT EASE
1:58:19 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Foster welcomed the next presenters.
^PRESENTATION: ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST
1:58:45 PM
ANITA HALTERMAN, CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES, ALASKA MENTAL
HEALTH TRUST AUTHORITY (AMHTA) (via teleconference),
introduced herself and recognized her colleagues on the
board listed on slide 2 of the PowerPoint Presentation:
"Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority." She listed the
trustees as follows:
Trustees: Anita Halterman, Chair; Rhonda Boyles, Vice-
Chair; Vern? Boerner; John Sturgeon; Chris Cooke;
Brent Fisher; and Kevin Fimon.
Ms. Halterman reported that for more than 27 years AMHTA
administered the perpetual trust in order to improve the
lives of its beneficiaries. The trust supported state,
local, and non-governmental partners in providing services
to vulnerable Alaskans. In FY 2021, the trust awarded its
partners $21.3 million in grants. She acknowledged and
thanked everyone who supported AMHTA. She noted that the
roll the trust played in improving the lives of its
beneficiaries was evident through its varied work with its
partners. The trust accomplished its goals through prudent
and strategic financial and trust land asset management.
The trust was in a strong financial position. She indicated
that the trust had made significant progress in the prior
year and listed its achievements. She thanked the trusts
partners. She spoke of the new Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), Steve Williams who served the trust for 16 years, 8
of which he was the Chief Operating Officer.
Co-Chair Foster noted Representative Thompson had joined
the meeting.
2:04:00 PM
STEVE WILLIAMS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ALASKA MENTAL
HEALTH TRUST AUTHORITY (AMHTA), was excited to talk about
the trust as the first time as the CEO. He continued to
present the PowerPoint presentation.
2:04:34 PM
Mr. Williams turned to Slide 3 titled Trust
Beneficiaries:
Beneficiaries include Alaskans who experience:
Mental illnesses
Intellectual and/or developmental disabilities
Alzheimer's disease and related dementia
Traumatic brain injuries
Substance use disorders
2:05:21 PM
Mr. Williams moved to Slide 4 regarding the outcome of the
AMTHA audit titled Legislative Audit:
Confirmed response to the 2018 audit
Additional recommendations made in 2021
Commercial Real Estate
Policies and Procedures
Mr. Williams related that the audits helped the trust to
look for areas of improvement. The auditor found that the
trust had successfully responded and took action to remedy
the finding in the 2018 audit. He furthered that the trust
continued to operate and uphold Alaska's statutes regarding
the trust. He confirmed that the trust would be looking at
the recent recommendations and take steps to address them.
2:07:33 PM
Mr. Williams continued to Slide 5 titled Financial
Position that contained a graph depicting the financial
position of the trust since its inception in 1996. He noted
the overall steady growth of the trust. He pointed to the
far right bar where the blue line represented the corpus of
the trust, which totaled $498 million. He indicated that
the orange portion represented the budget reserves that was
targeted at 400 percent of its payout; amounting to $268
million. The gray column represented the Trust's real
estate equity valued at $66 million. The total value of the
trusts assets was $832 million. He acknowledged that the
success of the fund was due to the active management of its
funds through the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC),
its partners at the Department of Revenue (DOR), and active
oversight by the board.
2:09:55 PM
Mr. Williams turned to Slide 6 titled FY 23 Available
Funding, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in
the prior summer.
Trust's Estimated Available Funding FY23
Investment Portfolio Payout (4.25%) $29,000,000
Prior Year Funds Carried Forward $2,800,000
Land Office Spendable Income $4,600,000
Interest Earnings $600,000
Total $37,000,000
Mr. Williams indicated that the total available estimated
funding was $37 million, and the exact amount would be
known when the books were closed out for the year at the
end of August 2022. He pointed to the table on the right
showing the trusts prior 5 years of funding that had
steadily grown roughly $1.5 million each year:
Trust Available Funding
FY22 $35,456,200
FY21 $33,243,200
FY20 $31,875,600
FY19 $29,437,000
FY18 $28,908,000
2:12:27 PM
Mr. Williams advanced to Slide 7 titled Trust Budget
Development Process:
Multi-month budget development process
Trustees approve a budget in late summer
Approved budget transmitted to Governor and LB&A by
September 15
Comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement
Advisory Boards
Beneficiaries
State, Tribal, Community, & Local Partners
Mr. Williams briefly noted that the trust also forwarded to
the governor and legislature the Comprehensive Mental
Health Program Plan that included recommendations on
General Fund (GF) spending. Mr. Williams moved to the pie
chart on Slide 8 titled FY 23 Spending. He pointed to the
two section of the pie chart which were similar
representing the agency budgets; The Trust Authority:
$4,349.6 and the Trust land Office Agency Budgets: $4,877.2
used to administer its grants to its partners. He detailed
that the trust awarded 200 grants per year and administered
300 grants per year. The agency's budget was critical to
grants administration and advocacy. The Trust Land Office
(TLO) located in Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was
charged with managing 1 million acres of trust lands.
2:16:39 PM
Mr. Williams moved to the green section of the pie
representing Mental Health Trust Authority Authorized
Receipts (MHTAAR) that totaled $8.5 million, which were
designated grants to state agencies and required receipt
authority. Some of the grants were found in DHSS,
Department of Corrections (DOC), the Alaska Court System
and the University of Alaska (UA). He pointed to the blue
section of the pie that portrayed Authority Grants totaling
$17,634.7 that were designated grants to community
providers, nonprofits, local governments, and Tribal
organizations.
Co-Chair Foster recognized Representative Johnson had
joined the meeting.
2:18:47 PM
Representative Wool asked how many employees were employed
by the trust. Mr. Williams responded that there were 17
employees in the AMHTA Office and 18 staff in the Trust
Land Office.
2:19:43 PM
Mr. Williams advanced to Slide 9 titled FY 23 GF/MH
Recommendations. The chart illustrated the trusts
authorization for the MHTAAR grants trust funds as well as
the recommendations for the states use of GF. The table
only included trust funds where there was a GF increment.
He indicated the blue columns reflected the board approved
budget that was divided into Operating and Capital Budget
items. He moved to the right in the gold columns which
showed what the governor had included in his FY 23 request;
all the recommendations had been approved by the board. He
delineated that the trust engaged with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) on OMBs priorities and
recommendations they had asked the trust to consider. He
pointed to the very last row at the bottom of the page
reflecting the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AFHC)
Senior Housing Predevelopment, which was requested by the
administration. He spoke to improved coordination with the
executive branch agencies.
Representative Wool asked if there was a direct correlation
between the pie chart on slide 8 and the spreadsheet on
slide 9 [between the FY 23 spending to the FY 23
recommendations]. Mr. Williams reported that the total
amount of approved MHTARR spending was roughly $8.5
million. He pointed to the table on page 9, totaling $3.7
million in MHTAAR funding, which represented the amount of
Mental Health Budget General Fund (GFMH) recommendations.
The other roughly $4.2 million of MHTAAR funds was money
the trust was solely funding for projects where there was
no GF associated.
2:24:18 PM
Mr. Williams continued to Slide 10 titled Work of the
Trust:
Established Focus Areas:
Disability Justice
Mental Health & Addiction Intervention
Beneficiary Employment & Engagement
Housing and Home & Community Based Services
Additional Priorities:
Workforce Development
Early Childhood Intervention & Prevention
Mr. Williams stated that the committee was familiar with
the trust focus areas and details regarding the slide was
listed on its website. He Highlighted that in the area of
early childhood intervention and prevention the trust
recognized its need to intervene earlier in the prevention
process.
2:26:08 PM
Representative Rasmussen asked if anything was being done
for healthy pregnancy and prenatal care.
Mr. Williams was unable to answer the question and would
follow up.
2:26:57 PM
Representative Carpenter referenced slide 10 and asked if
the AMHTA website would have an assessment of how well
programs were working in the focus areas. Mr. Williams
answered that the website included information on the
grants performance measures and outcomes associated with
them.
2:28:00 PM
Co-Chair Merrick asked if Mr. Williams would consider Pre-K
part of early childhood intervention and prevention. Mr.
Williams replied that it was limited to that group that
would be considered trust beneficiaries.
2:28:47 PM
Mr. Williams discussed Slide 11 titled Trust Impact
Grants:
Trust Grant Impacts
Increasing residential treatment and support capacity
$300,000 to Alaska Behavioral Health for
residential mental health treatment in Fairbanks
$216,000 to the Arc of Anchorage for adult
residential mental health treatment
$250,000 to Set Free Alaska (Mat-Su) for long
term recovery housing
Supported efforts to prevent and end homelessness
$250,000 to the Beans Caf? for permanency
navigation and new facility
$150,000 for the new Southeast Community Center
hub in Juneau
$250,000 for Fairbanks Rescue Mission for Rapid
Re-Housing
Mr. Williams related that the grants were chosen for the
slide to show efforts in the areas of treatment and
homelessness. He pointed to the second bottom the $150,000
grant for the new Southeast Community Center hub in Juneau
called the Teal Center that offered resources and
referrals all in one place. It was located across the
street from the Glory Hall homeless shelter. He reported
that the Teal Center would house a number of non-profit
organizations that provided services to the Alaska Mental
Health Trust Authoritys beneficiaries.
2:30:49 PM
Representative Rasmussen had heard about programs offering
housing options for single mothers. She believed that the
state was lacking in housing for single fathers and
inquired whether there was housing for single fathers
available. Mr. Williams was not sure if Representative
Rasmussen was speaking to housing available for single men.
Representative Rasmussen clarified that it had been brought
to her attention that there was no homeless shelter for
single fathers with children. Mr. Williams was uncertain
and would provide the answer to the committee.
2:32:53 PM
Mr. Williams highlighted Slide 12 titled Transforming
Behavioral Health Crisis Response. Currently, Alaska's
current crisis response system was largely reliant on law
enforcement, EMS, and hospital emergency rooms. The trust
had been working with DHSS and stakeholders to redesign
behavioral health crisis response. He delineated that they
were using the Crisis Now Framework:
• Crisis Call Center
• Mobile Crisis Team
• Crisis Response Center
23-Hour Stabilization
Short-term Stabilization
Mr. Williams moved to the following slide 13 titled Crisis
Efforts, Continued.
Working with stakeholders statewide
Partnerships for new services in population centers
Fairbanks, Mat-Su, Anchorage, Juneau
Mr. Williams detailed that the trust was in conversation
with the rural communities of Nome, Kotzebue, and
Ketchikan, to determine if the framework could be adapted
to a rural setting. He listed the trusts crisis response
partners: public safety, law enforcement, local government,
and other state agencies. He added that they also included
individuals with lived experience and their families, the
trust's advocacy partners and others. He emphasized that
the trust was attempting to bring together as many
different perspectives to the initiative for its ultimate
success.
2:36:22 PM
Representative Wool Thanked Mr. Williams for his efforts
with the project and was very supportive. He wanted to know
about the project's status and when it would become
operational. He also asked if the trust received the
necessary support from DHSS and the state. Mr. Williams
cited the $807 thousand funding for the Fairbanks Mobile
Crisis Team funded by the city that began operating in
November of 2021 and starting in December 2021 they were
operating at full capacity for 23 hours per day. He
delineated that in December, the team responded to 40
calls; only one time was there a need for law enforcement.
He pointed to slide 13 and noted the bill numbers listed HB
172 [Mental Health Facilities; Meds; Patients/CHAPTER 41
SLA 22/07/15/2022] and the companion bill SB 124 and
explained that the bills were introduced by the governor
and amended a narrow section of the Title 24 Civil
Commitment statutes. The bill allowed the crisis team to
place and individual who was a danger oneself or others in
protective custody for a short time in order to transport
the individual to the 23-Hour stabilization center to
address their mental health crisis. He summarized that the
trust was continuing to move forward with the
implementation of all the components in all the locations
listed.
2:41:48 PM
Mr. Williams continued by referring to slide 9 which showed
the operating budget item; Crisis Now Continuum of Care
Grants requesting $900 thousand GF and elucidated that the
grants in conjunction with trust funding would be used to
continue implementing the crisis care initiative.
Representative Wool was very supportive and happy with the
progress. He wished the program success.
2:42:46 PM
Representative LeBon mentioned the Fairbanks Mobile Crisis
Team. He wondered if there was a partnership with the
Fairbanks Community Service Patrol. Mr. Williams responded
that he was very familiar with the Community Service Patrol
and noted that the trust funded it from its inception. He
was unsure of the details on the connection between the
two, but they were working together on crisis response. He
offered to provide more information.
2:44:54 PM
Mr. Williams moved to slide 14 titled Trust Land Office.
Highlights
Land Sales
Subdivision Platting
Icy Cape Development
FY22 Anticipated Trust Land Office Revenues
Coal:
$247,000
Oil and Gas:
$1,158,000
Minerals:
$1,168,700
Materials:
$25,000
Timber:
$2,747,000
Lands:
$3,200,000
Real Estate:
$2,068,659
Total
$10,614,359
Mr. Williams highlighted the Trust Land Office. He
communicated that the TLO was an important arm of AMHTA; it
managed and maximized the revenue for trust land. He
stressed the importance of community education regarding
the relationship between AMHTA and the TLO. He related that
previously, the two offices were rarely connected.
Currently, the offices worked closely with each other
towards the goal of improving the lives of the
beneficiaries.
2:47:28 PM
Co-Chair Merrick congratulated Mr. Williams on his new
position. She asked for a list or map of trust land
holdings. Mr. Williams agreed to provide the information
and added that AMHTAs website included a map of the
parcels. She asked whether there was trust property in
Eagle River on Wolf Den Drive and if it was being
considered for a cemetery. Mr. Williams was uncertain and
would provide the answer to the committee.
Representative LeBon cited the minerals listed on slide 14
in the amount of $1.17 million and guessed that it
reflected mining revenue. He asked if the revenue was from
Fort Knox near Fairbanks. Mr. Williams replied in the
affirmative. Representative LeBon understood that the AMHTA
had a lease arrangement for many years with Fort Knox that
paid over $20 million to the trust. Mr. Williams would have
to defer the answer to someone else. He thought the answer
was yes, but he would get back to him. Representative LeBon
acknowledged the importance of mining for the trust.
2:50:36 PM
Representative Wool mentioned a more recent AMHTA lease to
a mining company in a quasi-residential area of the Ester
Dome and the Old Murphy Dome area in Fairbanks. The company
received the lease despite much community objection. He
asked Mr. Williams if the trust researched the project and
the community impact prior to approving the leases. He
reported unfavorable commentary towards the AMHTA in the
community due to the mines negative impact. He understood
the generally good work of the trust but wanted Mr.
Williams to comment. Mr. Williams responded that he was
aware of the projects and added that the trust did consider
the interest of the community. He recounted that the
executive director of the TLO managed the lands. He voiced
that input from the community was sought and considered as
the decisions were being made.
2:53:19 PM
Representative Wool appreciated Mr. Williams answer. He
hoped community consideration would continue in earnest.
2:53:46 PM
Mr. Williams replied to Representative LeBons question
regarding Fort Knox and confirmed that the partnership with
the mine had resulted in over $25 million. He moved to
Slide 15:
Trust/USFS Land Exchange
Result of more than a decade of effort
Multiple stakeholders
Swaps approx. 17,980 acres of Trust land for
approx.18,494 acres of USFS lands (equal value
exchange)
Hollis
Naukati
Shelter Cove
Mr. Williams reported that the land exchange between the US
Forest Service and the trust had been worked on since 2005.
He delineated that the effort included state, local, and
federal governments, and the legislature. The land exchange
preserved lands for public use and in exchange the trust
received lands that helped to satisfy multiple needs for
the trust. He commented that it was an excellent compromise
and demonstration of good will and would improve the lives
of the trusts beneficiaries. The trust estimated that the
exchange would bring over $25 million to $30 million over
the next 10 years.
2:57:17 PM
Mr. Williams turned to the final slide 16 titled In
Closing.
In Closing
Strong leadership at the board, Trust Authority &
Trust Land Office
Strong financial position
Strong partnerships
Together = positive impacts for Beneficiaries
Mr. Williams hoped he was leaving the committee with the
notion that the Trust was in a positive position in helping
its trustees. He thought everyone working together could
improve the lives of beneficiaries. He was available for
questions.
2:58:25 PM
Representative Carpenter referenced slide 11 and pointed to
the trusts efforts to prevent and end homelessness
totaling $650 thousand. He wondered how many people were
employed and housed or prevented from becoming homeless due
to the trusts financial support. He suggested that the
problem of homelessness was continuing to increase in the
state. He wondered if the efforts results were measured
and impactful. He wondered what the state was getting with
the monies being spent. Mr. Williams agreed that the bullet
points did not demonstrate outcomes. He indicated that the
intent of the slide was to show the trusts financial
support going directly to community non-profits and that
the funding was not part of the states budget process. It
was not the complete picture of the trusts efforts to end
homelessness. The trust worked collaboratively with the
state and many communities' organizations to efficiently
help end homelessness and ensure that efforts were not
duplicated. He offered to provide outcomes from trust
grants. He emphasized the importance of the wrap around
services that kept people housed aside from the physical
housing. Representative Carpenter would appreciate a
follow-up conversation. He ultimately wanted to see people
becoming independent without state support that created
larger budgets. Mr. Williams agreed and shared that many
individuals had become independent but not all trust
beneficiaries would be able to achieve independence due to
things like intellectual and developmental disabilities.
3:05:21 PM
Representative LeBon referred to slide 5 regarding the
trusts financial position. He inquired how much the trust
held in targeted reserves. He deduced it was approximately
30 percent and wondered about the relationship between the
trusts reserves and the corpus. Mr. Williams replied that
the blue portion was the corpus of the fund at $498
million. The target for budget reserves was 400 percent of
its annual payout that was determined by Callan [investment
consulting firm] hired by the trust.
3:07:49 PM
Representative Rasmussen shared information regarding
Beans Caf? fund raising efforts. She was curious if there
was currently any land held by the trust that could be
cleared for work in farming because of the concern with
food security. Mr. Williams would check with the land
office to see if something was available. He reminded the
committee that that the goal was to maximize the benefits
of the land in perpetuity. Representative Rasmussen asked
if he was aware of any work being done in combating
homelessness that built small communities around farming.
Mr. Williams did not know the answer. He would provide the
information to the committee.
Co-Chair Foster thanked the presenters and reviewed the
agenda for the following day.
HB 281 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 282 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
3:11:48 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 281 OP CS FIN WorkDraft v.B.pdf |
HFIN 1/26/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 281 |
| HB282 MH CS FIN WorkDraft vB.pdf |
HFIN 1/26/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 282 |
| HFIN 012622 AMHTrust Presentation.pdf |
HFIN 1/26/2022 1:30:00 PM |