Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519
03/13/2024 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Public Testimony: Homer, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 268 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 270 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 13, 2024
1:37 p.m.
1:37:41 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Johnson called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:37 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bryce Edgmon, Co-Chair
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative DeLena Johnson, Co-Chair
Representative Julie Coulombe
Representative Mike Cronk
Representative Alyse Galvin
Representative Sara Hannan
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Dan Ortiz
Representative Will Stapp
Representative Frank Tomaszewski
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Elizabeth Bolling, Public Policy Director, Alzheimer's
Association, Juneau.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Kate Finn, Self, Homer; Bryan Hawkins, Court Director, City
of Homer, Homer; Rachel Lord, Self, Homer; Charlie Franz,
Self, Homer; Chanel Schultz, Self, Kenai; Jennifer
Williams, Caregiver, Anchor Point; Amber Coila, Self,
Homer; Sunshine Konovalov, Self, Homer; Ben Holzmeister,
Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, Ketchikan; Ruth Mitchell,
Self, Anchor Point; Kiana Clemens, Seward Safe Harbor
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program, Seward; Amy
Backas, Self, Homer; Patrick Reinhart, Director, Governor's
Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Homer;
Ronnie Leach, South Peninsula Haven House, Homer; LaDawn
Druce, Self, Sterling; Tasia Roddy, Seward Safe Harbor
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program, Seward;
Rebecca Shields, Director, Kodiak Women's Resource and
Crisis Center, Kodiak; Sara Woods, Self, Kodiak; Jonathan
Strong, Caregiver, Kodiak; Mike Jones, Self, Homer; Suzi
Towsley, Program Director, Seward Safe Harbor Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault Program, Seward; Angela Head,
Self, Homer; Brian Lefferts, Director of Public Health,
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Bethel; Jennifer Peck,
Self, Anchorage.
SUMMARY
HB 268 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET; CAP; SUPP; AM
HB 268 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
HB 270 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET
HB 270 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY:
HOMER, KENAI, KETCHIKAN, KODIAK, SEWARD, OFF NETS
HOUSE BILL NO. 268
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; making capital appropriations; making
supplemental appropriations; making reappropriations;
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. 270
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
^PUBLIC TESTIMONY: HOMER, KENAI, KETCHIKAN, KODIAK,
SEWARD, OFF NETS
1:39:40 PM
Co-Chair Johnson OPENED public testimony.
1:40:32 PM
KATE FINN, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), relayed that
she was a caregiver and urged the committee to add funding
for caregivers in the operating budget. She worked with
consumer direct in Homer and she had clients who would be
in facilities if home care was not available. She argued
that it was fiscally responsible for clients to stay in
their homes rather than move to in-patient facilities. She
had a client who was a veteran and talking about his
military memorabilia kept his mind alive. She thought young
people needed to be in the caregiving profession because
the physical elements of the job could be demanding.
1:43:09 PM
BRYAN HAWKINS, COURT DIRECTOR, CITY OF HOMER, HOMER (via
teleconference), relayed that there was a resolution for
the expansion of the harbor in Homer. He requested
additional match funds in the amount of $288,523 for the
expansion, which would be consistent with the shared local
match partnership in 2013. He noted that the Kenai
Peninsula Borough supported the project. The City of Homer
had already passed multiple resolutions, such as the
resolution to oppose HB 250. He relayed that Homer also
supported the increase to the BSA.
1:45:19 PM
RACHEL LORD, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), shared that
the top budget priority for herself and her children was an
increase of at least $680 for the Base Student Allocation
(BSA). The legislature continued to hear from a variety of
community members about the dire need for increased funding
for the BSA. She thought the legislature should be
demanding more accountability and leadership from the
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).
Adequate funding for the Department of Health (DOH) was
also critical and she supported the $4.5 million in the
budget to support food banks and food pantries. The
departments needed to be competitively staffed and engaged
in the issues. She argued that private industries and a
vibrant state required stable state services, such as
education. She thought the legislature needed to prioritize
constitutionally obligated and necessary state functions.
Co-Chair Johnson offered a reminder that the public
testimony was to be focused on the budget and not on SB
140.
1:48:15 PM
CHARLIE FRANZ, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), expressed
his disappointment that there was a lack of a balanced
budget based on anticipated revenues. The failure to
control spending was incredibly disappointing and
irresponsible. He also expressed disappointment in the
legislature's inability to develop a fiscal plan.
1:49:35 PM
CHANEL SCHULTZ, SELF, KENAI (via teleconference), relayed
that she had recently moved to the state to take care of
her mom. She urged increasing funding for senior care. She
could not live on caregiver wages and could not find other
caregivers to help her mom.
1:50:52 PM
JENNIFER WILLIAMS, SELF, CAREGIVER, ANCHOR POINT (via
teleconference), shared that she had been a caregiver for
over 15 years and specialized in Alzheimer's and dementia.
She requested that funding be increased for in-home care
and caregivers' wages. She emphasized that Alaska had the
highest growing population of seniors in the nation and
there was a substantial shortage of caregivers. She thought
that in-home caregivers needed to make a livable wage and
young people needed to be encouraged to enter the
caregiving profession. Many seniors in her community were
malnourished because there were not enough caregivers to
provide adequate assistance.
1:52:30 PM
AMBER COILA, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), urged that
additional funding be incorporated into the budget for home
care. She had helped many disabled clients transition to
independent living. She also helped seniors with housing,
showering, homes cleaning, and eating well. She had been
experiencing difficulties in paying for her schooling and
paying her bills because caregiver wages were too low.
There were not enough workers to take care of the
population.
1:54:27 PM
SUNSHINE KONOVALOV, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), had
been a caregiver for 11 years. She urged that more money be
added to the budget for home care and caregiver wages. She
explained that caregivers could not afford rent, gas, time
off, and other necessities.
1:55:28 PM
BEN HOLZMEISTER, KETCHIKAN WELLNESS COALITION, KETCHIKAN
(via teleconference), advocated for continued spending for
the Crisis Now grants. The grants would save the state
money in the long-term rather than costing money. In the
previous year, emergency room visits in Ketchikan averaged
$2,200 per visit for a total of $13.6 million in costs.
There were many surveys across the country that showed that
about 20 percent of emergency room visits were not actually
an emergency. If emergency room visits were reduced by 20
percent, there would be a savings of about $2.7 million. If
crisis centers received proper funding, the cost per visit
would be between $65 and $529, which was about one-fifth of
the current cost per visit. He reiterated his advocacy for
continued funding for the grants.
1:57:57 PM
RUTH MITCHELL, SELF, ANCHOR POINT (via teleconference),
urged legislators to increase funding for caregivers'
wages. She relayed that cost of living was much higher than
caregivers could afford. Housing costs had increased and it
was difficult to make ends meet. Caregivers were also
responsible for driving clients to medical appointments and
would not receive reimbursement for gas. The insufficient
wages for caregivers also impacted the clients because
there were not enough workers to provide sufficient care.
2:01:41 PM
KIANA CLEMENS, SEWARD SAFE HARBOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND
SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAM, SEWARD (via teleconference), shared
that the Safe Harbor program had provided her essential
assistance when she was the victim of domestic violence.
She indicated that it was a vital program for Seward and
for all of Alaska.
2:04:18 PM
AMY BACKAS, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), shared that
she was a caregiver and one of her clients was in a wheeled
chair and needed help with every part of her day. There
were many vulnerable people waiting for help and they were
not getting it because there were simply not enough
caregivers. She requested that there be an allocation of
additional funds for caregiver wages. She remarked that
caregivers were not making livable wages but were assisting
individuals whose lives were at stake.
2:06:36 PM
PATRICK REINHART, DIRECTOR, GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON
DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL EDUCATION, HOMER (via
teleconference), noted that he sent in written testimony
because he was not able to address every issue in his two
minute verbal testimony. He shared that Alaska Mental
Health Trust Authority (AMHTA) recommended that the Autism
Resource Center receive $50,000 in general funds but it was
not included in the budget. He would like to see the
funding incorporated into the budget. He shared that the
center was important to families and people with autism
around the state. He noted that $50,000 in funding was also
recommended for the Governor's Council on Disabilities and
Special Education and it was important to keep the council
operational, but the funding was not in the budget. Transit
match funding for the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOT) had not been included in the budget
for many years and he requested that $1 million in funding
be included in the budget. He was concerned about the
ability of transit programs across the state to rely upon
federal funding to remain operational. Some smaller
communities could not meet the local match requirements but
the transit match program was vital to ensure that federal
funding was allocated to the state.
2:10:04 PM
RONNIE LEACH, SOUTH PENINSULA HAVEN HOUSE, HOMER (via
teleconference), relayed that she was concerned about the
$4 million shortfall in the budget. The need for victims'
services was at an all-time high and it was not appropriate
to cut funding. The Haven House in Homer would lose over
$150,000 if funding was reduced and 20 percent of services
to victims of crime would be cut. She emphasized that it
would be extremely difficult to determine which services
should no longer be offered if funding was cut. The
services provided by Haven House and other similar
organizations saved lives and the idea of turning people
away was in opposition to every goal held by the
organization.
2:11:54 PM
LADAWN DRUCE, SELF, STERLING (via teleconference), noted
that she was representing herself but in the coming year,
she would be serving as the interim president of the Kenai
Peninsula Education Association. She thanked the
legislature for its support of SB 140 and asked for
continued support for the BSA to be no lower than $680.
Retention of teachers and support staff was paramount to
student success.
2:13:11 PM
TASIA RODDY, SEWARD SAFE HARBOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND
SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAM, SEWARD (via teleconference), shared
her personal story as a victim of domestic violence. She
could not get anyone to respond when she was in crisis and
the Seward Safe Harbor Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Program was the only organization that helped her. She did
not think that she would be as safe as she presently was if
it were not for the program. She thought it would be
logical to provide the program with more funding in order
to provide help to individuals who needed it. She was
uncertain where she would be if it were not for the help
she received from the program and she thought that many
others felt the same way. She argued that cutting any
funding from the program would be detrimental to
individuals who were suffering.
Co-Chair Johnson thanked Ms. Roddy for her story and asked
if she was currently in a safe situation.
Ms. Roddy responded that she was presently in a safe spot.
She did not think she would have been safe if it were not
for the program.
Representative Stapp asked Ms. Roddy to repeat the name of
the program.
Ms. Roddy responded the Seward Safe Harbor Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault Program.
2:17:06 PM
REBECCA SHIELDS, DIRECTOR, KODIAK WOMEN'S RESOURCE AND
CRISIS CENTER, KODIAK (via teleconference), explained that
Kodiak Women's Resource and Crisis Center (KWRCC) served
the needs of domestic violence and sexual assault victims
and other victims in immediate need. The center was the
only agency that was open 24 hours per day, every day, to
meet the needs of individuals in crisis, day or night,
without payment. The agency worked with other entities to
help clients receive assistance, provided outreach
education, and provided direct safety to marginalized and
traumatized individuals in the community. She would be
concerned about the consequences many individuals would
face if the services offered by the center were not
available. She urged returning the $4 million in funding
for victims' services back to the budget and fully funding
victims' services. She believed that the state would spend
much more money in the long-term if victims' services were
not fully funded.
2:20:09 PM
SARA WOODS, SELF, KODIAK (via teleconference), shared that
she was a domestic violence survivor. She emphasized that
it was dangerous and difficult to leave a violent
relationship. She relayed that the help provided to her by
KWRCC saved her life. The center helped her obtain a
restraining order against the perpetrator and helped her
remove the perpetrator from her home. She advised that the
legislature consider continuing the funding for victims'
services as the funding was lifesaving.
2:22:28 PM
JONATHAN STRONG, CAREGIVER, KODIAK (via teleconference),
relayed that he was representing a group of eight
caregivers in Kodiak. He thanked the legislature for
putting $7 million into the general fund for care providers
in 2022. The goal of the caregivers was to realize the
shared vision that individuals with developmental
disabilities could live full lives with the support the
individuals needed. His job was to help people with special
needs reach their goals. There were presently 331 children
and adults with disabilities on the wait list to receive
caregiving services. In December of 2022, a proposal was
published to address the waitlist, which included the
implementation of resource allocation tools such as
interRAI. He relayed that the implementation was included
in HB 281 and he appreciated the legislature's support for
the bill.
Mr. Strong continued that the second priority of caregivers
was to support initiatives that addressed social
determinants of health, such as affordable, accessible
housing. There were two small assisted living homes in
Kodiak and the homes were constantly receiving calls from
individuals inquiring as to the availability of space in
the homes. Access to transportation and employment were
important as well. The goal was to help individuals with
disabilities decrease their reliance on caregivers and help
individuals be as independent as possible. He urged adding
$1 million into the budget for transit match funding.
Mr. Strong requested that the legislature support housing
vouchers and continue to address challenges within state
infrastructure to improve access to state services. He
shared that it was a lengthy process for an individual with
a disability to get a job and the jobs were often no longer
available once the individual had completed the application
process. He also urged investment in community behavioral
health services because due to a lack in services, jails
and prisons had become the new mental health institutions.
He noted that it was difficult to recruit and retain staff
under the current home and community-based services rates.
2:28:14 PM
MIKE JONES, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), relayed that
he would be testifying on HB 268. He encouraged individuals
to look at the budget closely and determine whether special
interests were being prioritized to the detriment of PFDs.
He thought a lower PFD was the most penalizing tax that the
state could impose on lower income families. He thought the
budget appeared to promote larger government influence and
he encouraged the legislature to look for alternative
solutions. He argued that the state should not steal the
PFD from individuals who needed it.
Co-Chair Johnson noted that the committee would take a
break to wait for more testifiers to call in.
2:30:16 PM
AT EASE
2:46:46 PM
RECONVENED
2:47:16 PM
SUZI TOWSLEY, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SEWARD SAFE HARBOR DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT PROGRAM, SEWARD (via
teleconference), relayed that the Safe Harbor program
provided victims' services to survivors of domestic
violence and sexual assault free of charge. She encouraged
the legislature to restore the $4 million in funding that
had been removed from victims' services. The program in
Seward included victims' services as well as educational
outreach programs and it had just implemented a sexual
assault response team. Survivors were previously required
to travel to Anchorage in order to receive a sexual assault
examination. She had received a text from a client about
their experience with the program. The client was unable to
testify because she had to work, but she gave Ms. Towsley
permission to relay the message. The client stated that
when she left her abusive relationship, she had nowhere to
live, no job, and no money. The program offered her the
resources and support that she needed to leave the
relationship that would have likely been fatal if she had
stayed. Ms. Towsley stressed that victims would die if
funding was cut and lifesaving services were no longer
available.
2:50:00 PM
AT EASE
2:52:30 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson noted that there was an individual in the
committee room who wished to testify.
2:53:04 PM
ELIZABETH BOLLING, PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR, ALZHEIMER'S
ASSOCIATION, relayed that she and her colleague were in
Juneau to advocate for increased funding to the Senior and
Disabilities Services grant. She specifically would like to
see increased funding for adult day services. The funding
would help existing adult day service centers expand hours,
turn away fewer Alaskans, increase pay opportunities for
caregivers, and help underserved areas. There were many
areas in the state that did not have adult day services and
the increase would help expand the services.
Co-Chair Johnson noted that the legislature included $7.5
million for home care in the previous year's budget. She
asked what were the direct results of the increased
funding.
Ms. Bolling responded that the home care funding allocation
was separate from the adult day services funding
allocation. One of the most important reasons to increase
adult day funding was because it would provide a place for
Alaskans to drop off their loved ones during the workday
and it would enable more Alaskans to return to work or
school.
Representative Ortiz asked how much funding was currently
in the budget for adult day services.
Ms. Bolling responded that the allocation was currently
$1.4 million which served ten adult day grantees across the
state. The grantees were all non-profits and the funding
would allow others to apply for the grants. Other entities
such as tribal organizations were eligible for the grants
but as there were already ten grantees, there was no room
to develop additional adult day services. The breakdown was
about $18 per hour per Alaskan served.
2:56:47 PM
ANGELA HEAD, SELF, HOMER (via teleconference), shared that
she was the parent of three young children, two of which
were in the public school system. She wanted education to
be funded and she needed there to be a place for her
children to go for school more than she needed an annual
PFD check. She noted that social services were incredibly
important and she valued education over the PFD.
2:58:00 PM
BRIAN LEFFERTS, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH, YUKON KUSKOKWIM
HEALTH CORPORATION, BETHEL (via teleconference), indicated
that he had recently learned that the funding for the
Healthy Family Initiative program had been reduced from
$6.7 million to $2 million. The funding had been for the
purpose of combating congenital syphilis and tuberculosis,
which seemed to have been cut. He was hoping to see the
funding increase by at least another $2 million. The
tuberculosis rates in rural Alaska increased rapidly a few
years prior and the increase in funding had helped address
the problem. If the funding were to be reduced, he worried
that the problem would worsen. The rates of tuberculosis in
rural Alaska were so high that one out of every 150 new
tuberculosis case in the nation was in the Yukon-Kuskokwim
Delta. Treating individuals who had already contracted
tuberculosis was far more expensive than preventative
screening.
3:00:19 PM
Representative Stapp relayed that about $500,000 was added
back into the budget during the subcommittee process for
the purpose of combating tuberculosis.
Mr. Lefferts appreciated the comment and hoped there was a
way to further increase the funding. The grant for the
Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation was $960,000 and the
corporation was able to hire several nurses with the
funding, but it would not be able to continue to fund the
positions without additional funding.
3:01:15 PM
JENNIFER PECK, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), shared
that she was a licensed social worker and trauma-focused
therapist and worked with survivors of domestic violence,
sexual violence, and crime. She requested that the $4
million in funding be restored to victims' services. Since
August of 2023, she had worked with 23 survivors of
domestic violence, sexual violence, and crime from the
Aleutian Islands. Of the 23 survivors, 15 had successfully
returned to their pre-trauma lifestyles, both emotionally
and physically. She explained that the 15 clients were less
likely to become homeless, to engage in another domestic
violence relationship, and less likely to become the
perpetrators of abuse themselves. Preventing trauma,
promoting healing, and building resilience could
dramatically improve the health of Alaskans. The reduction
of funding and decreased services would have a devastating
effect on many communities.
3:03:11 PM
AT EASE
3:04:18 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson CLOSED public testimony.
Co-Chair Johnson reviewed the agenda for the evening's
meeting.
HB 268 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 270 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
3:05:21 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 3:05 p.m.
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