Legislature(1997 - 1998)
02/21/1997 03:21 PM House L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
February 21, 1997
3:21 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Norman Rokeberg, Chairman
Representative John Cowdery
Representative Jerry Sanders
Representative Joe Ryan
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Bill Hudson
Representative Tom Brice
Representative Gene Kubina
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Governor's Appointments to Boards and Commissions
- HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
CATHERINE REARDON, Director
Division of Occupational Licensing
Department of Commerce and
Economic Development
P.O. Box 110806
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0806
Telephone: (907) 465-2538
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding appointments
to boards.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 97-13, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRMAN NORMAN ROKEBERG called the House Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee to order at 3:21 p.m. Members present at the
call to order were Representatives Rokeberg, Cowdery, Sanders and
Ryan.
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Number 031
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the committee would address
appointments by the Governor to various boards and commissions. He
said he would like to briefly review the various lists. If any of
the members have any knowledge about the appointments, he would ask
them to make it known to the committee.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the first appointment is to the Board
of Public Accountancy.
Number 153
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COWDERY indicated he hasn't reviewed all the
appointments, but he believes new appointments to the boards are
healthy.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he does believe the Governor should have the
right to appoint the people he chooses. However, it is the
constitutional responsibility of the legislators to review these
people and make their will known. He noted as a matter of
procedure, the action the committee takes will merely to refer the
names forward. Chairman Rokeberg said the Medical Board has a
further referral to the Health, Education and Social Services
(HESS) Committee. He said the committee is not taking definitive
action of rejection or acceptance by the committee's action.
Number 293
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the State Board of Registration for
Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors and said, "I've made some
inquiries and seemingly at this stage appear to be positive, all of
which are new appointments. No information on the Board of Barbers
and Hairdressers. I'll double check on the Board of Chiropractic."
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Clinical Social Work
Examiners and said that is a new appointment which he will check
on. He said the Board of Dispensing Opticians and the Board of
Chiropractic Examiners are reappointments. The Alaska Relations
Agency has a reappointment and a new appointment. Chairman
Rokeberg referred to the appointment to the Board of Marine Pilots,
Bernie Smith, and said he believes Mr. Smith is with the Tesoro
Petroleum Company and is well known. The appointments to the State
Medical Board are all reappointments. He noted he has made some
inquiries and there doesn't seem to be any problems.
Number 415
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Certified Direct-Entry
Midwives and the Board of Nursing and said those are also
reappointments. William D. Faulkner is a new appointment to the
Board of Optometry and is well known to him as a former member of
Anchorage Municipal Assembly. He noted Aharon Sternberg is also a
new appointment to the Board of Optometry. The Board of Pharmacy
has one reappointment and one new appointment. The State Physical
Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board has one new appointment and
two reappointments.
Number 486
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Psychologist and
Psychological Associate Examiners and asked Ms. Armstrong,
Committee Aide, to make a note to check on this board as there was
a major hearing in the House HESS Committee last year about a bill
that redefined the psychological associates and the various
statutory requirements. He said as he recalls there was some
dissension between practitioners and some of the board members.
Chairman Rokeberg suggested taking a closer look at this issue.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Certified Real Estate
Appraisers and said all three appointees are new.
Number 569
REPRESENTATIVE JOE RYAN said, "We were talking about the
psychological examiners and that bill is I think Senate Bill 196 by
Senator Rieger and it was coincidental that his wife is a
practitioner and that it allowed a little more latitude perhaps --
just coincidental. So yes, you might want to take a look at..."
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he recalls the testimony.
Number 608
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG again referred to the Board of Certified Real
Estate Appraisers and said he is familiar with Susan Crosson. He
said he would make some inquiries on the other two appointees.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG informed the committee that there are all new
appointees to the Board of Veterinary Examiners.
Number 628
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Alaska Workers' Compensation
Board and said it is a very important board. He asked Ms. Reardon
if she recalls how many members are on that board.
CATHERINE REARDON, Director, Division of Occupational Licensing,
Department of Commerce and Economic Development, informed Chairman
Rokeberg that board is in the Department of Labor.
Number 650
REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY indicated he would like to see new
appointments to some of the boards.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he would point out that if a person is
serving two terms, perhaps the prior Governor may have appointed
them. He indicated he would hold the appointments over for further
review and noted the appointments are also calendared again for the
following Monday. Chairman Rokeberg asked Ms. Reardon if she has
any comments that she would like to make about the appointments.
Number 751
MS. REARDON responded that she was in attendance to observe in case
there were questions or issues that she may need to research such
as with the Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate
Examiners. She referred to the board and said there may have been
House and Senate versions of the bill, but one version did pass
into law. She said, "The most significant thing it did was allow
psychological associates, which are the master's degree level,
versus psychologists, which are at the Ph.D. level, allow the
psychological associates to practice independently, more quickly.
It reduced the supervision requirements from five years, under a
psychologist, down to two or three and made some other changes like
that. It didn't change the make up of the board. The Psychology
Board has substantially changed since that time. As you may note,
there were a lot of new appointments. There was a fair amount of
perhaps disgruntlement or controversy in the psychology community
in relation to the board and I believe four out of five were turned
over to try, in my view, turn over a new lief and kind of start
fresh. That's my opinion, not the Governor's voice on why some of
those changes occurred."
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked what the women's name is that is being held
over.
MS. REARDON said she believes Dorothy Whitmore is the name. She
noted the public member, Gail Shortell, is fairly new. She had
just been appointed and then was reappointed.
Number 895
REPRESENTATIVE JERRY SANDERS said they have turned over three
members.
MS. REARDON responded that would be more accurate.
REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS asked Ms. Reardon who hasn't been
reappointed.
MS. REARDON said she believes Bruno Kappes was the previous chair
and was connected with the University of Alaska, Anchorage, as a
professor. The psychological associate was Rod Stokes from Juneau.
Number 940
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked if the passage of the legislation and the
controversy that revolved around it has anything to do with the
people dropping off the board.
MS. REARDON said she isn't sure that she should be the person to
comment on that.
Number 1042
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said there are some bills that are being referred
to the House Labor and Commerce Committee which were introduced by
through the Legislative Budget and Audit and Committee regarding
sunset dates. He asked Ms. Reardon if the Administration has an
objection to lengthening or doing away with the sunset dates for
the State Medical Board and the Workers' Compensation Board as they
are really institutions.
MS. REARDON said since she has been involved with the
Administration, they have supported substantial extension periods.
The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee generally recommends the
date. She said she has noticed that they used to recommend four
years, but a couple of years ago they started recommending six to
eight and even ten year extensions. Ms. Reardon said these boards
will almost certainly be extended, so she would assume the
Administration would be comfortable with a long extension. She
noted the legislature is always free to eliminate a board at any
time by initiating legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE RYAN read from information in his file, "People can
serve two successful terms, may not be reappointed unless four
years have lapsed since the person last served." He said it may
very well be that some of the people have served two terms and that
is why there is a big turnover on the boards.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated that two years ago, the Governor asked for
the resignation of all the holdover members. They were not subject
to a cause termination. He asked Ms. Reardon if she is involved
with the Alaska Public Utilities Commission (APUC).
MS. REARDON said they are located within the Department of Commerce
and Economic Development, but they are their own agency. She
referred to the Governor asking for the resignation of holdover
members and said if she recalls correctly, it was just the board
members who had been appointed by the previous Administration, but
hadn't yet been confirmed.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG thanked Ms. Reardon. He indicated committee
would address the appointments at a later date.
ADJOURNMENT
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG adjourned the House Labor and Commerce Committee
meeting at 3:42 p.m.
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