Legislature(1999 - 2000)

02/29/2000 04:45 PM House MLV

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
                   HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON                                                                                   
                 MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS                                                                                 
                        February 29, 2000                                                                                       
                            4:45 p.m.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Lisa Murkowski, Chairman                                                                                         
Representative Jeannette James                                                                                                  
Representative Gail Phillips                                                                                                    
Representative Sharon Cissna                                                                                                    
Representative Eric Croft                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Brian Porter                                                                                                     
Representative Pete Kott                                                                                                        
Representative Richard Foster                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 331                                                                                                              
"An Act relating  to payment, allowances, and  benefits of members                                                              
of the  Alaska National Guard and  Alaska Naval Militia  in active                                                              
service; relating  to computation of certain benefits  for members                                                              
of  the Alaska  State  Militia;  and  providing for  an  effective                                                              
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     - MOVED CSHB 331(MLV) OUT OF COMMITTEE                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE BILL NO. 317                                                                                                              
"An  Act  relating to  recruitment,  selection,  appointment,  and                                                              
promotion of state  employees and the duties of  the Department of                                                              
Administration concerning  those and other related  functions; and                                                              
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     - MOVED CSHB 317(MLV) OUT OF COMMITTEE                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS ACTION                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
BILL: HB 331                                                                                                                  
SHORT TITLE: ALASKA NATL GUARD/NAVAL & STATE MILITIA                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Jrn-Date    Jrn-Page           Action                                                                                           
 2/02/00      2067     (H)  READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS                                                                     
 2/02/00      2067     (H)  MLV, STA, FIN                                                                                       
 2/02/00      2067     (H)  ZERO FISCAL NOTE (DMVA)                                                                             
 2/02/00      2067     (H)  GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER                                                                       
 2/24/00               (H)  MLV AT  4:30 PM CAPITOL 120                                                                         
 2/24/00               (H)  Heard & Held                                                                                        
 2/24/00               (H)  MINUTE(MLV)                                                                                         
 2/29/00               (H)  MLV AT  4:30 PM CAPITOL 120                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
BILL: HB 317                                                                                                                  
SHORT TITLE: STATE EMPLOYEE HIRE AND PROMOTION                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Jrn-Date    Jrn-Page           Action                                                                                           
 1/24/00      1991     (H)  READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS                                                                     
 1/24/00      1991     (H)  MLV, STA, FIN                                                                                       
 1/24/00      1991     (H)  ZERO FISCAL NOTE (ADM/ALL DEPTS)                                                                    
 1/24/00      1991     (H)  GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER                                                                       
 2/29/00               (H)  MLV AT  4:30 PM CAPITOL 120                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CASEY SULLIVAN, Staff                                                                                                           
   to Representative Lisa Murkowski                                                                                             
Alaska State Legislature                                                                                                        
Capitol Building, Room 406                                                                                                      
Juneau, Alaska  99801                                                                                                           
POSITION STATEMENT:  Presented the changes to HB 331.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CAROL CARROLL, Director                                                                                                         
Central Office                                                                                                                  
Administrative Services Division                                                                                                
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs                                                                                       
400 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 500                                                                                                
Juneau, Alaska 99811                                                                                                            
POSITION STATEMENT:   Testified in support of HB 331 and HB 317.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
DAVID L. STEWART, Personnel Manager                                                                                             
Central Office                                                                                                                  
Division of Personnel                                                                                                           
Department of Administration                                                                                                    
PO Box 110201                                                                                                                   
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0201                                                                                                       
POSITION STATEMENT:   Testified in support of HB 317.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
TAPE 00-06, SIDE A                                                                                                              
Number 0001                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN LISA MURKOWSKI called the House Special Committee on                                                                   
Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 4:45 p.m.                                                                    
Members  present  at  the  call   to  order  were  Representatives                                                              
Murkowski,  Phillips,  Cissna  and Croft.    Representative  James                                                              
arrived as the meeting was in progress.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
HB 331 - ALASKA NATL GUARD/NAVAL & STATE MILITIA                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
[This section also contains discussion on HB 332.]                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI announced the  first order of business as House                                                              
Bill  No. 331,    "An Act  relating  to payment,  allowances,  and                                                              
benefits of members of the Alaska  National Guard and Alaska Naval                                                              
Militia  in active  service; relating  to  computation of  certain                                                              
benefits for  members of the  Alaska State Militia;  and providing                                                              
for an effective date."  There is  a proposed committee substitute                                                              
which merges HB 331 and HB 332.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 0065                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CASEY  SULLIVAN, Staff  to Representative  Lisa Murkowski,  Alaska                                                              
State  Legislature,  came  before  the committee  to  present  the                                                              
changes to the proposed committee  substitute (CS).  He noted that                                                              
when HB 331 and HB 332 were presented  last week to the committee,                                                              
there was  duplication.   The proposed  CS, therefore,  commingles                                                              
the  two   for  clarity  and  concision.     In  addition,   as  a                                                              
housekeeping  measure, the  name "Alaska  State Militia"  is being                                                              
changed to "Alaska State Defense Force."                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0149                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GAIL  PHILLIPS commented that changing  the name to                                                              
Alaska  State Defense  Force modernizes  the language.   The  term                                                              
"militia" is old-fashioned for the military.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  MURKOWSKI noted  that General  Thomas  S. Westall  [49th                                                              
Civil  Support Brigade,  Alaska State  Defense Force/Alaska  State                                                              
Militia] has  indicated that the  term "militia"  connotes certain                                                              
visions that they want to "steer clear of."                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 0219                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CAROL CARROLL,  Director, Central Office, Administrative  Services                                                              
Division, Department  of Military & Veterans Affairs,  came before                                                              
the  committee to  testify.   She  indicated  that the  department                                                              
supports the proposed  CS.  The merging of the two  bills is fine;                                                              
it simplifies matters.   In addition, changing the  name to Alaska                                                              
State Defense Force is exactly what General Westall would like.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI  asked Ms. Carroll  whether General  Westall is                                                              
all right with not having his own bill.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. CARROLL replied in the affirmative.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 0255                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS  made a motion  to move CSHB  331, version                                                              
1-GH2010\D,  Cramer, 2/29/00,  out  of committee  with  individual                                                              
recommendations  and attached zero  fiscal note.   There  being no                                                              
objection,  CSHB   331(MLV)  so  moved  from  the   House  Special                                                              
Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HB 317 - STATE EMPLOYEE HIRE AND PROMOTION                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI  announced the next order of  business as House                                                              
Bill  No.  317,  "An  Act  relating   to  recruitment,  selection,                                                              
appointment, and  promotion of state  employees and the  duties of                                                              
the  Department  of  Administration  concerning  those  and  other                                                              
related functions; and providing for an effective date."                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0334                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JEANNETTE  JAMES   made  a  motion  to  adopt  the                                                              
proposed  committee  substitute   (CS)  for  HB  317,  version  1-                                                              
GH2050\D,  Cramer, 2/29/00,  as  a  work draft.    There being  no                                                              
objection, Version D was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0370                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DAVID L. STEWART,  Personnel Manager, Central Office,  Division of                                                              
Personnel,   Department  of   Administration,   came  before   the                                                              
committee  to  testify.   Recruitment  and  selection is  a  basic                                                              
function of  personnel, and  to do so  quickly and effectively  is                                                              
ideal.    In the  past,  recruiting  and  selecting labor  was  an                                                              
intensive process  that produced  lists of applicants.   Moreover,                                                              
windows of eligibility  and lengthy waits between  the application                                                              
and  eligibility periods  seriously  hampered  a hiring  manager's                                                              
ability to  respond to  workforce demands.   Workplace  Alaska has                                                              
changed  that,  and  both  hiring  managers  and  applicants  have                                                              
responded positively to this system.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STEWART  further  stated that  this  legislation  before  the                                                              
committee  is intended  to  refresh  the language  of  the law  to                                                              
reflect the use of Workplace Alaska.   He noted that references to                                                              
examination are being replaced with  assessment in order to better                                                              
reflect  actual  practices.   Moreover,  in response  to  concerns                                                              
expressed  by representatives  of veterans,  references to  a flat                                                              
number of assessment points are being  changed to a percentage for                                                              
veterans'  hiring preferences.    This legislation  also  contains                                                              
housekeeping measures.   One is  the replacement of  references to                                                              
handicapped individuals with individuals  of disabilities in order                                                              
to modernize  the language.   This  legislation also repeals  four                                                              
sections of the law - AS 39.25.153(b),  39.25.153(c), 39.25.153(d)                                                              
and  39.25.155  [Section   14,  of  Version  D].     However,  the                                                              
Department of  Law has expressed that  they do not want  to repeal                                                              
AS 39.25.155,  which deals  with rural  application processes  and                                                              
appointments.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PHILLIPS  made  a  motion to  adopt  a  conceptual                                                              
amendment to delete AS 39.25.155  from page 9, line 20, of Version                                                              
D.  There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI asked Ms. Carroll  to comment on the section of                                                              
the proposed CS  that deals with veterans, as  a representative of                                                              
the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0830                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CAROL CARROLL,  Director, Central Office, Administrative  Services                                                              
Division, Department  of Military & Veterans Affairs,  came before                                                              
the committee to testify.  The department  does not have a problem                                                              
with the  proposed CS  as long as  veterans' points are  accounted                                                              
for, which they are at this time.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 0863                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  made a motion  to move CSHB 317,  version 1-                                                              
GH2050\D,  Cramer,  2/29/00, as  amended,  out of  committee  with                                                              
individual recommendations  and attached zero fiscal  note.  There                                                              
being no objection, CSHB 317(MLV)  so moved from the House Special                                                              
Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
There being  no further  business before  the committee,  Chairman                                                              
Murkowski adjourned  the House Special  Committee on  Military and                                                              
Veterans' Affairs meeting at 4:56 p.m.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                

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