Legislature(2017 - 2018)GRUENBERG 120
03/21/2017 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition | |
| HB165 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 165 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
March 21, 2017
1:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Chris Tuck, Chair
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Vice Chair
Representative Justin Parish
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative George Rauscher
Representative Lora Reinbold
Representative Dan Saddler
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ALASKA FORGET ME NOT COALITION
HOUSE BILL NO. 165
"An Act relating to hiring for positions in state service based
on substitution of military work experience or training for
civilian work experience or training requirements."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 165
SHORT TITLE: STATE PERSONNEL ACT: VETERANS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) PARISH
03/08/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/08/17 (H) MLV, STA
03/16/17 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
03/16/17 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/21/17 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
VERDIE BOWEN, Director of Veterans Affairs
Office of Veteran Affairs
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation on the Alaska Forget Me
Not Coalition.
OCTAVIA THOMPSON, State Family Program Director
Alaska National Guard
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered information and answered questions
during the presentation on the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition.
MAGEN JAMES, State Community Support Coordinator
Army OneSource
Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
on the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition.
ROBERT EDWARDSON, Staff
Representative Justin Parish
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained HB 165 to the committee, on
behalf of Representative Parish, prime sponsor.
DAN WAYNE, Attorney
Legislative Legal Counsel
Legislative Legal and Research Services
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding HB 165.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:41 PM
CHAIR CHRIS TUCK called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:02 p.m.
Representatives Reinbold, Spohnholz, Parish, Rauscher, and Tuck
were present at the call to order. Representatives Saddler and
LeDoux arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION: ALASKA FORGET ME NOT COALITION
PRESENTATION: ALASKA FORGET ME NOT COALITION
1:04:08 PM
CHAIR TUCK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation by the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition.
1:04:42 PM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director of Veterans Affairs, Office of Veteran
Affairs, Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), gave
a presentation on the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition. He stated
that the coalition will reflect the heart of the community in
serving active military, veterans, and their families. The
coalition started under a mental health and substance abuse
grant received several years ago. When the federal funds were
gone, the program continued mostly through volunteers and
through some small funds from the Office of Veteran Affairs.
MR. BOWEN stated that the vision of the coalition is for
Alaska's service members, veterans, and families to be supported
and cared for within their communities. He referenced slide 2
in a PowerPoint presentation [included in the committee packet].
The mission of the program is to educate, inform, and to link
Alaskan communities, service members, veterans, and their
families to ensure a healthy future. He explained that the
coalition is the local vehicle that helps veterans "reach into"
programs. Sometimes in Alaska, veterans and their family
members have issues. For example, the coalition was contacted
regarding a veteran who was out of stove oil in the middle of
winter and unable to heat his/her home. He stated that Catholic
Social Services (CSS) had received a large grant and was able to
help that veteran right away. To reach some of the programs
available, veterans must know those programs exist. He stated
that is virtually the role of the Alaska Forget Me Not
Coalition. He remarked, "It allows us to look at all of the
programs that are out there that provide services to the
military and the veterans and their families."
MR. BOWEN drew attention to slide 3 and stated that the
coalition's focus is on community outreach & education,
statewide coordination and collaboration, and strategic
partnerships. The coalition's structure is a steering
committee, with alliances under the steering committee. He
explained that he and Ms. Octavia Thompson are part of the
committee. He added that the [U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs] (VA) came out with a community partnership called "My
VA," which is another aspect of the coalition. He stated that
under the "My VA" program, the coalition has extended the
service within the program. He remarked:
So, if you come to one of our ... board meetings, you
will see suicide awareness from the VA, you'll see the
director from the local VA healthcare there, as well
as several other members from the VA to help us reach
into not only local community services but also back
into the VA for those ... [active] military and
veterans as well.
1:08:29 PM
OCTAVIA THOMPSON, State Family Program Director, Alaska National
Guard, added that the [My VA] program is part of the effort
brought forth by former First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden
to join community forces with the National Guard and the active
duty services. It aims to ensure there are services throughout
communities, so when members are home after deployment, they
have access to resources in central locations. However, some
Alaska National Guard members might live in rural villages
without the same access to resources. She remarked, "Part of
that joining community forces is to work with the communities to
make sure that we can get the services to our returning
veterans, as well."
MR. BOWEN referred to slide 4 and stated that coalition goals
are to: Establish Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition as the leading
coalition on issues concerning military, veterans, and their
families; expand resource sharing and services for military,
veterans, and their families in rural Alaska; develop and
maintain functional website for service providers and military,
veterans, and their families; and create and maintain a
marketing plan for coalition activities.
MR. BOWEN noted that some of the biggest problems are that one
501(c) may do similar work as another 501(c) or there might be a
gap in the services it provides and someone else might be able
to offer separate services. He explained that most 501(c)
businesses are funded through granting authorities.
1:10:25 PM
MR. BOWEN listed some key partners of the Alaska Forget Me Not
Coalition found on slide 5: Alaska Legal Services Corporation;
the Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs and Alaska
National Guard, Family Programs; the Army OneSource; the Better
Business Bureau; the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve;
the North Star Behavioral Hospital; University of Alaska
Fairbanks (UAF) Cooperative Extension Service; U.S. Department
of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service; and the VA
Health [Administration].
MR. BOWEN explained that there are specific alliances designed
within the partnership. The behavioral health alliance, found
on slide 6, has quarterly, in-person, training opportunities for
service providers. The alliance tries to provide continuing
education credits at the highest accreditation level to people
in rural communities to keep valid licensing. He stated that
there are over 500 free subject matter experts provided in
Alaska and 250 free subject matter experts in military culture
training. He added that there are also free online trainings
provided by partners. He noted that this is provided at no cost
to the military, veterans, or family members; it is provided by
partnerships. He communicated that one such partnership with
the Department of Health and Social Services has a federal grant
which provides free education on post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), and traumatic brain
injuries (TBI).
1:12:17 PM
MS. THOMPSON added that Southcentral Foundation provided space
for the coalition to offer training, and over 75 participants
attended. She said the event went very well and the coalition
was able to discuss military culture and offer understanding of
what military personnel go through and how they are economically
affected.
1:13:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD indicated that she watched a video about
a Navy Seal, [Anthony] Lembo, who dealt with PTSD and committed
suicide. She said that the video has had 23 million views since
September 10. She added that there is a related website,
activeheros.org. She asked if the Alaska Forget Me Not
Coalition can help this organization. She asked if there is
anything the committee members can do to increase awareness.
She said that the reason the Navy Seal committed suicide was
because he was going to lose his security clearance if he asked
for help. She asked whether it is true that individuals might
lose security clearance if they go for help.
1:14:28 PM
MR. BOWEN answered that it was true in the past. He explained
that previously within the military, if an individual had a high
security clearance and signed into mental health [services],
then his/her security clearance was immediately suspended until
he/she completed [treatment]. Often, such individuals were
removed from their work area and were put in a job-controlled
training environment. He stated that since that time, which he
speculated was about 10 years ago, the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) has taken great strides to provide services to the
active duty military and National Guard to provide them with the
ability to come out and say, "I am having difficulties with this
issue."
1:15:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD stated that [Anthony's death] occurred
in 2010. She remarked:
If it was 10 years ago, then there's some flaw
somewhere here in the data. Also, a lot of people are
posting boldly under my Facebook, because I posted
this, and it's gotten tons of views - I'm just amazed
- in the last couple days. And they say, "Oh yeah,
it's still a problem, and the military does not treat
people right." They start questioning them and
treating them poorly if they say that they have ...
PTSD. So, I really want this to be addressed.
MR. BOWEN responded that he understands Representative
Reinbold's concerns; he spent 23 years in the military with a
high security clearance. He stated that he understands the
issues of PTSD and what is perceived by the military member as
well. He remarked:
You have to envision the culture in which we're raised
in. First of all, we're tough; we stand alone; we do
things alone. And so, a lot of times when things
approach us that are causing us grave issues, we don't
ask people for help. That's one of the biggest flaws
that we have within the system, because the moment we
have a veteran that has an issue, a lot of times they
will not ask for help. ... They won't because they
take it as a form of weakness .... The issue is ...
that you have to break that culture on order for
people to openly come out and say, "I have an issue."
MR. BOWEN acknowledged that this is a current issue within the
military. He attributed it to raising a lean, mean, fighting,
machine force; and that "force" admitting to having issues
because of something that happened during a deployment causes
service members stress.
MR. BOWEN drew attention to a book about PTSD, which he had
passed around to committee members, [entitled "Tears of a
Warrior: A Family's Story of Combat and Living with PTSD"]. He
stated that his office provides such books throughout the state
to military members and their family members. He remarked, "As
they read through those books, they discover some of the changes
that happen, so they can identify whether there's PTSD that's
evident."
MR. BOWEN explained that individuals with PTSD who were deployed
for a long time - 9 to 15 months - have trouble when returning
home. A lot of things have happened to them, but they often
believe that time has stood still at home. He counseled that
when such individuals come home after they have experienced
personal changes, they may have difficulty reintegrating back
into family life. He offered that their spouses and the people
around them will recognize their issues, while the individuals
believe "that is the new norm." He explained that it can be
difficult to identify PTSD because the individuals who have PTSD
may not know it themselves because of the other changes and
experiences they have had.
MR. BOWEN said that the book he passed around describes some
issues faced by the Seahorn family, and the book is written to
be a guide for veterans. He mentioned that the book started as
a way for the family members to understand what their dad had
experienced in Vietnam. He indicated that the book identifies
some of the progress and limitations of PTSD.
1:19:45 PM
MR. BOWEN returned to the presentation, slide 7. He mentioned
the financial/transition/employment alliance which offers:
regularly scheduled employment fairs; financial literacy
training programs both in-person and online; Military Saves
Week; and transition assistance programs. He explained that
there are many different programs to try and limit stressors
that are caused by transitions in military service. He said
that as people transition back to the civilian world, there are
many unknowns. He offered that the coalition aims to lessen
stress in transitions. He described that transition assistance
programs have been successful because they are now mandatory.
1:20:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked what Military Saves Week is.
MS. THOMPSON answered that the event is on the active duty side
to raise awareness [of financial resources], similar to a sexual
assault awareness month. She added that there is also a
"military saves program" which looks at financial resources both
during service and planning for retirement. She expressed that
she is working with the National Guard Bureau to get a
contracted personal financial counselor to work with soldiers
and airmen on the new retirement system that has been
implemented. She stated that the National Guard Bureau is
having difficulty recruiting contracted personal financial
counselors to serve Alaska for the National Guard and active
duty.
1:22:49 PM
MR. BOWEN drew attention to slide 8, which discussed the Legal
Alliance. He mentioned that the alliance provides legal clinics
in Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) which have helped
serve 85 veterans since January 2016. The veterans served by
the clinics are unable to pay for legal fees and need legal
services. Pro bono attorneys across the state offer these
services to veterans. He expressed his gratitude for the legal
alliance's service to the board. He added that there has been
support for the National Guard and the reserve to train
attorneys on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) law, so that the attorneys are able
to assist those called on active duty after they come back with
any issues with employment.
1:23:55 PM
MR. BOWEN launched slide 9 addressing the Faith Alliance, which
is partnered with the Chaplains within the National Guard and
the Partners in Care program. The alliance networks civilian
faith communities to the military community within and near
their congregations. It also provides emergency services to
military personnel in need, such as: food pantries, conflict
resolution, and counseling.
MR. BOWEN explained that the clergy are some of the front-line
forces for individuals with PTSD to get assistance. The
chaplains of the National Guard can train clergy throughout the
state on how to best help a veteran with PTSD.
1:24:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked if the military encourages active
duty members to be involved in a faith community. He asked if
it is mandatory or encouraged.
1:25:25 PM
MR. BOWEN answered that there is nothing mandatory about
attending chapel. He explained that within the military,
chaplains are assigned different units, and they provide health
and well-being for service members. He said, "It is not
uncommon to be on a battlefield somewhere and have a chaplain
show up with a bag of candy." He offered his understanding that
it is mandatory for the chaplains to visit with service members.
He reiterated that military people are not forced to go to
chapel, but it is one program within active duty and the
National Guard that is easily identified by military service
members.
1:26:28 PM
MS. THOMPSON added that the chaplains are pretty much the only
people from whom active service members can obtain initial
counseling that is completely confidential. Because of that,
many soldiers and airmen do use the chaplain in that form.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked if there are any studies of
correlation between participation in a faith community and
levels of PTSD.
MS. THOMPSON conveyed that there are [correlations]. She
offered her understanding that as a marriage and family
therapist, a belief in a higher power usually gives more
resiliency and coping strategies for individuals.
1:27:19 PM
CHAIR TUCK expressed that HB 100, in the House Health and Social
Services Committee, would bring awareness of PTSD and would
establish a PTSD Day on June 27. He stated that awareness is
important. He described that it is important to try to see
where the faith-based [involvement] helps in recovery.
1:28:07 PM
MR. BOWEN moved to slide 10, regarding the Child & Youth
Alliance, which holds meetings once a month and "Family Nights"
with the Alaska National Guard. The alliance offers
information, referral services, and collaboration in obtaining
grants to serve military families. To date, the alliance has
provided $28,250 to support 4-H programs for the military youth.
He stated that the greatest thing is seeing a child - whose
parent is deployed - at any military installation, because
anybody standing close to the child is called "Mom" or "Dad." He
remarked, "Because if the individual is deployed, that's
something that the child readily identifies with." He
emphasized the importance of caring for those children as those
family members are deployed and finding ways for those children
to release the stressors they have. He indicated that the
impact [of those stressors] may show up in the form of
behavioral issues.
1:29:40 PM
MS. THOMPSON added that she is very proud of the active teen
council in the National Guard, which is made of teens who have
parents currently serving in the National Guard. The teens
recently told Commissioner [Laurie] Hummel their plans and goals
for the program. Ms. Thompson noted that a recent cultural
exchange program held in Bethel allowed some teen council
members a chance to see and experience Western Alaska and to
meet children of other guard members. She said the event was
amazing. She said that when the children in Bethel learned
about the event, the group went from about 15 to 42 kids. She
stated that the teen council members, who were mostly from
Anchorage and Fairbanks, learned how to cut fish and pick
berries. They made blueberry pie, which they took to elders in
the community, and they also cleaned up the cemetery. She
emphasized that the program's goals were for the teens to help
the community and learn about the culture. She informed the
committee that another similar event is planned for this year.
1:31:26 PM
CHAIR TUCK stated that the "Parents and Teachers" program in
Fairbanks is very active on the military bases. He noted that
the "Home for Heroes" program has weekly parent meetings and a
monthly meeting with all the families involved in the Parents
and Teachers program. He indicated that this effort ended up
being a kind of support group for the deployed families. He
said there is more funding for pre-K in the education budget
this year, and he hopes that the military uses it. He remarked:
I know that when the military had cut it back for a
little while from federal money, ... when we were able
to make it back up with state money, you were able to
see ... the night and day difference between having
the program and not having the program. So, hopefully
we can get that going for you.
1:32:30 PM
MR. BOWEN drew attention to the coalition's web site:
forgetmenotcoalition.org. He explained that the website
provides: resources for service providers for hiring veterans;
employment services for service members, veterans, and family
members; and a calendar of events throughout the state. He
indicated that there is a big problem across the nation, which
is that many people are doing wonderful things, but the people
who need help sometimes don't [hear about what is available].
He said if service providers are not able to reach people
through the calendar, then they can call the coalition, and the
coalition will reach out to people in [the service providers']
communities.
MR. BOWEN summarized that the coalition offers many services for
military families and has great value. He stated that he and
Ms. Thompson have strategized ways to keep the program going and
are applying for any available grants. He offered his belief
that the program has been blessed by the many people who have
offered to help by signing three-year agreements to participate,
including Chancellor Dean Case. He noted that the coalition
started about five years ago. Mr. Bowen said that Magen James
knows the most about the programs, has been one of the biggest
advocates for the coalition to date, and has written most of the
agreements, work requirements, and alliances.
1:36:38 PM
MS. THOMPSON added that Ms. James works for "Army OneSource,"
which is funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)
and, unfortunately, [won't exist any longer] nationwide, as of
August. She explained that the work that Ms. James currently
does for the coalition will fall to Ms. Thompson and Mr. Bowen.
She expressed that they have a lot ahead and they are looking
for partners within the coalition to step up and provide some of
the services currently fulfilled by Ms. James.
1:37:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked Ms. James whether the
discontinuation of the program is a foregone conclusion.
1:38:13 PM
MAGEN JAMES, State Community Support Coordinator, Army
OneSource, responded that as a frontline employee for Armed
Forces Services Corporation, which holds the contract for Army
OneSource, she has been told it is a foregone conclusion. She
stated that the program manager, Ms. Yvonne Glover, has been
asking for feedback from community members on how the
elimination of Army OneSource will affect the activities and
community collaborations. She added that if the committee
members would like to submit feedback to the program manager,
they can e-mail her, and she will forward those e-mails to Ms.
Glover. She said Ms. Glover is actively working to keep the
Secretary of Defense, the VA Secretary, and the U.S. Department
of the Army updated on the community pulse regarding the
elimination of the program.
1:39:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD commended Ms. James for doing a great
job and for the choice for the name of the coalition. She
expressed that it was a privilege to hear the presentation, and
she described Ms. James' having brought the book, Tears of a
Warrior, as either serendipity or divine intervention, as people
have been contacting her about PTSD.
1:40:16 PM
CHAIR TUCK said he received the book last year from Mr. Bowen at
PTSI Day, and he characterized the book as being very valuable
for families of returning heroes who have seen things people
hope to never see. He agreed that the title of the coalition,
forget me not, is appropriate for the organization. He noted
that military personnel are doing great things to protect
America and when they return home they are underrecognized. He
explained that legislative citations are a good and appropriate
way to recognize these hero's efforts for Alaska's
neighborhoods, communities, and the country.
1:41:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked what lines of support, other than
Army OneSource, are presently provided to veterans - especially
those dealing with PTSD or other injuries. He asked if Ms.
James is expecting a discontinuation of any other lines of
support currently benefitting veterans, and he asked how the
committee can prevent those discontinuations.
1:42:35 PM
MS. JAMES answered that the Army OneSource program does not
offer direct services, but rather it connects organizations to
ensure collaboration and build relationships. She expressed
that a lot of federal programs are "feeling the pinch," but she
is unaware of any other programs that are expected to be cut.
She maintained that is a good thing for service members. She
characterized that the beauty of the coalition is that it is all
about collaboration: if one organization is unable to take on a
pro-bono case, another organization can help. She put forth
that the coalition may have a few "bumps in the road" with the
elimination of the Army OneSource program, but the coalition's
strength lies in the 150 partners across the state.
MS. JAMES stated that the partners have worked together for the
last five years to provide amazing quantitative outcomes, and
with Mr. Bowen and Ms. Thompson's leadership moving forward, the
coalition will be fine. She assured that everyone involved must
keep a pulse on what's happening with the federal government and
trends with service members, veterans, and families. Doing so
will allow the coalition to be prepared to proactively handle
any emerging issues instead of reacting to situations. She
expressed that with continued collaboration, awareness, and
mutual support of programs, the coalition will be fine without
the Army OneSource program.
1:44:41 PM
CHAIR TUCK thanked the coalition representatives for the
presentation.
HB 165-STATE PERSONNEL ACT: VETERANS
1:44:51 PM
CHAIR TUCK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 165, "An Act relating to hiring for positions in
state service based on substitution of military work experience
or training for civilian work experience or training
requirements."
1:45:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH, as prime sponsor, presented HB 165. He
pointed out that Alaska has more veterans per capita than any
other state; more than 200 veterans return to the state every
month. He stated that veterans report that finding a job is the
main barrier to transitioning from military to civilian life.
He stated that HB 165 would reduce the potential of veterans
missing job opportunity that they are qualified to fill.
1:46:18 PM
ROBERT EDWARDSON, Staff, Representative Justin Parish, Alaska
State Legislature, explained HB 165 to the committee, on behalf
of Representative Parish, prime sponsor. He stated that the
proposed bill would add to the State Personnel Act, which is
found under AS 39.25.150. The proposed legislation would set
procedures currently used by the Department of Administration
for accepting the substitution of military knowledge, skills,
and abilities as qualifying for state classified positions to
meet minimum qualifications. The bill would also allow the
Department of Administration to establish a procedure or
regulation to substitute military experience for minimum
qualifications in some cases.
MR. EDWARDSON assessed that the bill would change the hiring
process, which involves six separate stages for state classified
services: recruitment, application, pre-interview screening,
interviews, reference checks, and hiring. He explained that the
first three stages are where veterans may be inadvertently
chased away for some recruitments. An agency will advertise a
vacant position, listing the requirements for the position, the
desired traits and characteristics for the ideal applicant, and
minimum qualifications. He expressed that a veteran may decide
not to apply for a job because he/she feels that he/she does not
meet the minimum qualifications, although he/she may have traits
of an ideal candidate.
MR. EDWARDSON offered an example from his life as a 20-year
coast guard veteran and a state hiring manager. He remarked:
Kate was a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast
Guard. As one of her collateral duties, Kate was
required to be a law enforcement boarding officer.
She attended the maritime law enforcement academy at
the federal law enforcement training center in
Charleston, South Carolina. She then completed ... a
rigorous training process at her home unit, then
performed numerous cases a federal law enforcement
officer.
What knowledge, skill, or ability did this collateral
duty give to Kate? Well, in school, ... in her duty,
she would have learned authority and jurisdiction in
general: how laws, regulations, policies, and
procedures, and that sort of thing relate to the
overall framework of government interaction and
government intervention into people's lives. She
would have ... learned defensive tactics and the use
of force, which ... isn't just dressing up in the red
gear and beating each other up. You learn to maintain
effective working relationships - officer presence,
just how you present yourself, without speaking verbal
commands - and clear communication. She'd learn
criminal investigation, which for many state jobs
would correspond to research techniques, writing
protocols, and independent adjudications for a lot of
the different departments ... [wherein] people apply
for ... permits or they apply for some sort of
consideration somewhere. People who've had this
experience would be ideal for that.
MR. EDWARDSON said part of being a law enforcement boarding
officer is being an instructor, which requires effective written
and oral communication and making presentations. He noted that
he has been a manager in the Department of Natural Resources,
and he compared the example to a Natural Resource Specialist II.
He expressed that people like Kate would not qualify for the
job; however, he offered his assessment that they would do very
well in the job.
1:51:36 PM
MR. EDWARDSON stated that the bill would not take jobs away from
non-veteran Alaskans, but would add otherwise qualified veterans
to candidate pools to be interviewed. Currently, candidate
pools have many highly qualified and capable non-veterans, and
HB 165 would put veterans in the same hiring pool as other non-
veterans. He stated that there is a zero fiscal note from the
Department of Administration. He said that regulations would be
required. He conveyed that the committee has helped make
transition easier for veterans by filling gaps in law, and he
added that HB 165 would fill another gap. He urged the
committee to support the proposed legislation.
1:52:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX said that the bill looks familiar, and she
asked if a similar bill had been introduced previously.
1:53:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH answered, "Not to my knowledge."
MR. EDWARDSON responded that there is a legislative research
report [included in the committee packet], which loosely
summarizes related legislation. He proffered that HB 2 had
already been through the committee this year, and three years
ago a Senate bill assisted military members regarding
professional licensing.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX concluded that the Senate bill is what she
was thinking of.
1:53:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked if there is anything that currently
prevents a veteran from having his/her military experience
counted in an application.
MR. EDWARDSON answered that the Division of Personnel currently
follows [Standard Operating Procedure] (SOP) 04, which allows
people to use their military experience to meet minimum
qualifications. He offered his understanding that SOP 04 does
not allow people to substitute military experience for
qualifications.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what documentation is used to
verify or document the military training a veteran has received.
MR. EDWARDSON answered that there are a number of different
documents for different services. There are requirements for
filing systems, both paper and electronic, to keep training
records. He explained that within the Coast Guard, there is an
"administrative remark sheet 3307," which supervisors often use
to document certain types of experience - both good and bad. He
added that awards can be used as documentation.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether the administrative remark
sheet 3307 is a state or military form.
MR. EDWARDSON answered that it is a Coast Guard form found in
the Pay, Personnel, and Procedures manual.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER offered his understanding that DoD has
worked to address this issue and has tried to improve service
records for the military resume to make them more transferable
and comprehensible to civilian employers. He asked if that
effort has had its desired effect.
MR. EDWARDSON responded that other than in times of war, the
Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, not
DoD directives. He said that over the years there have been
several "plain language" writing guides to reduce the use of
[military] jargon and acronyms.
1:56:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked whether the intention of HB 165
is to ensure that transferrable military experience and skills
can substitute for minimum qualifications in applying for state
jobs.
MR. EDWARDSON answered that is one of the goals. He explained
that the Department of Administration currently uses a standard
operation system that allows people to use military credit to
meet minimum qualifications; the proposed bill would set this
practice as law instead of policy, making it unchangeable by
policy decisions. He added that the intent of the bill is to
allow applicable military experience to substitute for minimum
qualifications.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ stated that she supports the intent of
the proposed bill to ensure that transferable skills are
recognized as important. She commented that there have been
clear examples in the past of translation problems, and she
emphasized the importance of ensuring that military experience
is translated in a way that is understandable to people in
civilian management. She explained that she has tried to decode
what someone's experience in the military meant in a civilian
context. She stated that the task can be challenging. She
mentioned that she wants to make sure that HB 165 would not
allow "seat time" in a non-related field to substitute for
actual relevant skills and experience. She asked whether Mr.
Edwardson is confident that the substitution of skills would not
qualify a person for a job for which he/she might not have the
skills.
MR. EDWARDSON responded that first draft of the bill contained
"more meat" than the draft by Legislative Legal and Research
Services, which he claimed is the superior version. He
remarked:
The way that it's drafted allows the professionals -
the Department of ... Administration, Division of
Personnel - to set those policies, to write those
regulations. And I think they would probably be the
better ones to answer how you would avoid doing that,
[to] ... make sure that it is ... authentic
experience.
MR. EDWARDSON said that after working with the Coast Guard for
22.5 years, he affirmed that the record keeping is rigorous. He
conveyed that research and documentation is not "puffed up." He
said, "Does it happen? Perhaps, but I think it would be pretty
rare."
2:00:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH added that the bill stipulates that the
military experience or training should meet or exceed the
position requirements. He stated that merely being present
would not be adequate, unless mere presence were the initial
requirement.
MR. EDWARDSON said that the school mentioned in a previous
example gives "ace credits." He explained that the schools
often have third parties verify the authenticity and rigor of
experience.
2:01:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ clarified that she is not concerned
that people in the military are not earning authentic experience
or that there would be inflation of the experience in the
records. She explained that her concern is that the experience
is clarified and relevant [to the job].
2:02:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked if "seat time" means that a person
was present and sitting on a seat.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ clarified that she used the term "seat
time" to refer to the time a person worked or served in the
military, but not [to refer to] the quality or characterization
of the work.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX pointed out that the statute talks about a
veteran or a former prisoner of war. She asked how someone
could be a prisoner of war and not be a veteran.
2:03:24 PM
MR. EDWARDSON noted that it is written that way multiple times
within the State Personnel Act.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX repeated her question.
2:03:42 PM
DAN WAYNE, Attorney, Legislative Legal Counsel, Legislative
Legal and Research Services, answered that he doesn't think a
person could be a prisoner of war and not a veteran.
2:04:05 PM
CHAIR TUCK proposed that a contract employee with DoD could be a
prisoner of war.
2:04:41 PM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director of Veterans Affairs, Office of Veteran
Affairs, Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
responded that it is possible to be a prisoner of war without
being a veteran. He pointed out that when all the family
members and civilians that were held by the Japanese during
World War II were released from captivity, they were eligible
for the "defense of the Philippines medal" and were provided
prisoner of war status and rights.
2:05:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX offered her understanding that
international treaties do not allow making a prisoner of war
work. She asked how a prisoner of war could develop experience
as a prisoner of war without working.
MR. BOWEN offered his understanding that the experience would
come before or after their prisoner of war status. He said that
a lot of things are written in international treaties that are
violated when people become prisoners of war. He remarked, "We
don't have to go far back in time, we could just go to the Hanoi
Hilton and think of what those prisoners of war went through
during their time there." He mentioned his belief that after
the first gulf war there were prisoners of war. He offered his
recollection of seeing a female major speak before the U.S.
Senate about the issues she experienced during her time in
captivity. He explained that there had been expeditious
violations of the Geneva Convention.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX conveyed her belief that prisoners of war
have gone through horrendous experiences. She questioned
whether those experiences translate to civilian jobs.
MR. BOWEN responded that he would not know how to translate that
experience either.
2:07:33 PM
CHAIR TUCK announced that HB 165 was held over.
2:08:04 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 2:08 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition Presentation to MLV Cmte 3.21.17.ppt |
HMLV 3/21/2017 1:00:00 PM |