02/12/2013 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB46 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 46 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 12, 2013
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Lynn, Chair
Representative Wes Keller, Vice Chair
Representative Lynn Gattis
Representative Shelley Hughes
Representative Doug Isaacson
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Charisse Millett
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 46
"An Act relating to regulations adopted by the Department of
Administration waiving the commercial motor vehicle driving
skills test for certain drivers with military commercial motor
vehicle experience."
- MOVED HB 46 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 46
SHORT TITLE: WAIVE CDL SKILL TEST FOR CERTAIN VETERANS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) SADDLER
01/16/13 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/13
01/16/13 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/16/13 (H) STA, TRA
02/12/13 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE DAN SADDLER
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As sponsor, presented HB 46.
MARK SAN SOUCI, Regional Liaison Northwest
Defense State Liaison Office
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family
Policy)
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
Tacoma, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 46.
AVES THOMPSON, Executive Director
Alaska Trucking Association (ATA)
Tacoma, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 46.
JAMES HASTINGS, Member
Veterans Advisory Council;
Contractor
Hero To Hired (H2H)
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 46.
AMY ERICKSON, Director
Division of Motor Vehicles
Department of Administration (DOA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information during the hearing on
HB 46.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:38 AM
CHAIR BOB LYNN called the House State Affairs Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Isaacson, Keller,
Gattis, Hughes, Kreiss-Tomkins, and Lynn were present at the
call to order.
HB 46-WAIVE CDL SKILL TEST FOR CERTAIN VETERANS
8:05:18 AM
CHAIR LYNN announced that the only order of business was HOUSE
BILL NO. 46, "An Act relating to regulations adopted by the
Department of Administration waiving the commercial motor
vehicle driving skills test for certain drivers with military
commercial motor vehicle experience."
8:06:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DAN SADDLER, Alaska State Legislature, as
sponsor, presented HB 46. He opined that that Alaskans who have
honed their driving skills while in the military deserve to have
that experience validated in the civilian world. He said the
proposed legislation would help Alaska veterans get jobs and
Alaska businesses get qualified drivers by acknowledging that
military drivers already have experience as safe [commercial
vehicle] drivers in some of the most challenging conditions in
the world. He said many of Alaska's industries, including
tourism, oil field services, construction, and retail service,
require their employees to hold commercial driver's licenses
(CDLs).
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER stated that in 2011, the federal
government made changes in law to allow states to waive the
skills tests for a CDL for recent veterans with recent driving
experience and clean driving records. He said the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is encouraging states to
allow such waivers. He reported that as of January 9, 2013, 34
states had waived the skills test, 10 states are working on
similar waiver bills, and 7 states, including Alaska, do not
currently accept the waiver. He said HB 46 directs the
Department of Administration to adopt regulations in accordance
with federal law to allow such waivers, which would provide jobs
for veterans and qualified drivers for Alaska businesses. He
named the following individuals as being in support of the
proposed legislation: Mark San Souci, the regional liaison for
the U.S. Department of Defense; Aves Thomson, the executive
director of the Alaska Trucking Association; and Bruce
Bustamante, who is associated with the cruise line industry.
8:08:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ISAACSON commended the sponsor for HB 46, and he
opined that the bill is timely. He asked why other states have
preceded Alaska in offering the waiver.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said that Alaska would have been one of
the first states to offer the waiver if a "good faith effort"
had made it through the legislative process in 2012.
8:09:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES offered her understanding that the federal
language requires the military veteran to have driven a
commercial vehicle within 90 days of applying for the waiver.
She asked if there is any leeway regarding the 90 days; she
ventured that some military veterans may have two years of
experience and be very skilled but be past the 90-day mark.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER offered his understanding that there is
no leeway regarding the 90 days; however, he offered his
understanding there is a standardized form on which the military
veteran's driving record and other information is written.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked if military veterans would be
informed about the 90-day time limit.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER answered he believes so. He indicated
that the military members' blogs he has seen on line show that
this [federal] waiver is available, and there are lists in
circulation showing which states have adopted the waiver and
which have not. He remarked that with the drawdowns of
authorized positions in the military, the Pentagon is increasing
its efforts to inform its outgoing personnel of the available
opportunities.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES encouraged sending word out through
Alaska's military bases.
8:12:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES asked if military commercial driver
training prepares drivers for the snowy and icy conditions
prevalent in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER responded that motor transport operators
are trained at Fort Wood, in Missouri, and he said he does not
think there is much snow and ice there. He indicated that
[military] motor transport operators face hazardous conditions
around the world. He said he does not know if the specific
training regimen includes learning to steer out of a skid, for
example, but he surmised that "that's probably part of the
standard educational package for drivers."
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES ventured that a simulator, if used, could
simulate ice and snow conditions.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said he suspects that any veteran who
gets hired to operate a commercial vehicle in Alaska would "go
through whatever training to make sure things were polished up."
8:13:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said at the time he got his CDL, there was
no training required for a state CDL. He said, "There is the
simulator, and there is the potential, but there's no
requirement specifically for that, so ... I don't think it would
be realistic to add that as a condition on the military."
8:13:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS said her training for a CDL did not
include training in the ice and snow.
8:14:25 AM
CHAIR LYNN relayed that he drove a truck in Vietnam.
8:15:14 AM
MARK SAN SOUCI, Regional Liaison Northwest, Defense State
Liaison Office, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Military Community
and Family Policy), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), testified
in support of HB 46. He reported that as of September 2012,
736,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for
veterans following [the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]
was 9.9 percent, with an unemployment rate for male veterans
ages 18-24 of 18.1 percent. He said that in the past two years,
25 states have enacted new laws to grant veterans licensing,
academic, and occupational credit. He mentioned 24 bills
resembling [HB 46] in 18 states, and he indicated that the DoD
would like the legislature to support similar bills, such as HB
84, which pertain to other occupations.
MR. SAN SOUCI reported that tractor/trailer driving ranks in the
top ten of all military occupational specialties; it is the
second highest occupation in the U.S. Army, with almost 8
percent skilled in it, and the second highest occupation in the
U.S. Marines, with over 5 percent skilled in it. He mentioned
an on line occupational network, which reported that the truck
driving field is one of the brightest outlook fields, with a
faster than average job growth projected to be between 20 and 28
percent, with over 100,000 new jobs opening between 2010 and
2020.
MR. SAN SOUCI continued:
You all have already paid for this veterans' training
within the DoD schools and with the years of
experience while serving our nation with our federal
tax dollars, and you may well know that a lot could
(indisc.) of veterans, and the 2012 defense manpower
data center study reported that Alaska had 1,231
military separate or retire back to Alaska in fiscal
year 2012, so at around 1,231 annually, you can expect
that many highly qualified ex-military people will
continue to enjoy Alaska's quality of life, and many
will continue to choose Alaska when choosing to
transition into civilian careers.
MR. SAN SOUCI, regarding a previous question from Representative
Hughes, said with the passage of the federal (indisc.) Act last
year, military people now begin to transition 18 months out from
their separation date; therefore, they are attuned to which
states support certain occupations, including truck driving.
Regarding driver's education, he said, "I know about how they
dodge bullets and bombs ..., but not necessarily about ice and
snow, but I can look further into that."
8:19:26 AM
AVES THOMPSON, Executive Director, Alaska Trucking Association
(ATA), testified in support of HB 46. He said the ATA is an
organization representing the interests of a nearly 200-member
company. He said one of the pressing problems in the industry
is finding qualified drivers for commercial vehicles that
deliver freight. He said a lot of time is spent recruiting and
retaining good drivers. He noted that the regulatory bar has
been raised in the last few years to further increase the
professionalism of drivers in the industry. He emphasized that
truck driving is an occupation that requires a great deal of
knowledge of regulations, as well as driving skills to navigate
large rigs through the highway system. Mr. Thompson stated that
through training and experience, Alaska's commercial vehicle
drivers have become some of the best drivers in the nation, and
their skill has preserved not only their lives, but the lives of
others on the road.
MR. THOMPSON said the industry welcomes returning veterans and
the opportunity to do something that will both support them and
help the industry. He stated that retired military veterans
have had some of the best truck driving training available and
will have recent hands on experience driving big rigs; therefore
the ATA supports waiving the skills test for the issuance of a
commercial driver's licenses to those veterans. Mr. Thompson
noted that he is a military veteran, and he urged the committee
to support HB 46.
8:21:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER thanked Mr. Thompson for watching the
legislative process and for his hard work.
CHAIR LYNN said he thinks the committee shares those sentiments.
8:22:10 AM
JAMES HASTINGS, Member, Veterans Advisory Council,; Contractor,
Hero To Hired (H2H), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), stated
that the primary mission of H2H is the transition of Guard,
Reserve, and U.S. Military people into the civilian workforce.
He said he has been charged by the Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to recruit and retain "great Americans"
to remain in the Alaska workforce. Part of that effort is
communicating directly with each one of the U.S. Army National
Guard ("Guard") and U.S. Army Reserve ("Reserve") members and to
work with the U.S. Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP). He
told Representative Hughes that while there is no formal "ice
and slick road training," hazard training is "the most important
thing that we do." He said he has seen soldiers with much more
experience than most in much worse situations, but with no CDL.
Regarding hazard training, he stated, "Yes, they are trained in
Alaska." He said, "I would recommend that ... along with the
blessing ..., we do ensure that there is some additional
acknowledgment and recognition - at least of the unique
conditions that we face."
8:24:58 AM
MR. HASTINGS said ACAP is the transitional program through which
each soldier must participate once he/she has made the decision
to depart. At that point, the military person is briefed on
everything that is available to him/her. He reported that in
that last two quarters of [2012], there were 50 CDL imports into
Alaska, which means "they exported our funds at the completion
of their job, because they could not locate CDL drivers." Mr.
Hastings opined that there are soldiers going through training
to get their CDLs who should not have to do so, because they
already have that skill set, and tuition assistance funds - paid
for through the GI bill - could be better spent. He said he
spoke with companies that related they have CDL drivers who lack
experience, which he opined demonstrates how important it is to
get those military veterans with CDLs to work.
8:26:51 AM
MR. HASTINGS, in response to Chair Lynn, said Northern
Industrial Training has a [CDL training facility] in Wasilla and
one in Anchorage, and offered his understanding that the course
is six weeks and costs about $5,000. He said the state
reimburses up to $2,500 to military veterans, but the veterans
must cover the remaining $2,500, which is a lot of money.
8:27:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said he received training in the military.
He asked if there are other areas in which the state regulates
licenses that the legislature could consider [with regard to
allowing waivers for military veterans].
MR. HASTINGS stated his belief that there are other areas,
including welding and equipment operations. He said he is a fan
of the union operators course, which is a 12-week, in-house
course. He said he supports allowing a waiver to "certain"
veterans, because "not everyone's got the same level of
capability," and he recommended operating on a case-by-case
basis. He said he likes the opportunity to "condense some of
this stuff." He stated that someone in the armed forces for
three years - no matter how much experience he/she has during
that time - cannot have the same experience as a senior non-
commissioned officer or field-grade officer, for example. He
said, "I think there should be a little bit of an opportunity
for a pre-test or a pre-examination and say, 'Okay, you can test
out to this portion, but we've got to get you to the final
breaking piece.'"
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER surmised that additional waivers may need
to be proposed in separate legislation.
MR. HASTINGS said he would rather see [HB 46 pass] now and
address other issues later, because a lot of issues were missed
last year that would have been nice not to have to address this
year.
8:30:36 AM
MR. HASTINGS, in response to Representative Hughes, clarified
that the aforementioned $2,500 training reimbursement applies to
those in the U.S. Army National Guard or U.S. Air National
Guard.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES expressed appreciation of a plan that
could save state funds.
8:31:58 AM
MR. HASTINGS noted that H2H has 54 representatives across the
U.S., and he said he will work with any [veteran] who wants to
come to Alaska.
8:32:35 AM
AMY ERICKSON, Director, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department
of Administration (DOA), confirmed that sponsor's statement that
the FMCSA is urging states to adopt programs to allow for the
aforementioned waiver. She said, if asked, the DMV will fashion
its regulation according to the federal rules and HB 46.
8:33:24 AM
CHAIR LYNN, after ascertaining that there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony.
8:33:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER moved to report HB 46 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, HB 46 was reported out of the
House State Affairs Standing Committee.
8:34:22 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 8:34
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01 HB0046A.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 02 HB 46 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 03 HB 46 USDOT - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin CDL Info.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 04 HB 46 Additional and supporting documents.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 05 HB 46 Alaska CDL Statute and DMV Info.PDF |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 06 HB 46 AS 28.33.100 License to Drive Commercial Motor Vehicle.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 07 HB046-DOA-DMV-2-08-13.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 08 HB 46 Letter of Support - DOD State Liaison Office.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 09 HB 46 Letter of Support - Princess Cruise Bruce Bustamente.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |
| 10 HB 46 - Aves Thompson Testimony House STA HB46 CDL Vets 20130212.pdf |
HSTA 2/12/2013 8:00:00 AM |
HB 46 |