Legislature(2023 - 2024)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/19/2023 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB22 | |
| SB57 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 39 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 41 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 22 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 57 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 19, 2023
9:11 a.m.
9:11:30 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Olson called the Senate Finance Committee meeting
to order at 9:11 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair
Senator Donny Olson, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Jesse Kiehl
Senator Kelly Merrick
Senator David Wilson [via teleconference]
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson, Sponsor; Besse Odom, Staff,
Senator Gray-Jackson; Valerie Rose, Fiscal Analyst,
Legislative Finance Division; Rob Carpenter, Deputy
Director, Legislative Finance Division; Tony Newman,
Director, Division Senior and Disability Services,
Department of Health; Robert Nave, Program Manager,
Division of Healthcare Services, Department of Health.
SUMMARY
SB 22 PROCLAIM JUNETEENTH DAY A HOLIDAY
SB 22 was REPORTED out of committee with four "do
pass" recommendations and with two no
recommendation recommendations, and with one new
zero fiscal note from Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs, and with one new fiscal impact
note each from the Department of Education and
Early Development, the Department of Health, the
Department of Fish and Game, the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities, the
Department of Corrections, the Department of
Public Safety, and the Department of Family and
Community Services.
SB 57 ADULT HOME CARE; MED ASSISTANCE
CSSB 57(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with
three "do pass" recommendations and with three
no recommendation recommendations, and with two
new fiscal impact notes from the Department of
Health, and one new zero fiscal note from the
Department of Health.
SENATE BILL NO. 22
"An Act establishing Juneteenth Day as a legal
holiday."
9:11:59 AM
Co-Chair Olson relayed that the committee had heard SB 22
on Aril 4, at which time the committee heard public
testimony. He mentioned an earlier issue with a fiscal
note, after which his office had requested a better
estimate on the potential overtime costs. He noted that
there were eight fiscal notes to consider.
9:12:56 AM
SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, SPONSOR, read from a prepared
statement:
America takes pride in being the land of the free, but
it was not until 1865 when the statement became a
reality. The declaration states that all men are
created equal and endowed by their creator with
certain unalienable rights, but before 1865 there was
a facet of Americans living under bondage, unable to
live life as the Declaration of Independence had
promised. Before 1865, black Americans were denied
their rights because they were seen as property,
versus human beings.
In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation that freed enslaved people in Texas and
all rebellious parts of Southern secessionist states
of the Confederacy. However, it was only through the
13th Amendment that emancipation ended slavery
throughout America. Two years later, Union troops
arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that enslaved
people were free by executive decree. This marked the
end of 200 plus years of the enslavement of Black
Americans! Enslaved people in Texas found out they
were free nearly 3 years after the fact.
Senator Gray-Jackson recounted that in 2001, Representative
Lesil Maguire introduced HB 100, which established the
third Saturday of each June as Juneteenth, to commemorate
the abolition of slavery throughout the United States and
its territories in 1865. The bill was signed into law on
April 10, 2001, and was co-sponsored by multiple
legislators. She thanked the past bipartisan members for
supporting and recognizing the liberations of her
community. She explained that Juneteenth was often seen as
a black American holiday that was closed to others and
asserted that it was not true.
Senator Gray-Jackson noted that Anchorage hosted the
largest Juneteenth celebration in the state, which embraced
people from all backgrounds. The community celebration
included many state and local dignitaries. She cited that
additionally, there were countries which celebrated
Juneteenth other than the United States, including South
Korea and Israel. She hoped for a continuing conversation
on the meaning of freedom. She emphasized that the
celebration of liberation reached far beyond color and
ethnicity. She asserted that SB 22 would create awareness
and appreciation for American history. She mentioned her 41
years in the state and noted that Juneteenth was the
anniversary of her arrival to the state.
9:16:40 AM
BESSE ODOM, STAFF, SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON, introduced herself
and thanked the committee for hearing the bill.
9:17:27 AM
VALERIE ROSE, FISCAL ANALYST, LEGISLATIVE FINANCE DIVISION,
explained that there were eight fiscal notes for SB 22. She
addressed FN 1, OMB Component 56, from the Department of
Administration. The note had been provided for the
committee before the request for individual notes from
agencies, which would provide the estimate for employees of
facilities that employed staff working in 24-hour
facilities at a time-and-a-half rate for paid holidays. She
noted that the fiscal note was indeterminate and did not
provide fiscal information.
Ms. Rose addressed FN 2, OMB Component 0, which was also
issued prior to the request for fiscal notes from multiple
agencies. The note was from various departments via the
Office of the Governor, and provided an overall picture of
the process of how the state holiday would be determined as
a paid holiday. The fiscal note was indeterminate but
addressed an estimated one-day cost for all state
personnel.
9:19:07 AM
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Public Safety. The fiscal note was for $373,600 for the
personal services required for a number of outposts and
facilities including the Alaska State Troopers, the Council
on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA), statewide
support, fire and life safety, the Village Public Safety
Officer (VPSO) Program, and the Alaska Police Standards
Council. All the groups were allocations in DPS and were
affected by the time-and-a-half rate of pay.
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT), which was in
the amount $125,900. The fiscal note described the personal
services that would be required to pay individuals paid
time-and-a-half for working on the paid holiday in state
facilities. The fiscal note described Anchorage Airport
operations, the Fairbanks Airport operations, airport
facilities, field and equipment maintenance, and airport
safety. Additionally, the note included some highway and
aviation allocations that would also require additional
staffing for time-and-a-half purposes.
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Health, which estimated an additional cost of only $2,000
for staff in the state Medical Examiners Office.
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Fish and Game, with a cost of $54,200. The department had
outlined the Division of Commercial Fisheries, The Division
of Sport Fish, the Division of Wildlife Conservation, and
the departments Subsistence Section as the allocations
that would be impacted and required to pay time-and-a-half
for certain individuals.
Ms. Rose discussed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Family and Community Services for $102,000. The note
estimated that the impacts to the allocations in the
department would be in the Alaska Psychiatric Institute
(API), the Division of Juvenile Justice (facilities), and
the Alaska Pioneer Homes.
9:22:26 AM
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Education and Early Development, which included personal
services as well as services due to contracted security
working at facilities that would require payment at an
additional rate for a paid state holiday. The total fiscal
note was for $4,600 and was specific to the Alaska State
Museum and the Sheldon Jackson Museum.
Ms. Rose addressed a new fiscal note from the Department of
Corrections for $525,600. The department had quite a few
24-hour facilities and employed Class I employees whose
services may not be given up for any period of time. The
fiscal note would provide for time-and-a-half pay as
required for a number of correctional officers and others
working in correctional facilities.
Ms. Rose noted that while not all the fiscal notes
described the methodology in the analyses, the Office and
Management and Budget had shared with LFD that the
requested methodology for creating the fiscal notes was to
take the average of three recent state holidays in the
fiscal year including July 4, Alaska Day, and Martin Luther
King Jr. day.
Co-Chair Olson asked if Ms. Rose was familiar with the OMB
Component numbers.
Ms. Rose listed OMB Component numbers for the fiscal notes:
DOA 56
Various from the Executive Branch no component number
DPS 2325
DOT 530
DOH 293
DGF 479
DFCS 3305
DEED 210
DOC 694
9:26:06 AM
Co-Chair Olson relayed that one amendment had been
received.
Senator Wilson noted that the previous fiscal note had a
cost of $4 million, and the administration had indicated
that the funds were the cost of the holiday. He asked if
the additional notes reflected the additional cost for
time-and-a-half pay. He asked if there was a note or actual
cost for lost productivity.
Ms. Rose relayed that the new fiscal notes were at the
request of the committee to better provide a picture of the
actual cost. The fiscal note Senator Wilson had referenced
from the Executive Branch for various agencies was
initially provided to give the committee an estimate for a
single day cost for personnel. She thought the note did not
specifically align to the bill, which did not specify that
Juneteenth would be a paid holiday. She expanded that there
was a process through which unions could negotiate with the
state to create a holiday that was defined as a paid
holiday. The fiscal notes had been provided to give the
committee an estimate of the cost if the negotiations
resulted in a paid holiday for state employees. She
considered that the indeterminate note from various
departments was no longer necessary.
Senator Wilson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1, 32-GS1708\A.2
(Dunmire, 4/18/23).
Senator Bishop OBJECTED for discussion.
9:29:31 AM
AT EASE
9:32:26 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Olson asked Senator Wilson to speak to Amendment
1.
Senator Wilson explained that the amendment would insert a
floating holiday for state employees, instead of
Juneteenth. He referenced the naming of bridges. He noted
that the amendment would allow for anyone to take off the
day of their choosing. He mentioned the issue of creating
additional holidays on an ongoing basis. The amendment
would provide for a state holiday that employees could take
as they saw fit.
Senator Merrick commented that she would support the
amendment. She mentioned the states short construction
season and thought the amendment would allow for
construction workers to keep working and celebrate
Juneteenth later in the year.
9:34:49 AM
Senator Gray-Jackson thanked Senator Wilson for his
comments at the bills previous hearing and for the
amendment. She found that his comments at the previous bill
hearing were offensive, and that the amendment was
offensive. She contended that his comparison of the
proposed holiday to the naming of bridges and other things
was offensive. She emphasized that the proposed Juneteenth
holiday was about celebrating the freedom of black people.
She reiterated that Juneteenth was already recognized in
state statute.
Ms. Odom emphasized that the bill was deliberate in the
intention to celebrate liberation and the end of a four-
decades long chapter of American history. She considered
that the amendment diminished and minimized the intent of
the bill, as well as an important part of history. She
referenced honoring contributions of people by celebrating
Juneteenth. She noted that the sponsor was not in favor of
the amendment.
Senator Kiehl relayed that he would not support the
amendment and that he supported the underlying bill. He
thought the floating holiday as proposed in the amendment
would result in cashable leave and could result in
increased costs. He thought the amendment proposed to make
an entirely different bill, and suggested those in
opposition to the bill sponsor a separate piece of
legislation.
Senator Bishop MAINTAINED his OBJECTION.
9:38:06 AM
Senator Wilson relayed that he was not trying to take away
the celebration of Juneteenth, but rather have more
opportunity for people to celebrate a chosen holiday. He
contended that the bill would not prevent racism. He
asserted that the bill did not propose to put resources
toward education of African American culture. He thought
instead of vilifying people through remembering slavery,
the state should remember those who sacrificed for freedom
and allow equal opportunity for every culture to celebrate
any holiday that was chosen. He asserted that his amendment
was intended to be more inclusive. He discussed the
celebration of freedom through Independence Day and
suggested that making Juneteenth a focal point would
distract from history and further divide people.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Merrick, Wilson
OPPOSED: Bishop, Kiehl, Stedman, Hoffman, Olson
The MOTION FAILED (2/5).
Co-Chair Stedman asked for a reminder of the total cost of
the fiscal notes.
Ms. Rose relayed that the total fiscal note cost was $1.187
million, not all of which was Unrestricted General Funds
(UGF). She offered to get back to the committee with a
breakout of fund sources.
Co-Chair Olson asked if Ms. Rose had a rough estimate of
the funding breakdown.
Ms. Rose answered in the negative.
9:41:55 AM
AT EASE
9:43:52 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Olson asked if there were any further comments on
the bill.
Senator Wilson relayed that he supported Juneteenth as a
holiday but did not support the bill and did not support
the commercialization of Juneteenth. He mentioned products
sold for Juneteenth. He mentioned wearing African American
culture as a costume. He relayed that he would address his
concern on the Senate floor.
9:45:02 AM
AT EASE
9:45:36 AM
RECONVENED
Senator Kiehl MOVED to report SB 22 out of Committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
SB 22 was REPORTED out of committee with four "do pass"
recommendations and with two no recommendation
recommendations; and with one new zero fiscal note from
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and with one
new fiscal impact note each from the Department of
Education and Early Development, the Department of Health,
the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities, the Department of
Corrections, the Department of Public Safety, and the
Department of Family and Community Services.
9:46:06 AM
AT EASE
9:49:00 AM
RECONVENED
SENATE BILL NO. 57
"An Act relating to medical assistance for recipients
of Medicaid waivers; establishing an adult care home
license and procedures; providing for the transition
of individuals from foster care to adult home care
settings; and providing for an effective date."
9:49:05 AM
Co-Chair Olson relayed that SB 57 had first been heard on
March 28, at which time the committee heard public
testimony.
9:49:32 AM
TONY NEWMAN, DIRECTOR, DIVISION SENIOR AND DISABILITY
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, relayed that SB 57 provided
elderly Alaskans and adults with disabilities who were
enrolled in a Medicaid home and community-based waiver with
a new living option in adult home care. He noted that the
bill would establish a new licensed residential setting
type and a new certified service to be overseen by DOH.
Under SB 57, the department would develop a streamlined
process for foster parents who had cared for foster
children with disabilities to transfer their existing
foster home license to the new adult home care license. The
bill would provide an incentive for foster families to
remain together as children with disabilities aged out of
the foster care system. He asserted that the bill would
address the shortage of services and settings for seniors
and individuals who required help with the activities of
daily living and other assistance to achieve greater
independence. He thought that the fiscal notes had been
reviewed at the previous bill hearing.
Co-Chair Olson asked if there was opposition to the bill.
Mr. Newman was not aware of any opposition to the bill.
9:51:15 AM
Senator Kiehl MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1.
Co-Chair Olson OBJECTED for discussion.
Senator Kiehl discussed Amendment 1, which he described as
a minor change. He explained that the bill language about
the homes not being a business site was too prescriptive.
He had talked with the department, which had indicated it
planned to put in regulation pertaining to the
requirements. He explained that running a home for payment
may trigger a municipal business license, and in some
cases, individuals could have a separate home-based
business. The bill itself stipulated that the homes be
small and for two people served, with three as an
exception.
Co-Chair Olson asked Mr. Newman to comment on the
amendment.
Mr. Newman indicated that the Division of Senior and
Disability Services had no objection to the amendment.
9:52:42 AM
ROBERT NAVE, PROGRAM MANAGER, DIVISION OF HEALTHCARE
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, indicated that the division
did not have concerns about the amendment.
Co-Chair Olson WITHDREW his OBJECTION. There being NO
further OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Senator Kiehl MOVED to report CSSB 57(FIN) out of Committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
CSSB 57(FIN) was REPORTED out of committee with three "do
pass" recommendations and with three no recommendation
recommendations; and with two new fiscal impact notes from
the Department of Health, and one new zero fiscal note from
the Department of Health.
Co-Chair Olson discussed the agenda for the afternoon
meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
9:54:13 AM
The meeting was adjourned at 9:54 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 22 Amendment 1 - Wilson.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 DPS AST 041823.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 DOT AIA 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 MVA AMYA 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 DOH SME 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB DFG DAS 041823.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
|
| SB 22 EED MUS 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 DOC COM 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 22 FCS DSS AS 041723.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 22 |
| SB 57 Amendment 1 - Olson.pdf |
SFIN 4/19/2023 9:00:00 AM |
SB 57 |