05/05/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB123 | |
| HB47 | |
| Presentation by the Department of Labor & Workforce Development, "where Are the Job Seekers?" | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 47 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
May 5, 2022
3:35 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Mike Shower, Chair
Senator Mia Costello
Senator Roger Holland
Senator Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lora Reinbold, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 123
"An Act providing for state recognition of federally recognized
tribes; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 47
"An Act renaming the Alaska Native Language Preservation and
Advisory Council as the Council for Alaska Native Languages; and
relating to the Council for Alaska Native Languages."
- HEARD & HELD
PRESENTATION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,
"WHERE ARE THE JOB SEEKERS?"
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 123
SHORT TITLE: STATE RECOGNITION OF TRIBES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) ZULKOSKY
03/03/21 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/03/21 (H) TRB, STA
03/30/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/30/21 (H) Heard & Held
03/30/21 (H) MINUTE(TRB)
04/01/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/01/21 (H) Moved HB 123 Out of Committee
04/01/21 (H) MINUTE(TRB)
04/05/21 (H) TRB RPT 3DP 1NR
04/05/21 (H) DP: FIELDS, TARR, ZULKOSKY
04/05/21 (H) NR: CRONK
04/17/21 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
04/17/21 (H) Heard & Held
04/17/21 (H) MINUTE(STA)
04/22/21 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
04/22/21 (H) Moved HB 123 Out of Committee
04/22/21 (H) MINUTE(STA)
04/26/21 (H) STA RPT 5DP 1NR
04/26/21 (H) DP: VANCE, CLAMAN, STORY, TARR, KREISS-
TOMKINS
04/26/21 (H) NR: KAUFMAN
05/19/21 (H) LIMIT ALL DEBATE TO 2 MIN EACH Y23 N16
E1
05/19/21 (H) MOTION TO TABLE UC
05/19/21 (H) TAKEN FROM TABLE UC
05/19/21 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
05/19/21 (H) VERSION: HB 123
01/18/22 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/22 (S) STA, CRA
02/10/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/10/22 (S) Heard & Held
02/10/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
02/15/22 (S) CRA REFERRAL REMOVED
02/15/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/15/22 (S) Heard & Held
02/15/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
03/03/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/03/22 (S) <Bill Hearing Canceled>
03/10/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/10/22 (S) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/17/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/17/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/17/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
03/31/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/31/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/31/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
05/05/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
BILL: HB 47
SHORT TITLE: COUNCIL FOR ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STORY
02/18/21 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/8/21
02/18/21 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/18/21 (H) TRB, STA
04/06/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/06/21 (H) Moved HB 47 Out of Committee
04/06/21 (H) MINUTE(TRB)
04/07/21 (H) TRB RPT 3DP 1NR
04/07/21 (H) DP: FIELDS, ORTIZ, ZULKOSKY
04/07/21 (H) NR: CRONK
04/07/21 (H) FIN REPLACES STA REFERRAL
04/07/21 (H) BILL REPRINTED
04/08/21 (H) TRB AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/08/21 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
04/21/21 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM ADAMS 519
04/21/21 (H) Heard & Held
04/21/21 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
04/26/21 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM ADAMS 519
04/26/21 (H) Moved HB 47 Out of Committee
04/26/21 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
04/28/21 (H) FIN RPT 8DP 3NR
04/28/21 (H) DP: ORTIZ, EDGMON, LEBON, THOMPSON,
WOOL, JOSEPHSON, MERRICK, FOSTER
04/28/21 (H) NR: CARPENTER, JOHNSON, RASMUSSEN
05/19/21 (H) LIMIT ALL DEBATE TO 2 MIN EACH Y23 N16
E1
05/19/21 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
05/19/21 (H) VERSION: HB 47
01/18/22 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/22 (S) STA, FIN
05/05/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
LOGAN BASNER, Staff
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on behalf of the sponsor
of HB 123.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 47.
NICHOLE THAM, Operations Manager
Division of Community and Regional Affairs
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided invited testimony in support of HB
47.
DAN ROBINSON, Research & Analysis Chief
Central Office
Division of Administrative Services
Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DOLWD)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered a PowerPoint titled "Where are the
Job Seekers?"
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:35:39 PM
CHAIR MIKE SHOWER called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. Senators Kawasaki,
Costello, and Chair Shower were present at the call to order.
Senator Holland arrived as the meeting was in progress.
HB 123-STATE RECOGNITION OF TRIBES
3:36:13 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 123"
An Act providing for state recognition of federally recognized
tribes; and providing for an effective date."
[HB 123 was previously heard on 2/10/22, 2/15/22, 3/17/22, and
3/31/22. Public testimony was opened and closed on 2/15/22.]
He asked the sponsor's staff to give a high level summary of the
bill before the committee considered amendments.
3:36:33 PM
LOGAN BASNER, Staff, Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Alaska
State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, stated that HB 123 will
codify the recognition of the 209 federally recognized tribes in
Alaska.
3:37:31 PM
CHAIR SHOWER moved to adopt Amendment 1, work order,
320LS0438\A.3.
32-LS0438\A.3
Wallace
4/20/22
AMENDMENT 1
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR SHOWER
TO: HB 123
Page 1, line 12, following "state":
Insert "Passage of this Act is nothing more or
less than a recognition of tribes' unique role in the
state's past, present, and future."
Page 2, line 6, through page 3, line 4:
Delete all material and insert:
"* Sec. 3. AS 01 is amended by adding a new chapter
to read:
Chapter 15. State-Tribal Relations.
Sec. 01.15.100. Recognition of tribes. The state
recognizes the special and unique relationship between
the United States government and federally recognized
tribes in the state. The state recognizes all tribes
in the state that are federally recognized under 25
U.S.C. 5130 and 5131. Nothing in this section
diminishes the United States government's trust
responsibility or other obligations to federally
recognized tribes in the state or creates a concurrent
trust relationship between the state and federally
recognized tribes. In this section, "federally
recognized tribe" has the meaning given in
AS 23.20.520."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
3:37:35 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO objected for discussion purposes.
SENATOR SHOWER explained that Amendment 1 codifies the
recognition of these tribes' role in Alaska's past, present, and
future. This recognition is moved out of Title 44 into a new
Sec. 01.15. He said he believes this change is acceptable to the
bill sponsor and those who previously had articulated concerns.
3:37:45 PM
SENATOR HOLLAND joined the meeting.
SENATOR COSTELLO removed her objection.
CHAIR SHOWER found no further objection, and Amendment 1 was
adopted.
3:39:10 PM
CHAIR SHOWER held HB 123 in committee.
HB 47-COUNCIL FOR ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES
3:39:28 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of HOUSE BILL NO. 47
"An Act renaming the Alaska Native Language Preservation and
Advisory Council as the Council for Alaska Native Languages; and
relating to the Council for Alaska Native Languages."
He noted that this was the first hearing.
3:40:30 PM
At ease
3:42:54 PM
CHAIR SHOWER reconvened the meeting.
3:43:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 47, stated that the Alaska Native Language
Preservation Advisory Council, of which she is a member,
supports shortening the Council's name and expanding its
membership. HB 47 seeks to make these changes. She continued the
introduction speaking to the following sponsor statement:
House Bill 47 Renaming the Alaska Native Language
Preservation and Advisory Council as the Council for
Alaska Native Languages; and relating to the Council
for Alaska Native Languages
House Bill 47 reflects a request from the Alaska
Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council to
change its name to the "Council for Alaska Native
Languages." This change would shorten the Council's
name while emphasizing the Council's broader focus,
which includes more than just language preservation.
In fact, the statute establishing the Council, AS
44.33.520, states the purpose of the Council is to
recommend "the establishment or reorganization of
programs to support the preservation, restoration, and
revitalization of Alaska Native languages."
The Council also requests an increase in membership
from 5 to 7 members in recognition of the diversity of
Alaska Native languages in the state (there are at
least 20 Native languages in Alaska). This allows for
greater language representation on the Council and
increases the involvement of a great number of native
language speakers from different regions of the state.
3:45:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY noted that the bill packets included the
biennial report from the Council to the governor and legislature
and said her office would provide the 2022 update.
She thanked the committee for its consideration of HB 47 and
noted who was available to go over the sectional analysis and
answer questions.
CHAIR SHOWER said he didn't believe it was necessary to go over
the sectional analysis or the fiscal note, which was minimal.
He turned to invited testimony.
3:47:41 PM
NICHOLE THAM, Operations Manager, Division of Community and
Regional Affairs, Department of Commerce, Community, and
Economic Development, Anchorage, Alaska, stated that she didn't
have prepared testimony, but was available to answer questions.
SENATOR COSTELLO referenced the report in the bill packet that
lists the 20 Alaska Native languages and the estimated number of
highly proficient speakers in the state. She asked what the
Council does in the situation where no proficient speakers have
been identified in the state.
3:48:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY apologized that there were no council
members available to answer that question, and committed to
ensure the committee received an answer. She added that the goal
is to preserve and revitalize these 20 languages, each of which
has its own depth and teachings.
3:49:38 PM
CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on HB 47; finding none, he
closed public testimony.
He asked the sponsor if she had final comments.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked the committee to look at the report
and its specific recommendations. She noted that it gave her
pause to learn about the number of language speakers that had
been lost to COVID-19 when there were already so few fluent
speakers. It is clear that time is of the essence, she said.
3:50:54 PM
CHAIR SHOWER held HB 47 in committee.
^Presentation by the Department of Labor & Workforce
Development, "Where are the Job Seekers?"
PRESENTATION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
ON "WHERE ARE THE JOB SEEKERS?"
3:51:14 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced a presentation by the Department of Labor
and Workforce Development (DOLWD).
3:51:41 PM
DAN ROBINSON, Research & Analysis Chief, Central Office,
Division of Administrative Services, Department of Labor &
Workforce Development (DOLWD), Juneau, Alaska, delivered a
PowerPoint titled "Where are the Job Seekers?"
MR. ROBINSON displayed slide 2 that cites articles from several
news outlets that demonstrate that there is a shortage of job
seekers in the labor market. It read as follows:
"Where Are America's Missing Workers" Bloomberg.com
"4.3 Million Workers Are Missing in America" Wall
Street Journal
"Too Many Jobs, Not Enough People" Alaska's News
Source
"Anchorage Employers Have Jobs, But Few Applicants"
ADN
"Economic Impact of Missing Workers Could Be
Significant" NPR
"The Most Unusual Job Market in Modern American
History" Washington Post
MR. ROBINSON explained that slide 3 reflects the best data set
available to confirm that the number of job openings is
unusually high. The term "job openings" is defined in this data
set as positions that are actively recruited outside the
organization, and filled within 30 days. The chart shows job
opening data from 2011 to 2022.
He pointed out that the data shows: 1) something was happening
before the onset of COVID-19, which was evidenced by the growing
number of openings, 2) the deep plunge in job openings during
COVID-19, and 3) the accelerating response post-COVID-19. He
noted that for job seekers it is a good situation that there are
more opportunities.
3:54:33 PM
At ease
3:55:53 PM
CHAIR SHOWER reconvened the meeting.
SENATOR HOLLAND asked how the data shows that something was
happening before COVID-19.
MR. ROBINSON answered that economies like equilibrium and a
growing number of openings is an indication of a growing
imbalance. That is part of what leads to a fairly extreme
imbalance like now when employers want to hire but few people
are seeking jobs. He said part of what he'd talk about is
wrongly ascribing that entirely to COVID-19 when the pandemic
was only part of it.
SENATOR SHOWER asked when in 2022 were there 32,000 Alaska job
openings.
MR. ROBINSON answered that the chart reflects data through
February 2022.
3:58:37 PM
MR. ROBINSON reviewed the data on slides 4-5 that seek to answer
the question about what was happening to the missing workers:
Our Recent Study of Alaska's Data
• In the year before the pandemic, 410,611 people
worked in a wage or salary job in Alaska.
• Of that number, 321,990 were Alaska residents.
• Of that number, 215,605 kept working through the
entire pandemic.
• But, 75,410 Alaska residents who had worked pre-
pandemic were not working in the most recent time
period available.
MR. ROBINSON said that last group of 75,000 Alaska residents is
of special interest.
4:00:05 PM
CHAIR SHOWER asked what job did most of the non-Alaska workers
hold pre-pandemic.
MR. ROBINSON replied that roughly two-thirds of the nonresident
workforce is in seafood processing.
4:00:45 PM
MR. ROBINSON reviewed the data on slide 6:
Patterns in the Missing Workers
• First a caveat: that 75,000 number needs context
because with all the typical dynamism in Alaska's
economy and workforce, it's only 5-10 thousand
higher than pre-COVID years.
He explained that of all 50 states, Alaska has the most seasonal
economy; it has the largest migration flow as a percentage of
the population; and with the exception of Alaska Natives, the
population has shallower roots. This is to say that rather than
75,000, roughly 10,000 more people than usual have fallen out of
the workforce.
• Most relevantly, the biggest divergence from
normal dropout rates was in people 60+ years old.
MR. ROBINSON reminded the committee that the largest group
of workers who stopped working and haven't returned are
over 60 years of age. This is relevant because these
workers are unlikely to return.
• The second biggest divergence from normal dropout
rates was in people 30-39.
MR. ROBINSON speculated that the likely reasons that people in
the 30-39 age bracket haven't returned are lack of child care,
home schooling, and some out migration.
4:04:33 PM
MR. ROBINSON reviewed the data on slide 7.
How Many Claimed Unemployment?
• Only about a third of the missing workers filed
for unemployment insurance at any point during
the pandemic.
• A little more than half of workers who dropped
out but are now working again filed for
unemployment insurance (about twice as high as
normal).
• Average total payments to missing workers:
$7,000.
4:07:08 PM
SENATOR HOLLAND commented that the average payment of $7,000 was
shockingly low. He asked what the range might have been.
MR. ROBINSON said the normal distribution would be roughly
$20,000 for a few weeks. COVID was a little different but he
didn't believe there would have been a shockingly strange
distribution.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked what other academic or government
entities were doing research to try to answer the question about
the scarcity of workers.
MR. ROBINSON said a lot of research is being done on this topic
and Alaska has particularly good data because of the permanent
fund dividend. It's also easier to isolate the residents than in
other states and the wage records that employers are required to
file for unemployment insurance are more detailed. He said his
office was eager to do this detailed look because most other
data is survey based.
4:09:57 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if there was any research on the impact
the worker shortage has on the day-to-day activities in a
community. She noted the circumstance of trying to get
information or do business and not being able to find anybody
who was working in the office.
MR. ROBINSON replied that's more difficult to quantify with
data, but part of the takeaway message is that this is not just
a problem for employers. The ability of businesses and
government to do what used to be normal work is compromised if
there aren't people to do the work. He noted that Research and
Analysis did some preliminary work looking at infrastructure
spending and the assumption was that with all the money that was
coming to Alaska, that there would be welders, truck drivers,
and engineers to do the work. That begs the question of what
happens if those workers can't be found. He said it's going to
take a little time and creative thinking to resolve this issue.
Some of the strategies might be getting more women into
construction and oil and gas, enticing seniors to return to the
workforce, establishing different terms, and doing a better job
putting DOC prisoners or vocational rehabilitation workers to
work. In sum, there are pockets of people who could fill these
positions but they have to be identified and encouraged.
4:12:38 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI offered his takeaway that the enhanced
unemployment payments last summer didn't necessarily help as
much as anticipated to get people to return to work.
MR. ROBINSON said Research and Analysis did some work that
showed that a fairly large number of people were making more
money on unemployment insurance during that high period than
they were on wages before that. So it wasn't an irrational idea
to think that was keeping people from reentering the workforce,
but none of the data support that it was ever a major factor.
CHAIR SHOWER observed that it didn't last longer either.
MR. ROBINSON said Alaska and about 20 other states stopped those
payments early for that reason.
4:14:18 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI highlighted that it was a few hundred million
dollars that could have come to the state and helped bolster
small businesses in communities. He also described a constituent
case and relayed that claims for unemployment insurance during
that time were being audited and when the record showed that an
individual didn't make as much as they claimed to have made
during the relevant period, they were being asked to make up the
difference.
4:15:26 PM
MR. ROBINSON said it was an unusual circumstance. People like
gig workers who had never been eligible before were eligible for
pandemic unemployment assistance, although the verification
requirement was largely not established. He highlighted that the
data he'd seen indicated that, compared to other states, Alaska
did a good job of preventing fraud.
4:16:30 PM
CHAIR SHOWER asked what sources contributed to the average total
payments to missing workers.
MR. ROBINSON said roughly 70 percent would have been federal
funds. He noted that Alaska's unemployment insurance trust fund
had already returned to a healthy range. He described the
structure of Alaska's UI system as actuarily smart, particularly
compared to other states, many of which completely depleted
their funds during the pandemic. He noted that Alaska's UI fund
also remained actuarially healthy during the great recession.
MR. ROBINSON acknowledged that he omitted source information on
the slides to avoid clutter, but the data generally comes from
Research and Analysis, the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development (DOLWD), and some from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
4:18:17 PM
MR. ROBINSON turned to the bar chart on slide 8 that illustrates
demographic trends of Alaskans who are of working age. In the
15-64 age group, there has been a steady decline since 2013. By
2021, there were roughly 27,000 fewer people of working age so
it should have come as no surprise that employers were finding
it more difficult to fill positions with people who were of
standard working age. He said there are a couple of reasons, but
the biggest is illustrated on slide 9. It shows that 45,000
Alaskans aged 65 and older left the workforce over the decade
from 2010-2021. Alaska has a large number of baby boomers and
they tend to be on the younger end of the spectrum so this trend
will likely continue for close to another decade.
MR. ROBINSON said slide 10 illustrates that net outmigration is
a secondary reason for employers having difficulty finding
workers. For nine consecutive years, more people have moved out
of Alaska than the number that have move into the state. Before
this, the longest streak of continuous out-migration was four
years. That exchange resulted in about 53,000 fewer people
living in Alaska. He said the number of people coming and going
is less relevant than the fact that Alaska has consistently lost
people for nine years in a row. It's more than the 44,000 that
were lost during the four recession years in the 1980s. It's
different now with the extended time of more people wanting to
leave than come. Among other things, it culls the number of
available workers.
4:22:36 PM
MR. ROBINSON said the final slide emphasizes that this current
imbalance won't go away anytime soon. Employers, policy makers,
and people in workforce development will need to adapt or lose
out on the benefits there might be from IIJA spending. This
means figuring out how to do a better job of recruiting and
retaining and how to make do with fewer people. He said it's an
odd boon for job seekers so it's not all negative. People are
able to move up into positions that wouldn't have been available
to them five years ago, and people who are seeking a job have a
unique opportunity.
CHAIR SHOWER summarized his understanding that the timing is a
perfect storm of circumstances relating to COVID-19, aging baby
boomers, and economic conditions. He referenced The Demographic
Cliff that talks about the tipping point for nations that have a
declining population, and said the trend lines are concerning,
because Alaska could get to the point where it would be
difficult for private enterprise or government to sustain
itself.
4:25:21 PM
MR. ROBINSON responded that the population in Southeast is a
little older, and absent migration growth that means there are
fewer women of child bearing age. It's the opposite in rural
Alaska where the population is younger and therefore has more
women of child bearing age.
He added that a couple of factors he didn't mention were that
technology has made it possible for a number of workers to move
to self-employment. It will also be important to keep an eye on
immigration numbers and decide how much to change the rules so
it's easier to bring workers from other countries.
4:27:10 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked how the use of J-1, L-1, and O-1 visas to
hire foreign nationals during the summer was impacting the
workforce today and if he thought those might be used more in
the future.
MR. ROBINSON replied it's mostly anecdotal but a powerful
indication of increased demand was the seafood processing
company that for the first time was unable to find U.S. workers
and requested J-1 visas.
CHAIR SHOWER thanked Mr. Robinson for the briefing.
4:29:46 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Shower adjourned the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting at 4:29 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB123 A.3 Amendment 1.pdf |
SSTA 5/5/2022 3:30:00 PM |
HB 123 |
| HB123 A.3 Amendment 1 Legal Memo.pdf |
SSTA 5/5/2022 3:30:00 PM |
HB 123 |
| Senate State Affairs Committee. presentation May 5 2022.pptx |
SSTA 5/5/2022 3:30:00 PM |
|
| HB123 conditional support- letter 5-4-22.pdf |
SSTA 5/5/2022 3:30:00 PM |
HB 123 |