Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/30/2023 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Alaska State Defense Force|| Sb71 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 71 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 30, 2023
3:31 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Scott Kawasaki, Chair
Senator Matt Claman, Vice Chair
Senator Jesse Bjorkman
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Kelly Merrick
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: ALASKA STATE DEFENSE FORCE
- HEARD
SENATE BILL NO. 71
"An Act relating to pay for the Alaska State Defense Force; and
providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 71
SHORT TITLE: PAY FOR AK DEFENSE FORCE
SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
02/15/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/15/23 (S) STA, FIN
03/30/23 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
WITNESS REGISTER
DR. CRAIG CHRISTENSON, Deputy Commissioner
Military and Veterans Affairs
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the overview of the Alaska
State Defense Force and introduced SB 71.
BRIGADIER GENERAL SIMON BROWN
Alaska Defense Force
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the overview of the Alaska
State Defense Force and the introduction of SB 71.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:31:49 PM
CHAIR SCOTT KAWASAKI called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Claman, Wielechowski, Merrick, and Chair
Kawasaki. Senator Bjorkman arrived during the course of the
meeting.
^OVERVIEW: ALASKA STATE DEFENSE FORCE
OVERVIEW: ALASKA STATE DEFENSE FORCE
SB 71-PAY FOR AK DEFENSE FORCE
[The ASDF overview and SB 71 are listed at two separate agenda
items but they were conflated in this meeting.]
3:32:40 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced an overview of the Alaska State Defense
Force.
3:33:10 PM
At ease
3:34:13 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI reconvened the meeting.
3:34:30 PM
DR. CRAIG CHRISTENSEN, Deputy Commissioner, Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, began the presentation with a
chart that shows the DMVA organization. He pointed to the dotted
line within which are the Air National Guard, the Army National
Guard, the Alaska State Defense Force, and the Alaska Naval
Militia. They are identified by statute as the Alaska Organized
Militia and all but the Alaska State Defense Force are federally
commissioned members of the United States Armed Forces under the
Department of Defense (DoD).
The Alaska State Defense Force is a state organization and the
members are volunteers. When there is a declared disaster, ASDF
members are called to state active duty on paid status. However,
if they are called to state active duty to do specific training,
they are called under unpaid status. He noted that [SB 71] seeks
to change this provision in statute. If the bill were to pass,
volunteer ASDF members who are called to state active duty for
training would be called under paid status.
3:36:43 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL SIMON BROWN, Alaska State Defense Force,
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, continued the overview
of the Alaska State Defense Force, speaking to the motto of the
Alaska State Defense Force.
Closest to Home and Ready to Serve
200+ Members in 23 Detachments across Alaska
The Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF) is established
under AS 26.05.100 as a component of the Alaska
Organized Militia, as a volunteer force. Their role is
to augment and compliment the Alaska National Guard
and Alaska Naval Militia during state activations.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN turned to slide 4 to discuss the mission
statement of the Alaska State Defense Force.
Mission
The Alaska State Defense Force collaborates with
citizens, communities, native corporations, nonprofit
organizations, and governmental agencies to train an
organized state military reserve to prepare, plan,
respond, mitigate, and recover from natural and man-
made disasters.
3:38:08 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN displayed the picture on slide 5 of five
members of the Alaska State Defense Force and spoke to the
following:
Membership consists of
• Current and former credentialed law enforcement
personnel members
• Civilian Professionals who enhance engineering,
HAZMAT, cyber, medical, and communication
operations
• Military veterans who enhance domain awareness,
survival skills, leadership, and adaptability
• Teammates with diverse educational backgrounds
All members are dedicated to the safety and security
of the communities and state they live in.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN turned to slide 6 that has a picture of
Alaska State Defense Force members carrying flags down a street
as community members follow. He highlighted that these members
train to support Alaska in the following ways.
• Community Outreach and Participation
• Rural Alaska Resiliency Partnership
• Emergency Response and Support
• Support of Civil Authority
• Domain Awareness
• Communications Operations
• Medical Station Support
3:39:13 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN advanced to slide 7 that has two
pictures of ASDF members who responded to a community in need.
He highlighted ASDF's recent responses:
• Typhoon Merbok (SEPT 2022)
• COVID-19 Pandemic (FEB 2020 DEC 2021)
• Wildland Fire Season (Summer 2019)
• South Central Earthquake (DEC 2018 FEB 2019)
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN continued to slide 8, "Valuable Assets
to their Families, Communities, & Alaska."
Benefits to Members:
• Discipline
• Ethics
• Pride in work, community, state
• Health and welfare
• Technical & educational skills
• Networking Opportunities
Benefits to Employers:
• Better trained employee
• Improved self-motivation
• Improved technical skills
• Promotes working as a team
Benefits to Community:
• Often "first on scene" in communities affected by
disasters because members stay in their communities
• Incident Command trained members available during
emergency response
• May be more readily available to respond to
incidents that do not rise to the level of a state
emergency
3:41:00 PM
DR. CHRISTENSEN explained that when the Alaska State Defense
Force is activated, the members work under the National Guard
structure. He described the help communities received quickly
when the Alaska State Defense Force was activated to respond
after Typhoon Merbok.
3:42:48 PM
SENATOR MERRICK asked whether members of the Alaska State
Defense Force were authorized to carry weapons.
DR. CHRISTENSEN said no, but DMVA is working on a policy to
allow members to carry weapons if they have had significant
training and are under orders from the governor or adjutant
general. The standards would be the same as Alaska State
Troopers.
SENATOR MERRICK asked who covers the cost if a member is injured
during training or while they're activated.
DR. CHRISTENSEN replied that injuries would be paid by Workers'
Compensation.
SENATOR MERRICK referenced backup materials in members' packets
and asked how DMVA planned to recruit up to 300 people in rural
communities throughout Alaska that are not on the road system.
3:45:14 PM
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN advised that several communities had
already reached out asking for a local detachment. He continued
that DMVA staff were currently recruiting to start detachments
in the communities of Gambell and Savoonga. He relayed his goal
to establish five-person teams in as many communities as
possible. Each team would have a communications specialist, a
domain awareness specialists, a person with medical training,
and a leader.
3:45:25 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN joined the committee.
SENATOR MERRICK asked him to follow up with the number of
responders to each of the disasters listed on slide 7.
DR. CHRISTENSEN agreed to provide the information. He continued
to discuss the expansion efforts this year in rural areas to
increase awareness and elicit interest in ASDF. He acknowledged
that the goal of increasing membership to 500 might take two
years.
3:47:19 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked what happens if a member who has not been
activated fails to follow an order.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN responded that ASDF follows the Alaska
Military Code of Justice, but there has never been an ASDF
member who has refused or indicated they didn't want to do what
they were asked to do. Wanting to help others is the ethical
background recruiters are looking for.
DR. CHRISTENSEN clarified that ASDF members are volunteers so
they're asked to help; what they've found is that when a call
goes out, there is an overwhelming response from these
volunteers.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN said his organizational rule is to look
at family needs first, then whether the volunteer is a civilian
employer, and finally the defense force.
3:49:14 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN wondered whether activating ASDF members would
save money for the state.
DR. CHRISTENSEN said he views ASDF as an insurance policy to
ensure that somebody is going to be available to help if
disaster strikes a community. DMVA believes that the people best
suited to do this work are the people who live in the community
and are part of the ASDF.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN highlighted that the Alaska State
Defense Force trained for about 2,700 hours last year and the
time was all volunteer. He said he believes that it's a savings
to the state to have trained people available to respond in the
event of an emergency.
SENATOR BJORKMAN referenced the zero fiscal note [for SB 71] and
asked what the anticipated appropriation would be in the future.
DR. CHRISTENSEN responded that DMVA is not requesting any money
to cover drill training. DMVA is seeking authorization to pay
ASDF members who are called to state active duty to do specific
training. He described the three-day training to operate water
purification systems that can be moved into a community in need
of clean water as an example of the specific type of training
for which DMVA would like to bring ASDF teams onto paid active
duty. Bringing a five-member team to a site for that training
costs from $3,000 to $3,500.
3:53:28 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN asked what he expects the governor's request
for $2.5 million to be used for relative to SB 71.
DR. CHRISTENSEN returned attention to the organization chart on
slide 2 and explained that part of the $2.1 million request is
to stand up ASDF as a division under the Alaska Organized
Militia. This would involve training and equipping the existing
200 members and the anticipated 300 additional members. The
commander would serve as the director of the division, which is
the existing model for the Air National Guard and the Army
National Guard.
CHAIR KAWASAKI asked Brigadier General Brown if he was a
volunteer.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN nodded in the affirmative.
SENATOR CLAMAN asked who paid for his uniform.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN said he paid for it.
SENATOR CLAMAN asked whether all the volunteers had uniforms.
BRIGADIER GENERAL BROWN said yes, but cold weather survival gear
is in short supply so part of the $2.1 million request would be
used for that equipment.
SB 71-PAY FOR AK DEFENSE FORCE
3:58:23 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 71
"An Act relating to pay for the Alaska State Defense Force; and
providing for an effective date."
3:58:38 PM
DR. CRAIG CHRISTENSEN, Deputy Commissioner Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, explained that SB 71 proposes to
amend AS 26.05.260(i) such that members of the Alaska State
Defense Force will be on paid active duty status for specific
training. In these specific circumstances, ASDF members would be
paid the same as other members of the Alaska Organized Militia
[and under the same conditions as provided for state officials
and employees under AS 39.20.110-39.20.170]. The bill also
removes the last sentence in subsection (i) that prohibits pay
or allowances for ASDF members for training or community service
activities. He cited the example that was given during the
presentation about ASDF members traveling to receive three-day
training to learn how to operate a mobile water purification
system that can be moved into a community after a disaster. He
continued that an official request from a governmental agency to
help during the upcoming Arctic Winter Games is an example of
community service work that would be paid if the bill were to
pass.
Section 1 of SB 71 read as follows:
* Section 1. AS 26.05.260(i) is amended to read:
(i) When active state service is authorized by the
governor or by the adjutant general as the governor's
designee, members of the organized militia are
entitled to receive, for each day of active service
under AS 26.05.070, allowances to the same extent, in
the same manner, and under the same conditions as
provided for state officials and employees under AS
39.20.110 - 39.20.170. [HOWEVER, PAY OR ALLOWANCES ARE
NOT AUTHORIZED FOR TRAINING OR COMMUNITY SERVICE
ACTIVITIES OF MEMBERS OF THE ALASKA STATE DEFENSE
FORCE.]
4:01:12 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI clarified that AS 39.20.110 relates to per diem,
mileage allowance, travel costs and travel outside the state for
public officers and employees.
4:01:05 PM
SENATOR CLAMAN asked whether SB 71 would authorize the members
to be paid when they gather for two-day or quarterly trainings.
DR. CHRISTENSEN answered yes, but there is no intention to pay
ASDF members for routine drill exercises. The idea is to pay per
diem, travel costs, and lodging when members are brought on for
specific training.
4:03:03 PM
SENATOR MERRICK asked what the pay range is for ASDF members.
DR. CHRISTENSEN replied that the statute provides that state
active duty pay for members of the Alaska Organized Militia
follows the military pay scale. He added that he didn't have the
pay scale roster with him, but he could provide examples of pay
for several different ranks.
SENATOR MERRICK asked how a volunteer's rank is determined.
BRIGADIER GENERAL SIMON BROWN Alaska State Defense Force,
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, explained that ASDF
rankings start with private and continue through general, just
like the Army. The ranking for an individual is based on their
time in service, military background, and experience.
DR. CHRISTENSEN added that the Alaska State Defense Force
mirrors the Army rank structure, so someone who leaves the US
Armed Forces at a certain rank would enter the ASDF at that same
rank. People who weren't in the service but have a special skill
are given an equivalent rank. If not, they start at the lowest
rank.
4:04:58 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened public testimony on SB 71; finding none,
he closed public testimony.
SENATOR CLAMAN questioned the reason that the fiscal note
indicates no fiscal impact when the point of the bill is to
periodically allow payment for training.
DR. CHRISTENSEN said the first step is to receive authorization.
After that, there would be a budget request for significant
training, but a lot of the training would still be absorbed in
the existing budget, which is $400,000. He didn't anticipate a
request for additional funding specifically for SB 71.
4:06:51 PM
CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 71 in committee for future consideration.
4:07:59 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Kawasaki adjourned the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting at 4:07 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 02.14.23 Alaska State Defense Force Pay TL Senate.pdf |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |
| SB71 Additional Information Relating to ASDF 02.13.2023.pdf |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |
| SB71 Additional Information Relating to ASDF 02.13.2023.pdf |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |
| SB0071A.PDF |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 Fiscal note.pdf |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |
| ASDF Presentation to Senate State Affairs Committee.pdf |
SSTA 3/30/2023 3:30:00 PM |
SB 71 |