04/09/2025 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 10                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Board of Regents of the                                                                            
     University of Alaska."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster relayed  that HB 10 had  two prior committee                                                                    
hearings [March 10, 2025, and March 20, 2025].                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:45:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ASHLEY  CARRICK, SPONSOR,  briefly  reviewed                                                                    
the  bill. She  summarized  that the  legislation would  add                                                                    
one  tenured  faculty member  to  the  University of  Alaska                                                                    
Board  of  Regents for  a  two-year  term after  a  thorough                                                                    
selection process.  The addition  of a faculty  member would                                                                    
help the  Board of Regents  advance its mission  and provide                                                                    
representation to this key stakeholder group.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Tomaszewski asked whether  she had any dialog                                                                    
with  the regents  regarding adding  the faculty  member and                                                                    
what  their  thoughts  on   the  bill  were.  Representative                                                                    
Carrick  responded that  she had  spoken to  several current                                                                    
regents,  and the  opinions were  "mixed." She  offered that                                                                    
the  board was  slow  to make  changes  and were  "reticent"                                                                    
toward operative  changes. She  disclosed that some  were in                                                                    
support, some  were neutral,  and some  were opposed  to the                                                                    
idea.  Representative Tomaszewski  asked if  there had  been                                                                    
any  letters   of  support   or  opposition   from  regents.                                                                    
Representative   Carrick  answered   that   the  board   was                                                                    
officially neutral towards the bill.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Allard  voiced that  she had spoken  to every                                                                    
member of the board and  maintained that the members did not                                                                    
agree with the legislation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:48:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Stapp asked  if anything  prohibited current                                                                    
faculty  members   from  being   appointed  to   the  board.                                                                    
Representative  Carrick replied  that she  did not  think it                                                                    
was  restricted,  but  a  faculty   member  had  never  been                                                                    
appointed, and  HB 10  rectified a  longstanding stakeholder                                                                    
input issue. The bill clarified  that the legislature was in                                                                    
support of  faculty representation. She added  that the same                                                                    
idea  had  benefited the  states  that  had adopted  similar                                                                    
provisions. Representative  Stapp was curious why  a faculty                                                                    
member  appointment   had  never   happened.  Representative                                                                    
Carrick responded  that typically a  board of trustees  or a                                                                    
board of regents typically wanted  the base of the governing                                                                    
body  to  be  members   of  the  business  and  professional                                                                    
community  to promote  workforce development.  She expounded                                                                    
that a board  seat was competitive, and the  term lasted for                                                                    
8  years  in Alaska.  The  legislation  limited the  faculty                                                                    
member  to a  two  year  term, which  was  requested by  the                                                                    
faculty.   They   favored   turnover   to   afford   broader                                                                    
representation from other campuses.  She believed the longer                                                                    
term  was  positive  and created  stability.  Representative                                                                    
Stapp asked  if any other  states mandated a  faculty regent                                                                    
via  statute.  Representative  Carrick answered  that  there                                                                    
were six  state university  systems that mandated  a faculty                                                                    
regent. The faculty  regent was a full voting  member and in                                                                    
other states they were non-voting.  The six states included:                                                                    
Oregon, Pennsylvania, West  Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, and                                                                    
Tennessee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Galvin   appreciated  the   concept  brought                                                                    
forward  around  stakeholders  being part  of  the  decision                                                                    
making. She asked about the  process regarding the decisions                                                                    
that   must    be   made   concerning    faculty   salaries.                                                                    
Representative Carrick deferred the question.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:53:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CADENCE CONNER, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE ASHLEY CARRICK STAFF,                                                                    
responded  that  there was  a  thorough  process related  to                                                                    
conflict of interest  according to AS 39.52.220  a member of                                                                    
the board  or commission  who was  involved in  a prohibited                                                                    
matter may  result in  a violation.  She read  AS 39.52.110,                                                                    
 shall  disclose the  matter in  writing and  on the  public                                                                    
record  to the  designated  supervisor and  to the  attorney                                                                    
general."  A  regent  would  have   to  conform  to  statute                                                                    
regarding a conflict of interest.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Carrick interjected  that  a conflict  would                                                                    
likely  happen very  infrequently.  The salary  negotiations                                                                    
took place  outside of  the Board  of Regents.  In addition,                                                                    
the  student regent  was expected  to  recuse themselves  of                                                                    
issues  like  a  vote  that might  cut  their  program.  She                                                                    
offered  that potential  for conflict  issues existed  and a                                                                    
current robust process concerning conflicts also existed.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bynum wondered  whether increasing the number                                                                    
of members would change the  requirement for a quorum and if                                                                    
it  would  have  caused  quorum  issues  in  past  meetings.                                                                    
Representative  Carrick  responded   that  typically,  board                                                                    
meetings  were   fully  attended   and  there   were  rarely                                                                    
absences. The board met infrequently  and paid for travel to                                                                    
the  meeting.  She deemed  it  unlikely  that quorum  issues                                                                    
would arise.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Johnson  referenced   the  six  states  with                                                                    
faculty regents, and  she could not find that  they had full                                                                    
membership  without restrictions.  She  interpreted that  it                                                                    
was due to  a general recognition of concern  with a faculty                                                                    
member  being a  regent. She  had concerns  over the  issue.                                                                    
Representative  Carrick answered  that  the  six states  she                                                                    
listed were  full voting members.  She maintained  that many                                                                    
states had  an ex-officio  or non-voting  faculty member(s).                                                                    
She informed the  committee that the structure  of the board                                                                    
looked  radically  different  depending on  the  state.  She                                                                    
provided  other  states'  examples.  The  trustee  board  in                                                                    
Pennsylvania  had 38  members and  one  full voting  faculty                                                                    
member  that  was  elected  by  the  board.  House  Bill  10                                                                    
provided a  robust process for  appointment by  the governor                                                                    
and a robust process for conflict of interests.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:59:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Johnson  asked  if  one of  the  states  was                                                                    
Oregon  and  pointed out  that  the  governor appointed  the                                                                    
faculty member  and decided if  they had voting  rights. She                                                                    
reiterated  that in  many states  a faculty  member was  not                                                                    
equal   to   other    members   regarding   voting   rights.                                                                    
Representative Carrick  affirmed that Oregon was  one of the                                                                    
states she had listed.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:00:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Schrage MOVED  to report  HB 10  out of  committee                                                                    
with  individual  recommendations  and  accompanying  fiscal                                                                    
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative Allard OBJECTED.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Tomaszewski  maintained   that  he  did  not                                                                    
support the bill.  He commented on the  conflict of interest                                                                    
generated  by   the  addition  of   a  faculty   member  and                                                                    
determined  that  it  would  be a  burden  for  regents.  He                                                                    
believed that faculty  had a way to have  their voices heard                                                                    
through existing processes.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bynum shared that he  was unsure how he would                                                                    
ultimately vote on  the bill. He saw no harm  in passing the                                                                    
bill out of committee.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Stapp had  reservations about  the bill  but                                                                    
would support moving it from committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:02:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
IN FAVOR: Bynum,  Johnson,  Jimmie, Stapp,  Hannan,  Galvin,                                                                    
Schrage, Josephson, Foster                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
OPPOSED: Tomaszewski, Allard                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
HB  10 was  REPORTED OUT  of  committee with  six "do  pass"                                                                    
recommendations,  two  "do  not pass"  recommendations,  and                                                                    
three  "no  recommendation"  recommendations  and  with  one                                                                    
previously published fiscal impact note: FN1 (UA).                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:03:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Carrick thanked the committee.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hannan and  Representative Stapp made amusing                                                                    
closing remarks.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:04:53 PM