Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
01/31/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB48 | |
| HB25 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 48 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 25 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 25-PFD ELIGIBILITY UNIFORMED SERVICES
3:25:13 PM
CHAIR SHAW announced that the final only order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 25, "An Act relating to eligibility for the
permanent fund dividend; and providing for an effective date."
3:25:43 PM
SETH WHITTEN, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Story, prime sponsor,
introduced HB 25. He paraphrased the sponsor statement, which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
The uniformed services of the United States consist of
the armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine
Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard), National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned
Officer Corps, and the Commissioned Corps of the
United States Public Health Service (USPHS). Members
of the uniformed services are all treated similarly in
pay, benefits, and rank. NOAA Commissioned Officer
Corps and USPHS Commissioned Corps are eligible for
Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, can be members of the
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and
can enroll in higher learning institutions using the
GI Bill. Officers of the armed services salute higher-
ranking members of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
and USPHS Commissioned Corpsmen, as they would salute
a higher-ranking member of their own, or any other
branch of the armed services.
Currently there are 16 subsections of statute that
allow Alaskans to maintain eligibility for the
Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) if they are absent from
the state for different reasons. Reasons like post-
secondary education, serving in the Peace Corps, and
participating on a U.S. Olympic Team. Remaining
eligible for the PFD while serving our country has
been a long-time policy of Alaska. However, these
two groups of the uniformed services of the Unite
States are not permitted allowable absences for
purposes of PFD eligibility. House Bill 25 would
extend these allowable absences for members of the
NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps and USPHS Commissioned
Corps as they serve our country.
HB 25 does not change other eligibility requirements
for the PFD. It allows Alaskans serving their country
in the NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps and U.S.
Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to remain
eligible for the PFD if their duties require absences
that are allowable for Alaskans in the other uniformed
services groups.
CHAIR SHAW commenced invited testimony.
3:28:22 PM
DAVID WILKINSON, Lieutenant, Commissioned Corpsman, Commissioned
Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), shared his
personal background and work history. He noted that he moved to
Alaska in 1997 and remained in the state until he joined the
U.S. Air Force in 2005. At that point, he moved out of state
for three years while maintaining his Alaska residency and
continuing to receive the dividend. In 2008, he returned to
Alaska until 2016, at which point he joined the USPHS
Commissioned Corps and was sent out of state. He explained that
initially, he received the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) in 2017
and 2018. In 2019, his PFD application was denied due to
ineligibility. The explanation provided, he said, was that
USPHS was a uniformed service, not the armed services. He
pointed out that both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps and the USPHS
Commissioned Corps were allowed to maintain residency in Alaska
if they were gone for more than 180 days, similar to the armed
services; however, NOAA and USPHS officers were deemed
ineligible for the dividend, while members of the armed service
remained eligible the PFD. He further noted that USPHS and NOAA
Commissioned Corps officers were legally classified as veterans
and therefore, entitled to the same benefits as members of the
armed services. Furthermore, since his time in the USPHS
Commissioned Corps, Lieutenant Wilkinson shared that he had
deployed five times in six years. He concluded by highlighting
the mission of USPHS.
3:34:25 PM
CHAIR SHAW asked how the ranking system worked within the USPHS
Commissioned Corps.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON defined the ranking system as "the same as
the officer rank." He added that the Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA
Commissioned Corps, and USPHS Commissioned Corps all utilized
the same ranking structure. In contrast, the Army, Air Force,
and the Marine Corps shared the same insignia; however, the
names are different, he said. For example, a captain in the Air
Force was "O-3" while a captain in the Navy was "O-6."
3:36:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD asked whether Lieutenant Wilkinson held a
noncommissioned rank within the USPHS Commissioned Corps.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON reported that his rank was commissioned.
He said his current military rank was that of a lieutenant, or
"O-3."
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD asked whether there were noncommissioned
officers within the USPHS Commissioned Corps.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON stated that civilians were allowed to work
for USPHS; however, all commissioned officers were on active-
duty status.
3:37:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER inquired about the PFD eligibility
requirements for active-duty service members serving outside the
state of Alaska.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON shared his understanding that members on
active duty must return to Alaska for at least three days every
two years to maintain Alaska residency.
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER shared a personal anecdote. He asked
how many Alaskans would be affected by HB 25.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON reported an approximate 6,000 USPHS
officers and 300 NOAA Commissioned Corps officers on active duty
in Alaska.
3:39:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT asked whether USPHS Commissioned Corps
deployments were voluntary and how long they typically lasted.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON said the deployments were typically one
month long and involuntary.
3:41:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD inquired about the date of Mr. Wilkinson's
most recent trip back to Alaska.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON answered three years ago, noting that he
currently lived in Florida.
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD sought to clarify the eligibility
requirements for the uniformed services.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON said if HB 25 had been enacted in 2019, he
would have qualified for the dividend. He clarified that he had
not returned to Alaska in the past several years, so he no
longer qualified for the PFD.
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD urged him to continue applying for the
dividend to avoid "getting lost in the system."
3:43:07 PM
MR. WHITTEN noted that staff from the Department of Revenue
(DOR) was available to answer questions from the committee.
3:43:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG inquired about the role and impact of
USPHS members in Alaska.
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON attempted to clarify the question.
REPRESENTATIVE ARMSTRONG inquired about the role of active-duty
USPHS officers stationed in Alaska, such as providing medical
care for the Coast Guard and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
LIEUTENANT WILKINSON confirmed that USPHS Commissioned Corps
officers provided all the medical and dental care for the Coast
Guard in Alaska. He shared his understanding that they often
provided services in remote villages across the state for IHS as
well. He shared a personal anecdote.
3:46:00 PM
MR. WHITTEN, in response to Representative Armstrong's prior
question regarding the number of USPHS Commissioned Corps
officers assigned to duty stations in Alaska, reported that
there were currently 193, of which 50 percent were stationed in
rural areas of the state to provide healthcare to the
communities.
CHAIR SHAW introduced Sarah Tanja, former NOAA Commissioned
Corps officer.
3:46:58 PM
SARAH TANJA shared that her PFD application was denied in 2018
due to a period of absence from the state for more than 180
days. She said she appealed the decision and reached out to
Representative Story with a request to change the existing
statute by incorporating the uniformed services of the United
States instead of the armed services only. She shared her
personal background and work history within the uniformed
services. She offered, for the committee's clarification, that
"corpsman" was defined as medics in the uniformed services,
whereas "the NOAA Commissioned Corps" was a unit of officers.
She proceeded to recount the origins of the NOAA Commissioned
Corps. She discussed the NOAA Commissioned Corps role in Alaska
and outlined its various missions.
3:53:57 PM
CHAIR SHAW thanked Ms. Tanja for clarifying the definition of
"corpsman" versus "corps." He asked whether the administration
had taken an official position on the bill or had any comments
to share.
3:54:31 PM
GENEVIEVE WOJTUSIK, Director, Permanent Fund Dividend Division,
DOR, said the division was neutral on the proposed legislation.
3:54:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked how many Alaskans would be
impacted by the bill.
MS. WOJTUSIK did not know the answer.
3:55:18 PM
MR. WHITTEN noted, as a point of clarification, that neither
invited testifier maintained a residency of record in Alaska and
therefore, would not personally benefit from the bill if it were
to pass.
3:55:39 PM
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony on HB 25. After ascertaining
that no one wished to testify, he closed public testimony.
3:56:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE C. JOHNSON asked for the list of exemptions that
qualified a person to receive the dividend while being absent
from Alaska for longer than 180 days.
3:57:28 PM
SEAN IRELAND, Appeals Manager, Permanent Fund Dividend Division,
DOR, listed the following exemptions: full-time education;
active-duty members of the armed forces; merchant mariners;
people receiving continuous medical treatment; people receiving
critical life-threatening care; care-takers of a terminally-ill
family member; selling of an estate; members of Congress; staff
to members of Congress; state employees working in a field
office or other location; accompanying a minor; Peace Corps
volunteers; Olympic athletes; and participants in the U.S.
Department of State Fellowship.
3:59:26 PM
CHAIR SHAW announced that HB 25 would be held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 48 Supporting Document - Human Rights Commission Resolution 12-13-22.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 48 |
| HB0048A.PDF |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 48 |
| HB 48 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 48 |
| HB 48 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 48 |
| HB 25 Version A.PDF |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Research About NOAA Commissioned Officers Corps 1.25.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Research About USPHS Commissioned Corps 1.25.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Sectional Analysis 1.25.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Research NOAA Research Scientist Profiles 1.25.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Sponsor Statement 1.27.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 25 Invited Testimony List 1.28.2023.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB 48 - Sponsor Presentation.pdf |
HSTA 1/31/2023 3:00:00 PM |
HB 48 |