Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519
03/27/2023 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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 | |
| Amendments | |
| 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 |
HOUSE BILL NO. 39
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; making reappropriations; making
supplemental appropriations; making appropriations
under art. IX, sec. 17(c), Constitution of the State
of Alaska, from the constitutional budget reserve
fund; and providing for an effective date."
HOUSE BILL NO. 41
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
^AMENDMENTS
1:38:40 PM
Representative Coulombe MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 1 (copy
on file):
Agency: Administration
Appropriation: Centralized Admin. Services
Allocation: Personnel
Transaction Details
Title: Centralized Accommodation Program
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 100.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
100.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 100.0
Explanation
Per the Governor's Council on Disabilities and the
Work Matters Task Force, this amendment would
appropriate funding for Department of Administration
to create a Centralized Accommodation Program. The
State of Alaska operates a provisional basis that
after a 4-month trial period may convert to
Probationary Status.
The National Job Accommodation Network estimates that
accommodating an employee in this manner costs less
than $500. With the current labor crisis that the
State of Alaska is facing, this is an efficient way to
hire Alaskans to fulfill meaningful work in State
service without costly outside recruiting and
retention efforts.
This funding would also operate to accommodate
personal assistance services in the workplace for
qualifying State employees, further removing barriers
to employing Alaskans who are ready to work.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Coulombe explained the amendment. She
relayed that it would appropriate funding for the
Department of Administration (DOA) to create a centralized
accommodation program. The amendment would help people with
disabilities work for the state. The state was already
required to provide reasonable accommodations and
modifications, such as sign language interpreters. The
National Job and Accommodation Network (NJAN) estimated
that accommodating an employee with disabilities would cost
less than $500. The amendment would establish a fund to
make it easier for managers to access money to make
reasonable accommodations and encourage individuals with
disabilities to work.
Co-Chair Johnson noted that all committee members were
present.
Representative Coulombe added that there was significant
public testimony in support of the amendment.
Co-Chair Foster WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment N 1 was
ADOPTED.
1:41:51 PM
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 2 and Amendment N
3 were duplicates.
Representative Josephson WITHDREW Amendment N 2 (copy on
file).
Representative Hannan WITHDREW Amendment N 3 and Amendment
N 4 (copies on file).
1:42:45 PM
Representative Hannan MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 5 (copy on
file):
Agency: Administration
Appropriation: Public Communications Services
Allocation: Public Broadcasting - Radio
Transaction Details
Title: Rural Public Radio Intent Language
Wordage Type: Intent
Linkage: Allocation - Public Broadcasting - Radio
Wordage
It is the intent of the legislature that the
Department of Administration allocate funds for public
radio grants to rural stations whose broadcast
coverage areas serve 20,000 people or less.
Explanation
Public radio stations represent 11 out of the State
Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan's 22 "Local Primary
Stations," which are the primary source of EAS
information in their region. All 11 are rural
stations. Thus, it is important that the limited
funding for public radio be focused on rural stations.
Agency: Administration
Appropriation: Public Communications Services
Allocation: Public Broadcasting - Radio
Transaction Details
Title: Rural Public Radio Funding
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 1,500.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
1,500.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 1,500.0
Explanation
This amendment provides funding for the Public
Broadcasting radio system in the least populated areas
of the state. Public radio stations represent 11 out
of the State Emergency Alert System (EAS) Plan's 22
"Local Primary Stations," which are the primary source
of EAS information in their region. All 11 are rural
stations. This amendment recognizes that while we may
not be able to restore public broadcasting funding in
all areas of the state, the legislature can take
action to ensure that residents in some of our most
remote areas are able to maintain access to our
Emergency Alert System as well as other benefits of
public radio.
Representative Stapp OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Hannan explained that the amendment would
add $1.5 million for rural public radio and would include
specific intent language to address the fact that rural
radio acted as emergency broadcast systems. The State
Emergency Alert System (EAS) plan called for emergencies to
be broadcast across the public broadcast system. Up until
FY 20, the state provided $3.4 million per year for public
communications and a little over $2 million was directly
allocated to radio. Many stations were at risk of becoming
nonoperational due to lack of funding. There was
significant concern that vast swaths of Alaska would not
have direct EAS access without public radio stations.
1:44:45 PM
Representative Cronk MOVED to ADOPT conceptual Amendment 1
to Amendment N 5 to reduce $1.5 million to $1 million.
There being NO OBJECTION, conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment N 5 was ADOPTED.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 5 as amended was
before the committee.
Representative Stapp WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment N 5 was ADOPTED
as amended.
1:46:32 PM
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 6 (copy on
file):
Agency: Commerce, Community & Econ Dev
Appropriation: Corp, Bus & Prof Licensing
Allocation: Corp, Bus & Prof Licensing
Transaction Details
Title: Reverse Fund Change to Offset
Investigative Costs with General Funds
Section: Section 1
Type: FndChg
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
0.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -2,220.0
1156 Rcpt Svcs 2,220.0
Explanation
The amendment reverses the proposed fund change of
receipt services for Unrestricted General Funds within
the Division of Corporations, Business, and
Professional Licensing. The proposed funding was
intended to reduce the volatility of investigative
costs on licensees under CBPL's purview. This
amendment restores receipt services as the funding
source, saving $2.2 million in UGF.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that her staff would explain
Amendment N 6. She commented that the licensing fees had
been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the amendment
would reduce the licensing fees.
1:47:49 PM
MATT GRUENING, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE DELENA JOHNSON,
explained that Amendment N 6 would involve a fund change to
offset investigative costs within the Division of
Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing (DCBPL)
[within the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development (DCCED)] with $2.2 million in unrestricted
general funds (UGF). He relayed that professional licensing
programs experienced volatility in investigative costs
which created corresponding adjustments and licensing fees.
Between 2021 and 2023, the legislature made three one-time
appropriations to offset licensing program deficits created
by SB 241 [passed in 2020 to reduce licensing fees during
the pandemic]. The fund swap of $2.2 million from UGF to
receipt services was intended to supplant the three-year
average investigative costs that would otherwise be paid
through license receipts. The amendment would align with
statute and recognize the state's current fiscal situation
by reverting back to receipt services as the fund source
rather than adding a permanent $2.2 million increment to
the base budget.
1:49:18 PM
Representative Josephson asked whether nurses, engineers,
and individuals in other licensed professions paid
licensing fees between 2020 and 2022.
Mr. Gruening responded that there was a freeze in the
increase to licensing fees. Changes in investigative costs
needed to be reflected in increased or decreased licensing
fees to maintain balance. The costs were volatile because
it was based off a three-year running average. Depending on
investigations, the fees increased or decreased. Prior to
SB 241, the division set licensing fees based on the
overall cost of regulating the licensures.
Representative Hannan understood that some licensing fees
were compensated through COVID-19 relief funds. She
wondered whether there would be enough money to fund the
investigations that were anticipated to occur in the
upcoming fiscal year.
Mr. Gruening responded that the fees would need to be
increased if the amendment were to pass.
Representative Josephson thought that the amendment was
meritorious. He asked if the funds from licensing fees
could be swept.
Mr. Gruening suggested that the Legislative Finance
Division (LFD) respond to the question.
1:52:35 PM
ROB CARPENTER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE FINANCE
DIVISION, responded that the funds would not be sweepable.
Co-Chair Foster WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment N 6 was
ADOPTED.
1:53:39 PM
Representative Hannan MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 7 (copy on
file):
Agency: Commerce, Community & Econ Dev
Appropriation: AK Gasline Development Corp
Allocation: AK Gasline Development Corp
Transaction Details
Title: Alaska Gasline Development Corporation
Section: Section 1
Type: Dec
Line Items
Personal Services: -1,887.1
Travel: -47.6
Services: -1,111.4
Commodities: -40.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-3,086.1
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 12
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -3,086.1
Explanation
In the past decade there have been more than $176
million deposited into the Alaska LNG Project Fund.
With those millions now projected to be fully
exhausted by July 1 of this year, we still have no gas
pipeline from the North Slope to tidewater.
AGDC now asks for more than $3 million in General Fund
dollars to keep their efforts limping along through
FY24.
The purpose of this amendment is to prevent the state
from throwing good money after bad on an uneconomical
project that runs contrary to national clean energy
policies.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Hannan explained that the amendment would
delete the $3 million request by Alaska Gasline Development
Corporation (AGDC) to fund its staffing. The state had
spent over $176 million on the Alaska Liquified Natural Gas
(AKLNG) fund and the dollars were expected to be fully
exhausted by July 1, 2023, and there was still no gasline
from the North Slope to tidewater. The purpose of the
amendment was to prevent the state from "throwing good
money after bad" on an uneconomical project that ran
contrary to national clean energy policies.
Co-Chair Edgmon commented that the counter to the amendment
was that AKLNG had done a lot of work and had advanced its
permitting. He did not think the state had progressed
enough to warrant ceasing funding. He thought that the $3
million should be advanced and suggested that the committee
oppose the amendment.
Representative Stapp spoke in opposition to Amendment N 7.
Many individuals in his district in Fairbanks used heating
oil to heat their homes. He thought that the Biden
Administration had done a lot of work in developing AKLNG.
He agreed that the state should not be spending unwisely,
but he thought that it was too early to cease the funding.
Representative Hannan WITHDREW Amendment N 7.
1:58:03 PM
AT EASE
1:59:12 PM
RECONVENED
1:59:17 PM
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 8 (copy on
file):
Agency: Commerce, Community & Econ Dev
Appropriation: Alaska Seafood Marketing Inst
Allocation: Alaska Seafood Marketing Inst
Transaction Details
Title: General Fund Support for Seafood Marketing
to Replace Federal Funds
Section: Section 1
Type: lncOTI
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,500.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
2,500.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 2,500.0
Explanation
Agency: Commerce, Community & Econ Dev
Appropriation: Alaska Seafood Marketing Inst
Allocation: Alaska Seafood Marketing Inst
Transaction Details
Title: Delete One-Time Increment of General Funds
Section: Section 1
Type: Dec
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: -5,000.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-5,000.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -5,000.0
Explanation
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute {ASMI) has not
received general fund support since FY18. Given the
current fiscal situation and revenue forecast, the $5
million One-Time Increment is being reduced to $2.5
million in this amendment.
Representative Josephson OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Johnson read the explanation section in the
amendment. She explained that it would reduce the one-time
increment of $5 million to the Alaska Seafood Marketing
Institute (ASMI) to $2 million.
Representative Ortiz asked for clarification on whether
there was an objection to the amendment.
Co-Chair Johnson responded in the affirmative.
Representative Ortiz spoke in opposition to the amendment.
He thought ASMI had been building the Alaska seafood brand
around the country and the world. With the onset of more
mariculture projects and the effort to continue to market
AK seafood products as being top quality, the $5 million
would be money well spent.
2:01:33 PM
Representative Josephson MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Johnson,
Foster
OPPOSED: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Edgmon
The MOTION PASSED (6/5). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment N 8 was ADOPTED.
2:02:39 PM
Representative Tomaszewski MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 9
(copy on file):
Agency: Corrections
Appropriation: Administration and Support
Allocation: Office of the Commissioner
Transaction Details
Title: Delete Vacant Deputy Commissioner Position
Section: Section 1
Type: Dec
Line Items
Personal Services: -175.8
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-175.8
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: -1
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -175.8
Explanation
DOC Deputy Commissioner position has been vacant for
three years. Associated general fund amount should be
removed.
Representative Josephson OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Tomaszewski explained he had received a list
of positions that had been vacant for over one year and the
Department of Corrections' (DOC) deputy commissioner
position was on the list. The list indicated that the
commissioner position had been vacant for three years, but
he recently learned that it was filled.
Representative Tomaszewski WITHDREW Amendment N 9.
Co-Chair Johnson commented that there were many positions
that were thought to be vacant but were filled. She relayed
that Amendments N 10, N 11, N 12, and N 13 dealing with
vacant positions would be rolled to the bottom of the list.
2:05:27 PM
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 14 (copy on
file):
Education Support and Admin Services
Student and School Achievement
GA 3/7 - Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program
Partnership
Trans: Inc
Total Expenditure: 4,000.0
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 4,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 0
PPT 0
TMP 0
Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP)
high school students can go from ninth grade to
baccalaureate degrees in five years. The ANSEP started
in 1995 as a scholarship program for university
students and has since evolved into a sequential
education model that provides a continuous string of
components beginning with students in kindergarten and
continuing through middle and high school, into
science, engineering, and business undergraduate and
graduate degree programs through to doctoral degrees.
There are approximately 3,000 ANSEP elementary. middle
school. high school, and university students in more
than 100 Alaskan communities. The program continues to
expand every year and will add 650 new middle school
students in the current academic year.
The ANSEP components include Kindergarten to Fifth
Grade Academy, Middle School Academy, Acceleration
Academy High School, University Success, Graduate
Success, and Grow Our Own PhD. The ANSEP high schools
are in Anchorage, Palmer, Bethel, and Kotzebue with
additional schools starting up in Dillingham and
Juneau. A residential high school has started up on
the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) campus.
Students without access to one of these locations come
to Anchorage during the summer and take the course
work they need so that they do not require remediation
when they start college. The ANSEP's goal is to
provide an excellent education and a life of unlimited
possibilities for every Alaskan. Students at each
education level benefit from the inspiration,
guidance. and opportunity the program provides. With
ANSEP, more students are successful, fewer students
drop out, and remediation is eliminated.
The ANSEP received $9.5 million of federal COVID
relief funds through the Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED) to assist with expansion and
institutionalization of the program. This $4 million
increase, in addition to the $1 million requested in
the FY2024 Governor's budget, for a total of $5
million to ANSEP, will provide additional funding
stream to support the Acceleration Academy High School
expansion.
Supporting and maintaining this program meets DEED's
mission and several of the goals from Alaska's
Education Challenge.
1004 Gen Fund (UGF) 4,000.0
GA 3/7 - Alaska Resource Education Grant
Trans: IncOTI
Total Expenditure: 1,000.0
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 1,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 0
PPT 0
TMP 0
The Alaska Resource Education's (ARE) mission is to
educate students about Alaska's resources. The ARE
provides statewide educational opportunities to
students and teachers and distributes primary
education curriculum that meets the Alaska State
Science Standards for the greatest ease of use and
accessibility for educators.
The ARE's curriculum is crafted to ignite, inspire,
and educate students about Alaska's resources. The
lessons are designed to spark an interest and
encourage students to explore careers in Alaska's
resource industry. Lessons span ages K-12 and are
focused on the areas of energy, mining, and forestry.
Founded in 1982, ARE is funded through state.
corporate, and individual donations. The 501(c)(3)
educational nonprofit is a partnership between the
State of Alaska Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED) and private companies engaged in
the resource industry.
This $1 million funding will provide a steady stream
of funding to support ARE grow1h going forward.
Supporting and maintaining this program meets DEED's
mission and several of the goals from Alaska's
Education Challenge.
1004 Gen Fund (UGF) 1.000.0
Education Support and Admin Services {continued)
Student and School Achievement (continued)
GA 3/7 - Career and Technical Education Incentive
Grants
Trans: Inc
Total Expenditure: 3,000.0
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 3,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 0
PPT 0
TMP 0
Incentive grants will be available to school districts
and centers across Alaska to promote Career and
Technical Education (GTE) opportunities that support
workforce development in high demand sectors that have
a direct benefit for Alaska, such as construction,
resource management, and skill trades. Grants will be
awarded to programs that offer opportunities to build
awareness, skills, and work-based learning experiences
for high school students.
1004 Gen Fund (UGF) 3,000.0
GA 3/7 - Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and
Certification Support (FY24-FY26)
Trans: Incl
Total Expenditure: 3,000.0
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 3,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 0
PPT 0
TMP 0
The Department of Education and Early Development will
use this funding to address on-going support for
teacher recruitment and retention efforts currently
being identified, as well as for the development of an
alternate certificate program in Alaska. The program
is intended to be reevaluated for efficiency after
three years.
1004 Gen Fund (UGF) 3,000.0
GA 3/7 - Alyeska Reading Academy and Institute
Trans: Inc
Total Expenditure: 5,000.0
Personal Services: 2,000.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,000.0
Commodities: 1,000.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 3,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 12
PPT 0
TMP 0
The Alyeska Reading Academy and Institute (ARAI) will
be designed to: 1) provide high quality reading
instruction through the Science of Reading to
kindergarten through third grade students in a model
school setting; and 2) provide a highly effective
school setting for Science of Reading instruction to
seive as a model for professional development in the
Stale of Alaska.
The ARAI will be a culturally relevant, K-3 Alaska
public school serving students, families, and
educators. The ARAI's focus is to provide Science of
Reading instruction using highly trained teachers and
reading coaches to underseived students. Educators
from around the state will have a year-round
opportunity to receive hands-on training and practice
in teaching reading while earning micro-credentials,
certification, and endorsements.
The ARAI would start during the 2023-2024 school year
and serve 20-25 students in each grade, K-3, for up to
100 students total
1004 Gen Fund (UGF) 5,000.0
Allocation Total
Total Expenditure: 16,000.0
Personal Services: 2,000.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,000.0
Commodities: 1,000.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 11,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 12
PPT 0
TMP 0
Appropriation Total
Total Expenditure: 16,000.0
Personal Services: 2,000.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,000.0
Commodities: 1,000.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 11,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 12
PPT 0
TMP 0
Agency Total
Total Expenditure: 16,000.0
Personal Services: 2,000.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,000.0
Commodities: 1,000.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 11,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 12
PPT 0
TMP 0
All Agencies Total
Total Expenditure: 16,000.0
Personal Services: 2,000.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 2,000.0
Commodities: 1,000.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 11,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
PFT 12
PPT 0
TMP 0
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Johnson explained that Amendment N 14 contained
additional amendments that were brought forward by the
governor. She was offering the amendments on behalf of the
governor. The amendment included a $4 million increment for
the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP),
a $1 million one-time increment for the Alaska Resource
Education grant, a $3 million increment for the Career and
Technical Education grants, a $3 million temporary
increment for teacher recruitment and certification, and a
$5 million increment for the Alyeska Reading Academy and
Institute. The total cost was $16 million.
2:06:34 PM
Representative Josephson MOVED to ADOPT conceptual
Amendment 1 to Amendment N 14 to delete the $1 million one-
time increment for the Alaska Resource Education grant.
2:06:45 PM
Representative Tomaszewski OBJECTED.
Representative Josephson thought the grant was in the
capital budget. He understood that the Resource Development
Council typically funded the grant. He did not think it was
the role of the government to spend $1 million to promote
resource development to a kindergarten through twelfth
grade audience.
Representative Hannan asked if there were any testifiers
available that could provide additional information. She
wanted to know what the grant had been for the last few
fiscal years. She wondered if the state had allocated UGF
to the grant in the past.
Co-Chair Johnson asked the Office and Management and Budget
(OMB) to comment.
NEIL STEININGER, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET,
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, thought a member of the Department
of Education and Early Development (DEED) would be able to
answer the questions more thoroughly. He shared that there
had been some smaller grants from the state in prior years,
but he was not sure of the dollar value of the grants.
Co-Chair Johnson asked Representative Hannan if her
question had been answered.
Representative Hannan responded that her question had not
been answered but she anticipated that she would be
supportive of conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment N 14
proposed by Representative Josephson. She was hesitant to
allocate money that would sustain an educational entity but
would not reach any more students in educational goals.
2:10:44 PM
Representative Stapp spoke in opposition to conceptual
Amendment 1 to Amendment N 14. He did not understand the
argument made by Representative Josephson. He relayed that
the state derived the majority of its revenue through
resource development.
Co-Chair Johnson noted that Representative Jesse Sumner
had joined the meeting.
Representative Cronk thought it was important that kids
knew where the state's money came from. He thought there
were opportunities in rural Alaska for legacy projects and
it was important to ensure that kids were knowledgeable and
ready for resource development jobs.
Representative Josephson commented that he was confident
that the pedagogy of the educational program would not
indicate the impact on the climate associated with resource
development. He thought it was promotional material and not
a balanced perspective to provide to children.
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
2:14:01 PM
Co-Chair Johnson clarified that the roll call vote would be
on conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment N 14.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Tomaszewski, Galvin, Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp,
Edgmon, Foster, Johnson
The MOTION FAILED (3/8).
2:15:09 PM
Co-Chair Johnson noted that Amendment N 14 was before the
committee.
Representative Ortiz asked Mr. Steininger to provide more
details on the amendment. The amendment indicated that DEED
would use a $3 million appropriation to support ongoing
teacher recruitment and retention efforts and the
development of an alternative certificate program. He asked
for more information on how the funds would be used to
support the efforts. He was not certain what DEED could do
to help retain teachers in local school districts. He was
also curious about the details of the alternative
certificate program.
Mr. Steininger deferred the question to DEED.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that she would generally like to
avoid involving the departments due to the busy agenda of
the meeting.
2:18:26 PM
LACEY SANDERS, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPTARTMENT OF
EDUCATION (via teleconference), responded that DEED had
been working with the teacher recruitment and retention
workgroup to implement the findings of the workgroup's
study. One of the recommendations was to work on alternate
pathways for teachers, such as training administrative
staff in rural communities to become certified teachers.
The department was devising strategies to enable more
people in rural communities to become teachers.
Representative Ortiz asked Ms. Sanders for detail about
retention efforts. He asked what portion of the $3 million
allocation would support teacher retention.
Ms. Sanders responded that there was not a defined
breakdown as far as which funds would be allocated to which
effort. She emphasized that the department was continuing
to collaborate with the workgroup to develop a plan. The
final recommendation report from the workgroup was set to
be referred to DEED by August of 2023, at which point there
would be a more formulaic plan on how the money would be
spent.
Representative Ortiz understood that the $3 million was
intended to promote the development of a plan to help
recruit and retain teachers and potentially provide
alternative certificates. He asked if his understanding was
correct.
Ms. Sanders responded that the funding was not intended to
develop a plan. The plan was already being put into place
by the workgroup. She explained that the $3 million would
facilitate forward momentum on the items in the plan.
Representative Ortiz asked for a summary of what was
included in the existing plan.
Ms. Sanders responded that if there were changes that could
be made in the area of teacher certification that lifted
restrictions, the department would implement the changes.
The department was working on requests for information
(RFI) to examine the federal requirements for registered
apprenticeship programs in the state. The state had also
been evaluating similar programs in other states for ideas
that might make sense to implement in Alaska.
2:23:31 PM
Representative Hannan asked Ms. Sanders about an existing
program at DEED for alternative certification which
supported non-certification staff in village schools, such
as peer educators, secretaries, and other support staff.
She asked if the money would assist individuals in the
existing program or if it was a new and different program
and would be stood up in a different way.
Ms. Sanders responded that the funding was for the
department to implement the alternative pathway for
administrative staff to become certified.
Representative Hannan asked how much money had already been
put towards the program.
Ms. Sanders responded that there was currently no funding
in the budget for the program. The funding would allow the
department to move forward with the concept. The RFI would
determine how much the program would cost the department
and the $3 million was a package that would address
multiple items that the workgroup had identified. She did
not have an exact dollar amount.
2:25:46 PM
Representative Galvin asked Ms. Sanders for more
information about the $5 million allocation for ARAI. She
understood that the allocation would fund an opportunity
for around 80 students.
Ms. Sanders responded that the money would go towards 20 to
25 students in each grade for a total of up to 100
students.
Representative Galvin asked if the breakdown was $50,000
per student.
Ms. Sanders responded that there were multiple costs and
multiple pieces to the increment before the committee. Up
to 100 students would be served and there were teachers
that were not included in the number who would be served as
well. Additionally, there were 12 new staff positions that
would be established within the reading academy.
Representative Galvin asked if the total number of students
initially impacted by the program would be 100 students for
a cost of $5 million.
Ms. Sanders responded in the affirmative and added that
teachers across the state would be participating and
receiving instruction on the science of reading.
2:28:16 PM
Representative Coulombe MOVED to ADOPT conceptual Amendment
2 to Amendment N 14 to move the $4 million from ANSEP to
the higher education fund.
Co-Chair Johnson OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Coulombe relayed that she supported
education but thought that $16 million from UGF was a
significant request. The purpose of the conceptual
amendment was to "cushion the blow" to UGF.
Representative Josephson thought that the conceptual
amendment was well intentioned; however, the higher
education fund seemed to be the go-to source for funding.
The state had already lost about $50 million from the
higher education fund and he did not want to broaden the
purpose of the fund.
Representative Galvin wondered if there was a way to learn
the degree to which the higher education fund had been
impacted.
Co-Chair Johnson asked Mr. Alexei Painter to respond to the
question.
2:30:47 PM
ALEXEI PAINTER, DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE FINANCE DIVISION
responded that a proposed $24.6 million would be taken from
the higher education fund for FY 24.
Representative Galvin asked Mr. Painter how much money was
left in the fund.
Mr. Painter responded that the fund had $358.6 million as
the end of February of 2023. Statute dictated that 7
percent of the fund could be spent on scholarships every
year. He was not certain how much had been spent on
scholarships as of the present day.
Representative Galvin wanted to ensure that the funds would
be available for those who had signed up through the
governor's scholarship program. There had been some
questions in the past about whether the state had been
properly funding the scholarships and she did not want to
add to the uncertainty.
Mr. Painter responded that regardless of the 7 percent, the
fund was projected to earn 5.6 percent per year and the $24
million would be in excess of the earnings. The loss in the
fund's value was due to investment losses in 2022.
Representative Stapp understood that the investment losses
were due to the rate of return of the fund. He asked Mr.
Painter to detail a three-year or five-year average of the
fund. He asked if he could be certain that the fund was not
being overdrawn if there were investment losses.
Mr. Painter responded that the projected forward-looking
investment returns were 5.6 percent per year. He was not
certain what the returns were during the last three years
because it had been especially volatile.
Co-Chair Edgmon stated that he opposed the amendment
because he felt that the state was at the intersection of
policy and budget.
Representative Coulombe WITHDREW conceptual Amendment 2 to
Amendment N 14.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 14 was before the
committee. She asked if there were any final remarks on the
amendment.
Representative Josephson was concerned about the alternate
certificate program. He shared that when he was a teacher,
he spent a significant amount of time becoming certified
and after graduation, he was required to take six
additional credits each year to continue to renew his
teaching certificate. He thought the amendment would reduce
the standards rather than fixing the problem. He did not
think reducing standards was fair to Alaska and he was
opposed to the amendment.
2:37:05 PM
AT EASE
2:37:59 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson asked if there were additional comments on
the amendment.
Representative Tomaszewski emphasized the importance of
reading. The funding would help kindergarten through third
grade students and he thought the state needed to improve
the educational outcomes of its children.
2:38:49 PM
Representative Tomaszewski MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski,
Johnson, Foster, Edgmon
OPPOSED: Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
The MOTION PASSED (8/3). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment N 14 was ADOPTED.
2:39:58 PM
Representative Coulombe MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 15 (copy
on file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Student and School Achievement
Transaction Details
Title: Add Two Education Specialist 2 Positions as
Cultural Reading Specialists
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 258.8
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
258.8
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 2
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 258.8
Explanation
Add two Cultural Reading Specialist Positions, which
are necessary to assist rural and urban Alaska school
districts in teaching students reading skills and
proficiency for whom English may be a second language.
These positions support the successful implementation
of the Alaska Reads Act.
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Student and School Achievement
Transaction Details
Title: Delete Two Education Specialist 2 Positions
Section: Section 1
Type: Dec
Line Items
Personal Services: -258.8
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-258.8
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: -2
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -258.8
Explanation
Change these two positions to Cultural Reading
Specialist Positions, which are necessary to assist
rural and urban Alaska school districts in teaching
students reading skills and proficiency for whom
English may be a second language.
Representative Stapp OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to divide the question between the
two items.
Representative Coulombe OBJECTED.
Representative Hannan was uncertain as to which question
was being divided.
Co-Chair Johnson responded that the question would be
divided between the deletion of two Education Specialist 2
positions and the addition of two Education Specialist 2 as
Cultural Reading Specialists positions.
Representative Coulombe was opposed to dividing the
question. She relayed that she had originally added two
standard Education Specialist 2 positions, but the rural
legislators had told her that adding two Cultural Reading
Specialist positions would be more beneficial. She
clarified that there was no transfer of money, but simply a
change in specialty.
Co-Chair Johnson asked Representative Coulombe to restrict
her comments to the division of the question.
Representative Coulombe responded that she had been
speaking to the division of the question. She did not want
to divide the two items because the items were inextricably
linked. She thought that if the question were divided, the
two positions could be deleted and not replaced with other
positions.
2:41:58 PM
Representative Coulombe MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion to divide the
question.
IN FAVOR: Johnson, Edgmon, Foster
OPPOSED: Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp,
Tomaszewski, Galvin
The MOTION to divide the question FAILED (8/3).
2:43:05 PM
AT EASE
2:52:46 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 15 would be
rolled to the bottom of the list.
Representative Coulombe WITHDREW Amendment N 15.
2:53:49 PM
Representative Galvin MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 16 (copy
on file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Student and School Achievement
Transaction Details
Title: Restore Review Panel for Alaska Reads Act
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 35.0
Services: 150.0
Commodities: 200.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
385.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 385.0
Explanation
HB114 made a statutory requirement for DEED to convene
with school districts and subject experts in reading
end elementary education. This convening is intended
to give state administrators the opportunity to listen
to community concerns and strategize solutions for the
ongoing implementation of the Alaska Reads Act. This
restores funding as requested by the Governor's
budget.
Representative Cronk OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Galvin explained the amendment and noted
that the content was originally part of the Alaska Reads
Act (ARA). She presumed that the reason the content was
pulled from ARA was that there was not a sufficient
understanding of the requirement and the proposed
allocation of the money. The panel created by the amendment
was required to collectively represent the regions of the
state and include teachers of grades one through three,
school administers, stakeholders from indigenous language
immersion programs, representatives from early education
stakeholder groups, and researchers of best practice for
improving literacy performance. She thought the panel would
be one of the first instances in which funding had been
allocated to accountability. The panel would include an
evaluator at a cost of $150,000 and other panel members
were included to represent rural Alaskans who could not
regularly join the meetings. The panel would be inclusive
of 35 members dedicated to literacy in children and the
funding would support the work of the panel. The plan was
for the panel to meet for the first time in April of 2023.
2:57:05 PM
Representative Coulombe remarked that she was the chair of
the Education and Early Development (EED) subcommittee and
the $385,000 was used to fund an additional reading
specialist position and cover some of the teacher
certification fees. The panel was expensive and ARA would
not have been implemented for long enough to draw any
substantial conclusions. She relayed that DEED would
organize the panel, but it would be more creative and
resourceful than the one proposed by the amendment.
Co-Chair Johnson understood that the money was reallocated
from the panel to fund additional reading specialist
positions. She thought the panel was a negotiated piece of
ARA and the money would fund two additional reading
specialists. She did not disagree with implementing the
panel, but she did not want to implement a panel that was
not properly funded.
Representative Josephson remarked that he had been in
opposition to the passage of ARA in May of 2022. He assumed
that the fiscal notes for FY 23 were already adopted. He
marveled at the fact that there had been a distinct goal
and the goal was already changing. He did not understand
the details thoroughly enough and would like there to be
more dialogue.
Representative Coulombe commented that her biggest concern
was the implementation of ARA. She thought that the
addition of more reading specialists would contribute to
ARA's success. She argued that the money should be
allocated towards implementation rather than spending
nearly $400,000 to talk about ARA. She offered reassurance
that DEED indicated that there would be a panel and it
would either be attached to a professional convention or on
a smaller scale. She would be open to revisiting the topic
in the next year, but presently she wanted to ensure that
resources were actively contributing to the success of ARA.
Co-Chair Edgmon agreed with the comments from both
Representative Coulombe and Representative Josephson. He
understood that ARA regulations would not be adopted until
April of 2023. He relayed that he was at a conference about
three weeks prior and the mantra at the conference was,
"we're building the airplane as we fly it." He liked the
amendment, but he thought it was before its time as ARA was
still in its infancy. He would not be supporting the
amendment.
3:03:19 PM
Representative Hannan was in support of the amendment.
There were a lot of concerns from a variety of communities
regarding ARA. A major concern was the legislature either
not funding the act to the proper policy level or not
including communities early enough to facilitate
understanding of the act. She liked that ARA was going to
require early discussions with school districts to speak
about multilingualism and the different ways districts
approached problems. She had liked that discussions were
meant to occur before districts built out a reading
program, hired reading specialists, and issued contracts.
She thought it was important to involve and consult with
communities to determine what was working and what was not.
Although she was not a strong advocate for ARA, if it was
going to be implemented then the legislature should uphold
the promises it made to communities that did not have many
specialist instructors. She argued that $385,000 was an
appropriate price to ensure that communities were
successful in implementing ARA. She would be supporting the
amendment.
Representative Ortiz remarked that much of his comments
were going to be similar to Representative Hannan's
comments. He did not vote for ARA because he thought it was
a well-intentioned but underfunded mandate. The community
engagement element of the act was critical in order for it
to succeed. He would be supporting the amendment.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that her biggest challenge with
the amendment was that she believed it was represented in a
fiscal note in ARA. The budget would increase by $258,000
for two additional reading specialists not requested by the
department. She did not want to be absolute on the issue
and ARA was wrought with compromise. She was concerned that
the original meaning of the act was being undone.
3:08:02 PM
Representative Cronk thought the amendment would be
premature until there were "boots on the ground." He argued
that if schools could be online then meetings could occur
online.
Representative Galvin commented that she learned about the
panel in the current year. She followed ARA a bit in the
prior year, but she tracked it closely this year. Changing
education outcomes was difficult and communities needed to
be involved. She relayed that conducting online meetings
with individuals in rural areas of the state was not a
reliable solution due to internet difficulties. She was
grateful that thought was put into the bill and was
proposing the amendment to reinstate the funds.
3:10:22 PM
Representative Cronk MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion to adopt Amendment
N 16.
IN FAVOR: Josephson, Ortiz, Hannan, Galvin
OPPOSED: Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION FAILED (4/7).
3:11:22 PM
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 17 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Student and School Achievement
Transaction Details
Title: Civics Education Coordinator Position and
Grant Funding
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 100.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 270.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
370.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 1
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 370.0
Explanation
This amendment would allow for the continuation and
expansion of three successful K-12 programs: We The
People, Alaska History Day, and Kids Voting North. The
increment would be split as follows: $100.0 for a
statewide coordinator position, $100.0 for the We the
People program, $100.0 for the Alaska History Day
program, and $70.0 for the Kids Voting program.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Ortiz explained that the amendment was an
increment of $370,000 in the name of civics education
programs that were already in existence. He relayed that
$100,000 would be allocated to a coordinator position
created by DEED, $100,000 would be allocated to support the
We the People program, $100,000 would support the Alaska
History Day program, and $70,000 would be allocated to the
Kids Voting program. He shared that the We the People
program had interactive and innovative curriculum involving
civic competence and responsibility, such as simulated
congressional hearings. Since the program's inception in
1987, over 30 million students had participated nationally.
The Alaska History Day program provided an education
experience that promoted research, critical thinking, and
presentations skills to over 500,000 high school students
every year. The Kids Voting program was dedicated to
promoting lifelong voting habits in children, increasing
family communication, and encouraging greater adult voter
turnout. The increment would provide stability and a higher
capacity across the state for the valuable programs.
3:13:12 PM
Representative Josephson asked what the catalyst was for
the amendment.
Representative Ortiz responded that he was offering the
amendment on behalf of a fellow legislator from Fairbanks,
Alaska.
3:13:40 PM
AT EASE
3:14:20 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson thought that SB 29 included the content of
Amendment N 17 in a fiscal note. She was not going to
support the amendment because SB 29 would be coming before
the committee and she would like to see it debated and
passed in the form of a bill rather than in the form of a
budgetary amendment.
Representative Hannan did not agree that SB 29 functioned
the same way as the amendment. She thought that SB 29
mandated that schools have a civics education program while
the programs included in the amendment were three specific
programs in which she had personally participated when she
was a teacher. Conversely, SB 29 required districts to
implement a comprehensive civics curriculum.
Co-Chair Johnson suggested that the committee might not
have all of the information.
3:16:29 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Josephson, Ortiz, Hannan, Galvin
OPPOSED: Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 17 FAILED (4/7).
3:17:29 PM
Representative Galvin MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 18 (copy
on file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Student and School Achievement
Transaction Details
Title: Alaska Excel Bridge Program Grant
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 500.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
500.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 500.0
Explanation
Alaska Excel is a Bridge Program that works with 11
school districts in Alaska:
Alaska Gateway School
Iditarod Area School District
Kashunamiut School District
Kuspuk School District
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Nenana City School District
North Slope Borough School District
Tanana City School District
Yukon Flats School District
Yupiit School District
Yukon-Koyukuk School District
They currently receive no state funding and provide
services for 900 students per academic year. Districts
send students to APU for 2-8 weeks.
They provide foundational support with life skills,
post-secondary education support, and job readiness
skills through partnerships students learn and acquire
certificates after learning about: aviation, law
enforcement, photography and laborer skills at
Northern Industrial Training.
Students also acquire life skills such as budgeting,
resume writing, mock interviews, acquiring a drivers
license and finding housing.
This program does have a waitlist and these funds
would allow this program to reach additional students
in grades 7-12.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Galvin explained the amendment came about
after a discussion with a colleague about the need for a
larger breadth within Alaska Excel Bridge Program (AEBP)
and the funding would be a complement to ANSEP. The bridge
program offered opportunities to students in rural Alaska
to be introduced to post-high school options. In 2014, the
Kuspuk School District had a graduation rate of 30 percent;
however, when AEBP opened its doors and offered options to
students that they had never been exposed to before, the
graduation rate increased to 75 percent in four years. The
program brought students to Anchorage, Alaska and the
students stayed at the Alaska Public University (APU)
campus. The students lived in an academic environment and
were given opportunities to learn life skills such as
driver's education and job training. In 2014, there were
fewer than 200 students in the program and in 2023 there
were about 900 students with 90 more students set to join
the program in the following weeks. The students learned
things from flying planes, driving "big rigs," to filling
out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A
particular GPA was not required to join the program. She
thought the amendment would help more Alaskans enter the
workforce.
3:21:16 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Josephson, Ortiz, Hannan, Galvin
OPPOSED: Coulombe, Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 18 FAILED (4/7).
3:22:23 PM
Co-Chair Edgmon MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 19 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Early Learning Coordination
Transaction Details
Title: Increment for Head Start Program to Provide
Grantees with Additional Matching Funds
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 4,965.3
Miscellaneous: 0.0
4,965.3
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 4,965.3
Explanation
This funding would support the Head Start program,
which promotes school readiness by serving children up
to the age of 5 from low-income families by supporting
the development of the child through comprehensive
services such as health, nutrition, and parent
involvement. Head Start children transition to
kindergarten with increased literacy, math, and social
skills, which is assessed three times per year through
Teaching Strategies Gold for the Department of
Education & Early Development (DEED). Matching funds
provided through the State of Alaska are to guarantee
that grantees meet federal match requirements of 20%
of total Head Start funding. In the last ten years,
the State's contribution to the program has declined
to the current 12% state match. Currently, the non-
federal match requirement is partially covered by
state funds and supplemented through ACF waivers and
in-kind donations. This increment would increase the
State's contribution to provide the 20% non-federal
match requirement.
Agency: Environmental Conservation
Appropriation: Assumption of 404 Program
Allocation: Assumption of 404 Program
Transaction Details
Title: Delete Funding and Positions Associated with
Assumption of 404 Program Grantees with Additional
Matching Funds
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: -3,487.5
Travel: -124.8
Services: -1,129.0
Commodities: -224.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-4,965.3
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: -28
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 4,965.3
Explanation
Given the State's current fiscal situation, revenue
forecast, and unknown costs associated with 404
primacy assumption, it is inadvisable to add 28
positions for this function.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Edgmon explained that the amendment would fund the
Head Start Program by transferring $5 million from a
program that was yet to be established called the 404
Primacy Program. He understood that there was some
controversy attached to the amendment because individuals
wanted to see the 404 Primacy Program come to fruition.
There was an indeterminate fiscal note and it was unclear
how much the 404 program would cost.
Co-Chair Edgmon remarked that in contrast, Head Start had
been in place in the state for many years and successfully
helped support low income families and children ages zero
to five. He thought the track record of the program spoke
for itself. The program's viability had been slowly
undercut by the state's declining support for it. The
program provided up to 20 percent of the federal match ten
years ago, but it presently only provided 12 percent. The
grantees across the state had to "cobble together" the
state match and as a result, the grantees' participation
and ability to do their job was being undercut. There was
under enrollment in some of the programs as a direct result
of declining resources. He proposed that the swap of funds
in the amendment was more than warranted. He hoped that he
could appeal to members to postpone addressing 404 primacy
and instead support Head Start.
3:26:27 PM
Representative Stapp was in opposition to the amendment;
however, he thought Head Start would be a worthy recipient
of the funds if the amendment were to pass. He was in favor
of maintaining the funds for primacy.
Co-Chair Foster supported the amendment due to the Head
Start component. The funds would be contributing to early
childhood development but would also help parents who
needed child care. Facility construction for Head Start was
100 percent covered by the federal government which would
promote new jobs. He reiterated that there was a required
20 percent state match which meant that the federal
government provided 80 percent of the funding. He was a
strong supporter of Head Start and would be supporting the
amendment.
Representative Cronk opposed the amendment because he
believed in primacy and private business; however, he also
supported Head Start and would not be disappointed if the
amendment passed.
Representative Tomaszewski agreed with Representative Stapp
that the private market would benefit from 404 primacy. He
asked how much funding Head Start currently received due to
a fund match. He wondered if the proposed $5 million
increment would bring the state match up to 20 percent. He
asked if the program currently had a minimum of $25 million
in it or if the total was higher because the amendment
would provide additional matching funds.
Co-Chair Edgmon responded that that the proposed funding in
the amendment would bring the program up to the 20 percent
fund matching threshold. He would need to look into the
first question and follow up with Representative
Tomaszewski.
Representative Tomaszewski was amenable to receiving the
information at a later date.
3:31:22 PM
An objection was MAINTAINED.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Foster, Edgmon
OPPOSED: Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Co-Chair
Johnson
The MOTION PASSED (6/5). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment N 19 was ADOPTED.
3:32:30 PM
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 20 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Early Learning Coordination
Transaction Details
Title: Remove Additional Funding for Best
Beginnings Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Section: Section 1
Type: Dec
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: -320.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
-320.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund -320.0
Explanation
Best Beginnings is funded in the base budget with
$320,000, which has been consistent since FY16. This
amendment reverses the $320,000 increment added in
subcommittee, which represented a 100% increase in
funding, as the additional amount is unnecessary to
maintain current levels of service.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Johnson explained that the Dolly Parton
Imagination Library had been consistently funded at
$320,000 since FY 16. The funding had been doubled in the
EED subcommittee. She relayed that the amendment would
return to funding to the historical amount of $320,000.
3:33:53 PM
Representative Ortiz commented that the previous
legislature had strongly emphasized the importance of
promoting pre-kindergarten and lower elementary aged
students in order to ensure that the students would be
reading by the third grade. He understood that literacy by
the third grade was the goal of ARA, but the goal would not
be achieved without investment. The funding was doubled to
directly support the goal of literacy. The program was well
established and well used by both public school students
and alternative education students. The funding was
intended to support the goal with money and not just with
words. He was in opposition to the amendment.
Representative Hannan spoke in opposition to the amendment
and in support of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The
library offered age appropriate books to every child that
subscribed. She thought the program was effective and
wished that every child in Alaska would enroll in the
program.
3:37:01 PM
Representative Galvin relayed that there was a longitudinal
study completed in 2020 on the impacts of the imagination
library. Presently, 70 percent of five-year-olds were one
to two years behind upon beginning kindergarten. The 2020
study showed that the impacts of the library on children
were extremely positive. When more funding was allocated to
the library, over 48,000 children in the state were
enrolled. The number had dwindled to 13,000 participants
due to lack of funds. She thought the impact of the library
directly correlated with the governor's goal to ensure that
the children in the state were ready to read by the third
grade. The program cost was around $30 per child and it
would be an investment of about $1.5 million if every child
in the state were to join. Any funding increase would allow
the program to be restored in areas where the program had
been previously discontinued and increase enrollment in
existing program areas. She thought the funding was one of
the key pieces of the puzzle in making sure children could
read. The program distributed books to individual homes and
offered a teaching tool on how to read to children.
3:40:10 PM
Representative Cronk asked Representative Galvin if the
cost of the program was $30 per child per year.
Representative Galvin responded in the affirmative. There
were roughly 50,000 children from age zero to five in the
state and it was calculated that $1.5 million would cover
the entire state.
Representative Cronk asked if individuals could enroll in
the program independently.
Representative Galvin responded that an individual could
donate to Best Beginnings. She assumed that an individual
could also enroll in the program independently.
Representative Cronk thought it seemed like a program
worthy of donation.
Representative Galvin thought it was an important
partnership between public and private entities.
Co-Chair Edgmon commented that the amendment presented a
tough choice for him and he was struggling to know how he
should vote. He hoped that the budget would get "rest"
sometime in the future if it were to pass.
3:42:13 PM
Co-Chair Johnson commented that the amendment was returning
the program to historic funding levels. She argued that it
was unnecessary to maintain the current levels of service
and it was unwise given the state's current fiscal
situation. She did not think doubling state funding for the
library was justified but she did support the program. She
emphasized that the amendment would not change the base
funding or current rate of funding to the library.
3:43:19 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
OPPOSED: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
The MOTION PASSED (7/4). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment N 20 was ADOPTED.
3:44:28 PM
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 21 (copy on file)
had been WITHDRAWN.
Co-Chair Johnson announced that the committee would take a
brief break.
3:45:00 PM
AT EASE
4:06:53 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 22 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Education Support and Admin
Allocation: Early Learning Coordination
Transaction Details
Title: Parents as Teachers
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 750.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
750.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 750.0
Explanation
Increase for Parents as Teachers (PAT) program to meet
waitlist needs and to support this child abuse and
neglect prevention program.
It is estimated in a 2020 MIECHV Needs Assessment that
only 36% of Alaska's at-risk families receive home
visiting services. There are an estimated 4,952 at-
risk families across Alaska that could benefit from
PAT, yet PAT funding through DEED is only set to serve
149 families (with an additional 50 families funded
through OCS). This increment would increase PAT's
capacity for more outreach and additional families
served.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Ortiz explained that the amendment was a
$750,000 increment to increase the ability for the Parents
as Teachers (PAT) program to meet its waitlist needs and
support the program. He relayed that PAT was a program to
build parenting skills and teach about optimal childhood
learning and prevent child abuse and neglect. He noted that
it was estimated that only 36 percent of Alaska's at-risk
families received home visiting services such as PAT. There
were an estimated 4,952 at-risk families across the state
that could benefit from PAT, yet the funding through DEED
would only support 149 families. The amendment would
support reading-readiness for kids as well as kindergarten-
readiness. The amendment would contribute to the overall
goals of ARA and was in support of the overall goal of
literacy in children.
Representative Galvin supported the amendment. She had been
advocating for vulnerable families for a substantial period
of time and PAT was one of the programs with the strongest
outcomes in the state. Focusing on vulnerable families by
providing resources for their children made a difference.
Parents were given opportunities to learn how to better
engage with their children through the program. A highlight
of the program was that specialists could help connect
families to the right resource to get their children back
on track as soon as possible.
4:11:06 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 22 FAILED (4/7).
4:12:06 PM
Representative Ortiz WITHDREW Amendment N 23 (copy on file)
and Amendment N 24 (copy on file).
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 25 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Libraries, Archives & Museums
Allocation: Library Operations
Transaction Details
Title: Restore Library Operations Funding
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 402.7
Miscellaneous: 0.0
402.7
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 402.7
Explanation
This amendment would reinstate the decrement made in
subcommittee. The subcommittee assumed that the FY23
actuals could be maintained this year, but those were
due to vacancies that have already been filled or are
in the process of being filled. Because of the lack of
vacancies, the department testified they would take
this cut to the Public Library Assistance (PLA) grant.
PLA distributes about $7000 per library to 86 libraries
across the state. Without this amendment, the libraries
will only get about $2300. This will have an incredibly
big impact on smaller communities and libraries run by
volunteers, potentially even closing much needed public
libraries
Representative Cronk OBJECTED for discussion.
4:13:20 PM
AT EASE
4:13:30 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Ortiz explained that the amendment would
restore funding to libraries in the state. The EED
subcommittee identified the cut based on unspent funds in
FY 22 due to vacancies currently being filled. If the
reduction was not restored, it would result in significant
cuts to over 80 libraries in the state. Without the
amendment, the $7,000 per-facility funding received by 86
libraries in the state would be reduced to about $2,300.
Individuals and libraries across the state would be
negatively impacted if the reduction was left in place. He
highlighted that the cut was especially significant for
rural library operations and might cause the partial
closure of many rural libraries. The amendment was in
support of literacy, libraries, and encouraging the state
to engage in reading. He reiterated that the amendment
would allocate critical funding to libraries across the
state.
Representative Coulombe chaired the EED subcommittee and
explained the reason for the cut back to FY 22 levels.
There were two positions that DEED had unsuccessfully tried
to fill and the positions accounted for half of the cut.
She was aware of the positive work done by libraries but
she did not see the cut as a substantial cut to services.
She added that a topic of conversation in subcommittee was
whether it was possible to remove the positions. The
department was choosing not to take the positions away but
to instead reduce funding.
4:18:31 PM
Representative Galvin supported the amendment. She
emphasized the importance of the $7,000 per-facility
funding and highlighted the high number of public
testifiers who called in in support of libraries. The
programs provided by libraries were especially important to
families who did not have expendable income for activities.
There were recruiting challenges throughout the state and
she had not seen many other departments receive position
cuts.
Representative Hannan supported the amendment. She reminded
committee members that the state library employed
librarians with specialized knowledge and training. There
were statutory mandates about programs and records that
librarians stored for the state. She relayed that two of
the vacant positions had been vacant less than five months,
which she argued was not a long period of time for a
position to be vacant. The libraries were actively
recruiting for some of the positions, but funding was
removed for some positions and the libraries were not able
to recruit for the positions until the beginning of the new
fiscal year. When she visited Unalaska, Alaska, she saw the
libraries busy every evening with individuals using the
internet as every home did not have internet access. She
thought that paying $402,000 to keep 86 libraries
operational was a good investment.
Representative Josephson supported the amendment. He argued
that DEED was "being stubborn" in saying that it would not
fund the positions but instead take the funding from
libraries. He thought the amendment should be adopted to
prevent DEED from taking the action.
Representative Stapp thought library grant programs were
great, but disagreed with Representative Josephson and
thought that DEED should not be able to choose how it
appropriated funds. He argued that the legislature should
be the appropriating body. He was in opposition to the
amendment.
4:23:32 PM
AT EASE
4:23:49 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Ortiz provided wrap up on the amendment. He
listed some of the 86 libraries that would be impacted and
urged that members support the amendment.
Representative Cronk WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
Representative Coulombe OBJECTED.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Cronk, Foster,
Edgmon, Johnson
OPPOSED: Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Stapp
The MOTION PASSED (8/3). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment N 23 was ADOPTED.
4:26:42 PM
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 26 (copy on
file):
Agency: Education & Early Dev
Appropriation: Libraries, Archives & Museums
Allocation: Library Operations
Transaction Details
Title: Subscription Service to National Federation of
the Blind NFB-NEWSLINE
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 23.5
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
23.5
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 23.5
Explanation
This amendment provides the funds for Alaska to
subscribe to NFB-NEWSLINE service to provide blind,
low-vision and print-disabled Alaska residents with
access to emergency weather alerts, critical news, and
a broad range of information sources available to the
nondisabled public. Alaska is one of only three states
in the United States that does not provide this
service for their residents.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Ortiz explained that the amendment would
restore funding to allow Alaska to subscribe to the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Newsline service to
provide Alaskans with a range of vision disabilities
critical resources.
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 26 FAILED (4/7).
Representative Ortiz WITHDREW Amendment N 27.
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 28 would be
rolled to the bottom.
4:29:41 PM
AT EASE
4:30:19 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson rolled Amendment N 29 and Amendment N 30
to the bottom of the list.
4:31:08 PM
AT EASE
4:33:37 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 31 (copy on
file):
Agency: Fish and Game
Appropriation: Commercial Fisheries
Allocation: SE Region Fisheries Mgmt.
Transaction Details
Title: Dive Fisheries Assessments
Section: Section 1
Type: IncOTI
Line Items
Personal Services: 35.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
35.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 35.0
Explanation
One-time funding is appropriated from the Civil Fines
and Penalties account. These receipts are tracked
under the Fish and Game Fund, though the Civil Fines
and Penalties account itself is not generated through
Dedicated revenues and is appropriate to expend for
Commercial Fisheries management. The FY23 balance of
this account is estimated at $108.0. The Southeast
Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association (SARDFA)
has a cooperative agreement with the Department of
Fish & Game to pay for dive fisheries stock
assessments. SARDFA has paid over $2.4 million to DFG
since the implementation of this self-assessment. The
current 5-year cooperative agreement between DFG and
SARDFA expires this year and DFG has requested that
SARDFA contribute approximately $137.0 (thousand) up
from $104.0 to pay for stock assessment surveys. Due
to less quota for geoducks and less value for sea
cucumbers in recent years SARDFA has faced declining
assessment tax revenue from dive fisheries.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Ortiz explained the amendment pertained to
dive fishery stock assessments. The amendment would help
supplement the monies that dive fisheries were already
paying to the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to help
support surveys. He read from the explanation section of
the amendment.
4:36:06 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Edgmon
OPPOSED: Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Foster,
Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 31 FAILED (5/6).
[Note: Amendment N 31 was subsequently taken up again and
adopted. See below for details.]
4:37:19 PM
AT EASE
4:45:40 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Cronk MOVED to RESCIND his vote on Amendment
N 31. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Co-Chair Johnson stated that Amendment N 31 was back before
the committee.
Representative Ortiz clarified that the amendment would
cost $35,000 and the money would come from the Civil Fines
and Penalties account which currently held a balance of
$108,000. The funds would support dive fisheries, which
paid for their own assessments. He was not aware of any
other fisheries that paid for their own assessments.
Co-Chair Johnson wanted to ensure that there was no
objection to Representative Cronk rescinding his vote.
There being no objection to the rescind, the roll call vote
would be on the adoption of Amendment N 31.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion to adopt Amendment
N 31.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Edgmon, Cronk,
Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Foster, Johnson
OPPOSED:
The MOTION PASSED (11/0). There being NO further OBJECTION,
Amendment 31 was adopted.
4:48:31 PM
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 32 (copy on
file):
Agency: Fish and Game
Appropriation: Sport Fisheries
Allocation: Sport Fisheries
Transaction Details
Title: Funding for Rockfish Survey
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 49.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
49.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 49.0
Explanation
This funding will allow agency personnel to survey
activity related to demersal shelf rockfish in
Southeast Alaska inside waters using a Remote Operated
Vehicle (ROV).
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Ortiz explained that the amendment was in
support of a rockfish survey. The funding would allow DFG
personnel to survey the activity of demersal shelf rockfish
using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). The amendment would
cover operating expenses for the survey. The department had
a ROV but he would be proposing a future amendment to
acquire an ROV based permanently in Southeast Alaska. He
relayed that it was a food security issue because the
fishing for rockfish, otherwise known as the yelloweye red
snapper, had been closed to sport fishers in the past few
years. The department had taken conservative measures due
to lack of data on the species. The amendment was a small
increment funded by the DFG fund and related to a sport
fishery. He had heard loud and clear from his constituents
that the availability of fish was a key component to ensure
that there was enough food on the table and in the
freezers.
Representative Cronk supported the amendment because he
supported food security. He believed that the most
important fish was the one on the table.
Co-Chair Johnson MOVED to ADOPT conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment N 32 to add funding for Mat-Su weirs. The
conceptual amendment would add $40,000 for additional
operating time for the Deshka River weir to accommodate
fishing opportunities during coho season, $55,000 for
additional operating time for the Jim Creek weir, and
$25,000 for additional operating for the Fish Creek weir
for a total of $120,000. She explained that the funding
would be sourced from the DFG fund.
Representative Hannan OBJECTED for discussion. She
understood that the balance of the DFG fund was only
$108,000.
Representative Ortiz clarified that the Civil Fines and
Penalties account was the fund with $108,000.
Representative Hannan asked how much money was in the DFG
fund.
Co-Chair Johnson responded approximately $18 million.
Representative Hannan WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment N 32 was ADOPTED.
Co-Chair Johnson noted that Amendment N 32 as amended was
before the committee.
Co-Chair Foster WITHDREW the OBJECTION.
There being NO further OBJECTION, Amendment N 32 was
ADOPTED as amended.
4:52:55 PM
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendments N 33, N 34, and N
35 relating to vacant positions would be rolled to the
bottom of the list.
Representative Hannan MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 36 (copy
on file):
Agency: Health
Appropriation: Behavioral Health
Allocation: BT Treatment and Recovery Grants
Transaction Details
Title: MH Trust: Crisis Now Continuum of Care Grants
(FY24-FY26)
Section: Section 1
Type: IncT
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 333.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
333.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 333.0
Explanation
This amendment brings the funding for Crisis Now
Continuum of Care grants through the DOH Division of
Behavioral Health up to the level recommended by the
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. These grants
will be awarded to organizations partnering with
communities to provide more therapeutic, less
restrictive options for people suffering a behavioral
health crisis. Less funding for this program could
contribute to delayed implementation or scaling back
of planned projects and could dissuade additional
communities from creating programs.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Hannan explained that the amendment would
add $333,000 for Crisis Now Continuum of Care grants in FY
24 through FY 26. The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
(AMHTA) had suggested funding the grants at $1 million and
the grants were currently funded at $667,000. The amendment
would bring the total up to $1 million to match the amount
that AMHTA thought the crisis centers would need to be
fully operational.
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 36 FAILED (4/7).
4:55:50 PM
AT EASE
5:00:40 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Josephson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 37
(copy on file):
Agency: Health
Appropriation: Behavioral Health
Allocation: BT Treatment and Recovery Grants
Transaction Details
Title: General Behavioral Health Treatment and
Recovery Grants Increase
Section: Section 1
Type: Inc
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 3.000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
3.000.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 3.000.0
Explanation
1115 waivers are not enough to adequately cover the
necessary funding to support behavioral health
treatment and recovery services. This amendment would
partially restore the difference in behavioral health
grants funding seen between FY19 and FY23.
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Josephson explained that the amendment
concerned treatment and recovery grants. Since 2016, there
had been a dramatic movement towards using an 1115 waiver
to finance behavioral health treatment programs. He had
asked a representative from the Medicaid office about the
behavioral health problems that did not qualify for 1115
waivers. He had received many letters from constituents
over the years requesting that behavioral health grants be
continued. There had been a diminishment of state
investments in cash grants and a dropping off of the UGF
portion of the grants. The programs performed some
functions that were not allowed under Medicaid.
Representative Josephson relayed that he had provided to
the committee four letters opining on the 1115 waiver
(copies on file). The first letter highlighted that the
1115 waiver was not a "be all end all" for behavioral
health. Many Alaskans would not be eligible for the service
and problems could become more acute without the programs.
The residential rehabilitation facility in Wasilla, Alaska,
Nugen's Ranch, was discussed often when he was a prosecutor
because individuals often went to the ranch to receive
credit for time served; however, the ranch had too many
beds to qualify for an 1115 waiver. He relayed that
organizational collapse was a concern for the immediate
future. All of the letters in support of the amendment
echoed the argument that the funds provided for the 1115
waiver were not adequate to cover the increased costs for
behavioral health treatment. He added that the problem was
not as dire in the previous fiscal year because several
million dollars were distributed to the state from the
federal government for the purpose of behavioral health
treatment. He highlighted that the drop off in UGF since
2019 in behavioral health funds was negative $21 million.
His amendment was proposing the restoration of about one-
third of the funds.
5:07:39 PM
Representative Stapp noted that the 1115 waiver process was
discussed in the Health and Social Services (HSS)
subcommittee process. The purpose of the 1115 waiver
process was to offset some grant fund applications. He
relayed that the 1115 waiver was in the renewal process and
the Department of Health (DOH) was looking at an amended
process as well at the end of the year which would include
a public comment period. He emphasized that many of the
issues brought up by Representative Josephson would be
covered in the public comment process. He agreed that the
funding could be useful but he was not in support of the
amendment.
Representative Galvin asked Representative Stapp for
details on the timeframe of the public process.
Representative Stapp responded that he was not certain how
long the public comment period would last. He thought
someone from the department could speak to the process.
Representative Josephson appreciated Representative Stapp's
comments about the panel that would be examining the
waiver. He was concerned because the department was
supposed to rebase a number of programs in 2014 and it did
not happen. He was worried about the timeline and thought
the amendment was important.
5:10:38 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 37 FAILED (4/7).
Co-Chair Johnson noted that Representative Justin Ruffridge
was in the audience.
5:12:24 PM
Representative Hannan MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 38 (copy
on file):
Agency: Health
Appropriation: Behavioral Health
Allocation: Behavioral Health Administration
Transaction Details
Title: MH Trust: Peer Support Certification (FY24-
FY25)
Section: Section 1
Type: IncT
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 100.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 0.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
100.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 100.0
Explanation
This would bring funding for Peer Support Training in
the DOH Division of Behavioral Health to the level
recommended by the Alaska Mental Health Trust
Authority.
Peer support is a critical service in community
behavioral health settings across the state. Peer
support ensures that people with lived experience can
effectively help beneficiaries in their recovery
efforts.
Without this recommended level of funding, training
and oversight of peers would be constricted
Co-Chair Foster OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Hannan explained that the amendment would
add $100,000 to Peer Support Training in the Division of
Behavioral Health within DOH. She relayed that peer
counselors were significant and there was evidence
supporting the claim that peer counselors made a difference
in behavioral health improvements. The amendment would
allow AMHTA to continue the certification of counselors in
FY 24 and FY 25. There were significant downstream impacts
when behavioral health problems were ignored and she argued
that $100,000 to address the problem was money well-spent.
Representative Coulombe supported the program but she
thought that there was a "hiccup" with the certification.
The peer-to-peer certification required a background check,
but the peer-to-peer program involved people with criminal
backgrounds helping other people with criminal backgrounds.
An individual interested in becoming a peer counselor would
need to receive a waiver for every conviction and wait for
it to be cleared before the individual could become
certified. She would oppose the amendment due to the flawed
process but she supported the idea.
Representative Galvin was not aware of the background check
issue but she had met with individuals in the program and
had heard breathtaking stories. In addition to positive
personal anecdotes, the data showed that the peer
counselors had made a significant difference. She was
supportive of the amendment and was also supportive of any
adjustment suggested by Representative Coulombe.
Representative Hannan thought AMHTA understood the backlog
created by background checks. The trust's budget was to
accommodate the worker load currently held and without the
additional funding, AMHTA's ability to train and certify
additional peers would be impacted. She thought that an
upfront investment of $100,000 would help ease the
downstream impacts in the long run. She urged support for
the amendment.
5:16:55 PM
Co-Chair Foster MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Coulombe, Cronk, Edgmon,
Foster, Johnson
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 38 FAILED (4/7).
5:18:03 PM
AT EASE
5:19:08 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson noted that the committee had been joined
by Representative Jesse Sumner.
5:19:27 PM
Representative Josephson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment N 39
(copy on file):
Agency: Health
Appropriation: Public Assistance
Allocation: Child Care Benefits
Transaction Details
Title: Additional Funding to Support Child Care
Block Grant Discretionary Funds (FY24-FY25)
Section: Section 1
Type: IncT
Line Items
Personal Services: 0.0
Travel: 0.0
Services: 0.0
Commodities: 0.0
Capital Outlay: 0.0
Grants: 15,000.0
Miscellaneous: 0.0
15,000.0
Positions
Permanent Full-Time: 0
Permanent Part-Time: 0
Temporary: 0
Funding
1004 Gen Fund 15,000.0
Explanation
The Governor has put $25,000,000 into the budget for
Child Care stabilization, but stakeholders argue that
an additional $15,000,000 is needed. It should be
noted that prior years saw funding of this allocation
at over $90,000,000.
Representative Ortiz OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Josephson explained the amendment. He could
not recall the specifics, but there had been a generous
allocation of child care dollars though a federal provision
for state and local governments. He recalled that around
$90 million was allocated for the state and some of which
was distributed to local municipalities. The amendment
would address the cliff on state support for child care. He
understood that Thread was the best known umbrella
organization for the child care sector. He relayed that
Thread sought an additional $30 million, but he thought
that $15 million would suffice because it would leverage
federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
dollars. Every document in the packet he provided to the
committee (copies on file) apart from the top document were
letters received by the committee during the public
testimony process. The size of the packet was substantial
because each letter came from an Alaskan who cared about
the child care crisis. The first letter was from Ms. Blue
Shibler, the executive director of the Southeast Alaska
Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC). He
relayed that Ms. Shibler stated in her letter that a $15
million increase to child care funding would raise wages by
up to $5 per hour. Many companies in the retail sector in
the state were paying $18 per hour through $20 per hour and
child care struggled to compete with a wage offering of $15
per hour. Ms. Shibler noted that the lack of child care was
costing Alaska's economy and businesses $165 million
annually. She arrived at the figure by looking at lost
municipal sales tax revenue, turnover in local industries,
and lost revenue due to absences in the workforce. The
committee had heard in countless hearings the impact the
lack of revenue had on the profitability of work. He had
also been told that there were 1,700 providers and groups
that would benefit from the increase. He argued that it
would help stabilize the market by increasing wages from
about $14.50 per hour to $19.60 per hour.
5:24:32 PM
Representative Coulombe understood that the budget included
$25 million for child care and the amendment would increase
the total by $15 million. She asked if she was correct.
Representative Josephson responded in the affirmative. The
difference was that the $25 million was already committed
to emergency stabilization grants to prevent child care
centers from going bankrupt, but it did not stabilize the
labor force.
Representative Coulombe emphasized that she cared about
child care. She understood that if child care centers were
given the grants, the state could not force the centers to
use the money for pay raises. She asked if her
understanding was correct.
Representative Josephson responded that he had heard the
same concerns from others. He had every expectation that
the centers would use the money for pay raises, but he
could not guarantee that it would happen.
Representative Ortiz spoke in support of the amendment. He
did not think there was any other issue that impacted the
workforce more than child care. The lack of child care
options prevented willing individuals from entering the
workforce. The amendment related to child care but it truly
related to supporting the economy of the state and the
economy would not grow unless the state was supported
properly. He thought the money would be well-invested.
Co-Chair Edgmon commented that he also viewed the amendment
as intended for economic development. He recognized that
$15 million was difficult to justify when considering the
state's fiscal situation. He recently attended a national
seminar organized by the Hunt Institute on early learning
and child care and it was interesting to hear from other
states that were in similar positions as Alaska. The
overwhelming statement was that child care was integral in
workforce development and attracting and retaining
employees. He hoped the progress seen in other states could
be seen in Alaska soon. He was not confident that the
committee had the votes to pass the amendment, but he
wanted to speak in favor of the amendment and the approach
it took to address the issue of child care. Young people
were leaving the state and would continue to leave if wages
stayed the same. There was a long list of items that were
subsidized in Alaska but the state did not put enough
resources towards child care. He spoke with the Alaska
Chamber of Commerce and learned that child care was the
chamber's number one priority. He thought something needed
to be done to address the issue.
5:30:20 PM
AT EASE
5:31:29 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Ortiz MOVED to ADOPT conceptual Amendment 1
to Amendment N 39 to reduce the proposed $15 million to
$7.5 million. He suggested that a smaller step in the right
direction might be more palatable to members of the
committee.
Representative Cronk OBJECTED.
Co-Chair Edgmon thought the situation was awkward because
he knew what would be the right thing to do, but he was
aware that the legislature did not have the votes. He would
be voting against the conceptual amendment and to the
underlying amendment.
Representative Galvin was supportive of the conceptual
amendment. The letters in the packet provided to the
committee spoke directly about increasing pay and what it
would mean for each of the child care centers. She
understood that $15 million was perhaps too substantial but
she wanted to ensure that the return on investment was
high.
Representative Cronk MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
Representative Ortiz commented that the legislature could
believe it wanted to support child care or it could take
action to support child care. He thought the amendment was
a small step towards addressing a big problem.
5:35:31 PM
AT EASE
5:37:17 PM
RECONVENED
A roll call vote was taken on the motion to ADOPT
conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment N 39.
IN FAVOR: Hannan, Josephson, Ortiz, Coulombe, Galvin
OPPOSED: Stapp, Tomaszewski, Cronk, Edgmon, Foster, Johnson
The MOTION FAILED (5/6).
Representative Hannan noted that she voted for the
conceptual amendment and intended to vote for the
underlying amendment. Child care impacted labor and was a
workforce issue. She thought that allocating money to the
grant program was likely to elicit increased wages and
allow child care centers to stay open, which would allow
more families to go to work. The Hunt Institute had relayed
that child care was a failed business model because the
profit margin was always small and a greater burden could
not be pushed onto clients considering the significant
increase in inflation. There were fewer people working and
the centers could not take on more clients. Child care was
the center of labor in Alaska and money needed to be
allocated to it in order to fix the problem.
5:40:48 PM
AT EASE
5:58:05 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson relayed that Amendment N 39 was before the
committee.
Representative Stapp OBJECTED for discussion.
Representative Stapp MAINTAINED the OBJECTION.
Co-Chair Johnson asked Representative Josephson if he would
like to make wrap up comments.
Representative Josephson remarked that he could not add to
anything stated by Representative Hannan because her
comments perfectly covered the topic.
5:59:10 PM
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.
IN FAVOR: Josephson, Ortiz, Coulombe, Galvin, Hannan
OPPOSED: Cronk, Stapp, Tomaszewski, Edgmon, Johnson
Co-Chair Foster was absent from the vote.
The MOTION to adopt Amendment N 39 FAILED (5/5).
6:00:54 PM
AT EASE
6:01:25 PM
RECONVENED
HB 39 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 41 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Johnson reviewed the agenda for the following
day's meeting.
Co-Chair Johnson offered a reminder on committee rules.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 39 Amendment 18 Backup Galvin 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 |
| HB 39 Amendment 37 Backup Josephson 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 |
| HB 39 Amendment 39 Backup Josephson 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 |
| HB 39 Amendment 40 Backup Galvin 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 |
| HB 39 HB 41 Language Supp Amendments w Actions 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 HB 41 |
| HB 39 Op Budget Lang Amd #5 Backup Hannan 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 |
| HB 39 HB 41 Amendments w Actions 032723.pdf |
HFIN 3/27/2023 1:30:00 PM |
HB 39 HB 41 |