Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
03/22/2024 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB378 | |
| SB147 | |
| HB55 | |
| HB150 | |
| HB189 | |
| HB233 | |
| HB189 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 378 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 189 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 233 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 204 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | SB 147 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 55 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 150 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS
3:43:27 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 55, "An Act relating to allocations of funding
for the Alaska Workforce Investment Board; and providing for an
effective date." [Before the committee was CSHB 55(EDC).]
3:44:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK, as prime sponsor, presented CSHB
55(EDC). She paraphrased the sponsor statement [included in
committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
In 2000, the Alaska Legislature established the
Technical Vocational Education Program (TVEP). This
program is administered by the Alaska Workforce
Investment Board and utilizes a portion of
Unemployment Insurance receipts to provide grants to
career and technical education providers across the
State. The TVEP program impacts thousands of students
by offering industry-specific training opportunities
that help Alaskans get to work.
HB 55 would re-authorize the TVEP program for an
additional six years, until fiscal year 2030. The
program currently has ten recipients which include the
University of Alaska, the Alaska Vocational Technical
Education Center, the Alaska Technical Center, as well
as other technical education providers across the
State. These programs train Alaskans for industry-
specific jobs in sectors such as fishing,
transportation, health, mining, and construction.
Please join me in supporting House Bill 55 to re-
authorize the TVEP program and keep thousands of
Alaskans ready for the high-demand careers our State
has to offer.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK reported that in 2014, the legislature
increased the amount of funds diverted to the Technical
Vocational Education Program (TVEP) from .15 percent of
unemployment insurance receipts to .16 percent. Currently,
there are 10 statutorily designated recipients that offer
various training across the state. She noted that the committee
substitute (CS) adopted in the House Education Standing
Committee increased the current statutory designation of funds
diverted to the TVEP program from .16 percent to .25 percent.
3:48:44 PM
STEWART RELAY, Staff, Representative Ashley Carrick, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Carrick, prime
sponsor, summarized the explanation of changes from the original
version of the bill to CSHB 55(L&C) ("Version R") [included in
the committee packet], which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1. AS 23.15.835(a) New section
Changes the percentage of wages collected by the
Department of Labor for the TVEP program from .16% to
.25%
Section 2. AS 23.15.835(d) Former section 1
Does not change the designated recipient list from
Version A Section 1 but changes sunset date from June
30, 2030, to June 30, 2026
Section 3. AS 23.15.835(d) New section.
Changes the designated recipient list by adding a new
recipient, alters the percentages for the University
of Alaska and the Alaska Vocational Technical Center
and sets the sunset date from June 30, 2026 through
June 30, 2030.
Makes the following changes to the designated
recipient list:
• University of Alaska reduced to 40% from 45%
• Alaska Vocational Technical Center reduced to 15%
from 17%
• Alaska Job Center Network added with a 7%
designation.
Section 4. AS 23.15.835(g) New section
Requires the Alaska Job Center Network, added in the
previous section to use their allocated funds for
individual training grants.
Section 5 AS 23.15.835(h) New section
Increases the amount of money that the Alaska
Workforce Investment Board can withhold from 20% to
100% from recipients if they fail to comply with
program requirements.
Section 6 AS 23.15.835 New section
Adds a new subsection requiring the funds designated
to the University of Alaska the be distributed in a
regionally equal manner to Alaska's six economic
regions.
Section 7 New section Section 6
applies to funds after July 1, 2024
Section 8. Retroactivity Former section 2
If section 2 of this bill takes effect after June 30,
2024, section one is retroactive.
Section 9. Effective Date
New Section Sections 3 and 4 are effective on July 1,
2026.
Section 10. Effective Date New Section
All other sections are effective immediately.
3:51:58 PM
CHAIR SUMNER asked whether the changes adopted in Version R were
at the request of the bill sponsor or the House Education
Standing Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK stated that Version R was the House
Education Standing Committee's CS.
3:52:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER referred to page 3, line 10 and asked
whether the equal distribution of funds would be one-sixth share
to each region of the state.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK answered yes.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER observed that an equal distribution on a
per-capita basis would short the Mat-Su region and vastly
benefit other regions.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS expressed his support for a clean
reauthorization, among other things; however, he would not
support reducing Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical
Center's (NACTEC) funding and the destabilization of important
programs in rural Alaska.
3:54:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE expressed his support for the clean
adoption of TVEP; nonetheless, he said there's some significant
issues that need to be addressed in the audit of the program.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK noted that the audit did not point to bad
training in Alaska; rather, the findings of the audit were more
specific to the structure of the allocations.
3:56:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER recalled a provision that allowed for
some of the training funds to be provided as grants to
individuals.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK affirmed that the provision in question
is provided in Version R. The Alaska Jobs Center Network adds a
7 percent allocation, per Section 3 of the CS, which would then
be distributed as individual training grants.
3:57:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS pointed out that if the legislature wants
job center to distribute more money through ITAs, the UI fund
could be tapped more aggressively without taking money away from
TVEP recipients. He suggested that if a clean reauthorization
were passed, members interested in altering the allocations
could commit to visiting some of the regional training centers
in the next 18 months to be better informed.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER noted that there is an increase in
available funding for distribution on page 1, line 6 of Version
R, so no one would be shorted.
3:58:39 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that CSHB 55(EDC) was held over.