04/03/2024 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        HB  55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:33:23 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).]                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:33:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE move  to adopt  the proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for HB  55,  Version  33-LS0360\D, A.  Radford,                                                               
4/1/24,  as the  working  document.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
Version D was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:34:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK, prime sponsor, deferred to her staff.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:34:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STUART RELAY, Staff, Representative  Ashley Carrick, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of  Representative Carrick, prime sponsor,                                                               
gave an explanation  of changes in Version D  [hard copy included                                                               
in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows  [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, lines 4-9: delete all material.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
       Page 2, line 12       page 3, line 15: delete all                                                                        
     material.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3 line 20: delete all material.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. RILEY  noted that Version  D would bring  the CS back  to the                                                               
original version of  the bill   the only difference  being a two-                                                               
year extension instead of a six-year extension.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:35:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  questioned  whether   it  was  the  bill                                                               
sponsor's  intent  to   come  back  in  two  years   and  try  to                                                               
reinstitute the provisions in the prior CS, Version R.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK  said her  main  goal  is to  ensure  the                                                               
reauthorization of  TVEP.  The  more limited extension  would put                                                               
time  pressure on  implementing changes  and reconsiderations  to                                                               
TVEP over  the course  of the next  intervening years  before the                                                               
legislation were to come back before the committee.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:36:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER opened public testimony on HB 55.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:37:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DON ETHERIDGE,  Lobbyist, Alaska AFL-CIO; Lobbyist,  Alaska Works                                                               
Partnership, Inc., said it would only  be fair to extend TVEP for                                                               
two  years  and gather  all  participants  in  the same  room  to                                                               
discuss potential changes.   He emphasized the  importance of the                                                               
program and said, "it's a great idea."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:38:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRIS  CURTIS, Legislative  Auditor,  Legislative Audit  Division,                                                               
Legislative Agencies  and Offices,  testified during  the hearing                                                               
on HB  55 and reviewed  the legislative audit, beginning  on page                                                               
3.   She  discussed report  conclusions on  page 10.   The  audit                                                               
provides  2 recommendations  beginning  on page  23: Firstly,  it                                                               
recommends  that the  legislature consider  repealing the  direct                                                               
award to the 10 training  providers, which would allow TVEP funds                                                               
to be  paid via grant  process; secondly, it recommends  that the                                                               
Department of Labor & Workforce  Development (DLWD) work with the                                                               
Office   of  Management   and  Budget   (OMB)   to  resolve   the                                                               
underpayments to the seven training providers.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:48:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER closed public testimony  on HB 55 and announced that                                                               
the bill would be held over.