02/13/2007 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                                                                                                                                
HB 62-TUITION WAIVER FOR NATIONAL GUARD FAMILY                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:34:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROSES  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                              
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  62,  "An  Act   providing  for  partial  tuition                                                              
assistance for families  of members of the Alaska  National Guard;                                                              
directing  the adjutant  general  to  seek additional  funding  to                                                              
support tuition  assistance;  and providing  for free hunting  and                                                              
sport fishing licenses  for active members of the  Alaska National                                                              
Guard."                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
KACI  SCHROEDER  HOTCH,  Staff   to  Representative  Bill  Thomas,                                                              
Alaska  State  Legislature,  presented  HB  62  and  an  amendment                                                              
labeled  25-LS0303\A.1, Mischel,  2/1/07  on behalf  of the  joint                                                              
prime  sponsors   Representatives  Thomas,  and  Kerttula.     She                                                              
informed the  committee that HB 62  consists of three parts.   The                                                              
bill first grants  active National Guard members  free hunting and                                                              
fishing licenses to  thank members for their service  to the State                                                              
of Alaska  and to serve  as an important  recruiting tool  for the                                                              
Alaska National  Guard.  Ms. Hotch  continued to explain  that the                                                              
second part  grants a  50 percent waiver  of University  of Alaska                                                              
(UA) tuition to  spouses of National Guard members.   This waiver,                                                              
she added,  will serve  as an important  retainment tool  and will                                                              
also  recognize the  commitment  of service  from guard  families.                                                              
The  third part  of HB  62 concerns  funding  the current  tuition                                                              
waiver  program  for  guard members  and  additional  funding  for                                                              
spousal tuition  waivers.   Additional funds  will be  obtained by                                                              
authorizing  the  Department  of   Military  &  Veterans'  Affairs                                                              
(DMVA) to request supplemental appropriations.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:37:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  ROSES   asked  if  the   tuition  waiver   program  accrues                                                              
administrative costs  charged by the Department  of Administration                                                              
(DOA) and/or the University of Alaska.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. HOTCH  said she  believes that  the University  of Alaska  has                                                              
submitted a  zero fiscal  note to  be attached to  HB 62  and DMVA                                                              
has submitted a fiscal note indicating its costs.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MAJOR GENERAL CAMPBELL,  in response to questions,  explained that                                                              
the  DMVA does  not extract  fees, but  it will  accrue costs  for                                                              
administering and  processing applications.   He pointed  out that                                                              
supplemental funding  requests which  are submitted to  the Alaska                                                              
State Legislature  are not  always appropriated, and  furthermore,                                                              
the  existing  program  is  not  always fully  funded.    He  also                                                              
indicated, in  response to a question,  that he could  not comment                                                              
on a change  in policy that  would transfer the  administration of                                                              
the program from the DMVA to the University of Alaska.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DAHLSTROM   recalled  a  previous   House  Finance                                                              
subcommittee  meeting  in  which  members were  advised  that  the                                                              
funding  for this  program is  short every  year by  approximately                                                              
$60,000.   She  said  she is  supportive  of  the present  program                                                              
which is managed by the DMVA.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:44:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   BUCH  requested   clarification  as   to  whether                                                              
spouses and  members of the family  or just spouses  would receive                                                              
tuition waivers under HB 62.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROSES  answered the question  by stating that  the amendment                                                              
labeled 25-LS0303\A.1,  MISCHEL, 2/1/07, limits tuition  waiver to                                                              
spouses only.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:45:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARY  GOWER,  Director  of  Enrollment   Services,  University  of                                                              
Alaska,  informed   the  committee   that  UA  does   not  extract                                                              
administrative  fees   from  the  current  program   and  that  it                                                              
supports HB  62 and has  submitted a zero  fiscal note.   She said                                                              
she  could not  comment  on the  possibility  of transferring  the                                                              
administration  of the program  from DMVA  to UA,  or if  UA would                                                              
support a reduction in the tuition rate.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:47:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LEDOUX moved  to  report HB  62  out of  committee                                                              
with  individual  recommendations   and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                              
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:47:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   KAWASAKI   objected  for   discussion   purposes.                                                              
[Although not  formally stated,  the committee treated  the motion                                                              
as withdrawn.]                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI  moved that the committee  adopt Amendment                                                              
1, labeled 25-LS0303\A.1, Mischel, 2/1/07, which read:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
      Page 1, line 1:                                                                                                           
           Delete "families"                                                                                                  
           Insert "spouses"                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
      Page 3, line 5:                                                                                                           
           Delete "or child"                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:49:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX  moved to report  HB 62, as amended,  out of                                                              
committee  with individual  recommendations  and the  accompanying                                                              
fiscal  notes.    There  being  no  objection,  CSHB  62(MLV)  was                                                              
reported  from  the  House  Special   Committee  on  Military  and                                                              
Veterans' Affairs.