03/26/2019 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

        HB 71-STATE PERSONNEL ACT: VETERANS' EXPERIENCE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:14:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE  BILL NO. 71, "An  Act relating to hiring  for positions                                                               
in  state   service  based  on  substitution   of  military  work                                                               
experience or  training for required civilian  work experience or                                                               
training."                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:14:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY,  prime sponsor of  HB 71, relayed  that the                                                               
proposed legislation  would allow  work experience gained  in the                                                               
military to  be used  when applying  for jobs  with the  State of                                                               
Alaska.  She paraphrased from  the sponsor statement, included in                                                               
the committee packet, which read:                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Members of  the military  bravely serve our  nation and                                                                    
     protect  our  nation's  values around  the  world.  The                                                                    
     rigors  of  the battlefield  can  be  immense, yet  the                                                                    
     transition  back to  civilian life  often proves  to be                                                                    
     another  battle.  In  a   2012  survey,  two-thirds  of                                                                    
     veterans named finding a job  as the greatest challenge                                                                    
     in transition from military to civilian life.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill  71 attempts  to  ease  this transition  by                                                                    
     allowing veterans,  former prisoners of war  or members                                                                    
     of   the  national   guard  to   substitute  documented                                                                    
     military     experience    for     published    minimum                                                                    
     qualifications   for    state   classified   positions.                                                                    
     Numerous  states,  including Alaska,  provide  veterans                                                                    
     hiring benefits and  employment preferences; House Bill                                                                    
     71 would provide additional support  to our veterans by                                                                    
     allowing  their previous  military  work experience  to                                                                    
     carry over into the civilian world.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Allowing the  use of military experience  for state job                                                                    
     qualifications   is  currently   allowed  in   Alaska's                                                                    
     personnel  policy. House  Bill 71  would enshrine  this                                                                    
     current  practice into  law,  ensuring  those who  have                                                                    
     sacrificed for  our nation will  have better  access to                                                                    
     employment irrespective of changes in administrations.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY added  that in the 15 years  that she served                                                               
on the  [Juneau] School District  Board of Education,  there were                                                               
five leadership changes.  Even  though the board had policies and                                                               
practices,  leadership changes  often  disrupted following  them;                                                               
the proposed  legislation would put  the practices  into statute.                                                               
She  continued by  saying  that an  additional  benefit would  be                                                               
raising awareness  among veterans that their  military experience                                                               
can  be  used  when  applying  for  state  jobs.    State  hiring                                                               
personnel  would  know to  count  military  work experience  when                                                               
evaluating veterans and  other members of the  military for state                                                               
positions.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY mentioned that  the proposed legislation was                                                               
introduced during  the Thirtieth Alaska State  Legislature, 2017-                                                               
2018,  by  former Representative  Justin  Parish  and passed  the                                                               
House  unanimously.   She  expressed  her belief  that  HB 71  is                                                               
worthwhile  legislation, has  value, and  should be  enacted into                                                               
law.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:17:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  VANCE asked  for an  example of  how HB  71 would                                                               
benefit the workforce beyond the practices currently in place.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:18:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GREG  SMITH,  Staff,  Representative  Andi  Story,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative   Story,  prime sponsor                                                               
of HB  71, stated that  the first  step for applicants  for state                                                               
employment    is   demonstrating    that   they    meet   minimum                                                               
qualifications, such as holding  a [General Education Development                                                               
(GED) - High School Equivalency  Certificate], a college diploma,                                                               
a commercial  driver's license (CDL),  or a nursing degree.   The                                                               
proposed  legislation  would  allow   experience  gained  in  the                                                               
military to  be used  to meet those  minimum qualifications.   He                                                               
gave  an  example:   for  a  procurement specialist  the  minimum                                                               
qualifications include a year  of procurement experience, writing                                                               
or approving solicitations,  explaining contracting requirements,                                                               
and developing or proving product  specifications.  He reiterated                                                               
that  the proposed  legislation  would enshrine  in statute  that                                                               
such experience  in the military  would count toward  the minimum                                                               
qualifications for a state position.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked  for the reason the  practice needs to                                                               
be  enshrined in  statute when  it is  in the  standard operating                                                               
procedure (SOP).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. SMITH stated that statute  is more fixed than policy; changes                                                               
in administration cause  policies to change.   He reiterated that                                                               
there is an  awareness component; veterans and  those involved in                                                               
the  hiring process  would  know for  certain  that the  military                                                               
experience counts when applying for state positions.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SHAW gave  examples in  which veterans  could use                                                               
their work experience to transition  into a position:  "Troops to                                                               
Teachers" is  a program allowing  an individual with 20  years of                                                               
military service, who  is at the conclusion of  a degree program,                                                               
to enter  a classroom, initiate student  teaching, finish his/her                                                               
degree,  and  become  a  teacher.   In  the  military  there  are                                                               
individuals  in the  Supply  Corps or  under  the Judge  Advocate                                                               
program who are lawyers or  legal assistants.  He maintained that                                                               
there are  many positions  in the military  with vast  amounts of                                                               
experience that  could transition  easily into a  state position.                                                               
He  asserted that  the value  that  veterans bring  to the  state                                                               
workforce  is  huge; this  practice  being  enshrined in  statute                                                               
rather than  policy, would make  a difference and would  allow it                                                               
to exist in perpetuity.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS  offered that  as a practical  reality, the                                                               
Department  of  Defense  (DoD)   has  substantially  invested  in                                                               
personnel to assist with  transitioning military service members;                                                               
with  the practice  put into  statute,  DoD staff  who work  with                                                               
those  finishing  their  service  in  Alaska  would  be  able  to                                                               
reference statute as  a clear indicator of  the great opportunity                                                               
to enter  state service.  He  stated that there are  also private                                                               
sector  transition programs;  some unions  promote the  Helmet to                                                               
Hardhats program.   He said  that the advantage of  the statutory                                                               
language under the proposed legislation  is that it would make it                                                               
easier  for the  state to  benefit from  a veteran's  service and                                                               
previous experience by welcoming him/her to its workforce.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:23:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL mentioned that  regulations are enshrined and                                                               
followed; they are not tenuous.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY responded  that  there  have been  reported                                                               
incidences in  which policy was  not followed and  using military                                                               
experience  for employment  became difficult.   She  offered that                                                               
the  bill was  introduced to  put  the practice  into statute  to                                                               
ensure the policy would be followed.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS stated that HB 71 would be held over.