03/22/2013 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 84                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  relating   to  applying  military  education,                                                                    
     training, and service  credit to occupational licensing                                                                    
     and  certain  postsecondary  education  and  employment                                                                    
     training  requirements;   providing  for   a  temporary                                                                    
     occupational  license  for qualified  military  service                                                                    
     members; and providing for an effective date."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:55:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL   GEORGE,   STAFF,   REPRESENTATIVE   BILL   STOLTZE,                                                                    
explained  the changes  in the  CS for  HB 84.  The language                                                                    
"during regularly scheduled meetings  that are" was inserted                                                                    
on page  5, lines 28 through  31 of the legislation.  The CS                                                                    
also changed the effective date on page 5, line 31 to 2014.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Costello  MOVED   to  ADOPT   the  proposed                                                                    
committee  substitute  for  HB 84,  Work  Draft  28-LS0357\U                                                                    
(Mischel, 3/21/13).                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Austerman OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAN  SADDLER, SPONSOR,  pointed to  a concern                                                                    
that had been  raised in the previous  meeting. He clarified                                                                    
that  the bill  would not  give military  servicepersons the                                                                    
right  to  a  temporary  license unless  the  training  they                                                                    
received leading  to a degree,  diploma, or  certificate met                                                                    
the standards  for an equivalent  license or  certificate of                                                                    
technical training. He referred  to testimony from the prior                                                                    
meeting that the  issue was not a problem.  He detailed that                                                                    
the Alaska  Nurses Association  had testified  that military                                                                    
nurses  were licensed  Registered  Nurses. Military  trained                                                                    
Licensed  Practical Nurses  (LPN)  qualified for  equivalent                                                                    
temporary   civilian  LPN   licenses  and   military  medics                                                                    
received  certification  as  Emergency  Medical  Technicians                                                                    
(EMT).                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:58:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Costello asked for  clarification that the CS                                                                    
would  allow for  a zero  fiscal note  because it  moved the                                                                    
effective  date  to  a  future  date  when  all  boards  and                                                                    
commissions  that  were required  to  have  two meetings  to                                                                    
write  regulations would  happen  on  a regularly  scheduled                                                                    
timeframe  as  opposed  to a  quicker  timeframe  under  the                                                                    
original bill.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative Saddler replied in  the affirmative. He added                                                                    
that  language on  page 5  of the  legislation directed  the                                                                    
Department of  Commerce, Community and  Economic Development                                                                    
to do what  it could to write regulations when  it could (or                                                                    
to lay the groundwork).                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Gara asked  for the  difference between  the                                                                    
two  classifications   of  nurses.   Representative  Saddler                                                                    
replied  that   RNs  were  highly   trained  and   that  LPN                                                                    
requirements were slightly less stringent.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Gara  asked   if   the  certificates   were                                                                    
completed  in four  years and  two  years for  RNs and  LPNs                                                                    
respectively.  Representative Saddler  was unsure  about the                                                                    
time required for certification.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Costello  discussed  the  four  zero  fiscal                                                                    
notes  from  the  Departments  of  Department  of  Commerce,                                                                    
Community and Economic  Development, Department of Education                                                                    
and  Early Development,  Department of  Labor and  Workforce                                                                    
Development, and the University of Alaska.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Austerman  WITHDREW his  OBJECTION to  the adoption                                                                    
of the CS. There being  NO OBJECTION, Work Draft 28-LS0357\U                                                                    
was ADOPTED.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Costello MOVED to  REPORT CSHB 84(FIN) out of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal notes. There  being NO OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 84(FIN) was REPORTED out  of committee with a "do pass"                                                                    
recommendation and  with one new  zero fiscal note  from the                                                                    
Department of  Commerce, Community and  Economic Development                                                                    
and  three  previously  published  zero  fiscal  notes:  FN1                                                                    
(EED), FN2 (LWF), and FN3 (UA).                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Austerman discussed the  schedule for the following                                                                    
week.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson  clarified that  HB 74  (the companion                                                                    
bill  to  SB   23)  had  been  changed   to  address  Alaska                                                                    
Industrial   Development  and   Export  Authority,   (AIDEA)                                                                    
powers; whereas SB 23 continued  to address a liquid natural                                                                    
gas trucking project.