Legislature(2017 - 2018)HOUSE FINANCE 519
03/30/2017 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB115 | |
| HB137 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 115 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 137 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE BILL NO. 137
"An Act redesignating the Alaska State Council on the
Arts as a public corporation and governmental
instrumentality of the state; defining the powers and
duties of the Alaska State Council on the Arts;
providing exemptions from certain statutes for the
Alaska State Council on the Arts; making conforming
amendments; and providing for an effective date."
3:27:59 PM
KRISTIN KRANENDONK, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE HARRIET DRUMMOND,
read from prepared remarks.
House Bill 137 quasi-privatizes the Alaska State
Council on the Arts (ASCA) by restructuring it as a
public corporation in order to help the ASCA to
continue its work with self-employed Alaskan artists
and art businesses during these challenging fiscal
times. This new status will allow the ASCA to increase
its ability to leverage funds from non-governmental
contributors and better adapt to the shifting economic
future.
This bill adds Alaska State Council on the Arts
employees to exempt employee status. Currently the
ASCA has 4 full time employees, and Rep Drummond's
office reached out to those employees and they were
all supportive of this change. This section makes
those employees exempt from the State Personnel Act.
The bill adds artists' submission made in response to
an inquiry initiated by the ASCA to the list of
records that are exempt from public inspection. This
does not include artists awarded a commission however.
The bill adds appropriate board member language needed
to create "trustees" since the corporation will be
governed by a board of trustees. And it replaces
language that entitles trustees to be reimbursed for
travel expenses at the same rate as members of other
state boards.
HB137 also adds "literary arts" as a field represented
within the board and replaces "educational" objectives
with "strategic" objections as it relates to the
councils ability to enter into contracts.
Other changes include exemption from the State
Procurement Code, while still providing for formal,
appropriate procurement protocols for ASCA.
Restructuring will keep ASCA's operating budget under
the Executive Budget Act for openness and
transparency. Transition language will allow ASCA's
advisory committees, and the public process will
remain in place as ASCA administers grants, programs,
and services.
Finally there is transition language in the bill that
will also allow Council members to remain on the board
until their term is over and allow current employees
to remain on staff.
The effective date for this legislation is July 1,
2017.
The State Council on the Arts wants to ensure that it
is in a position to expand its important work to serve
all Alaskans. Private funders across the nation are
increasingly approaching ASCA to offer support.
Carefully considered restructuring efforts have the
potential to allow the Council to advance the
opportunity to grow the development base, as well as
reduce its reliance on State funds.
HB137 will improve the ability of the Council to
leverage non-state funding and represents a real
opportunity to realign ASCA to better perform in the
environment which exists in Alaska today.
3:32:13 PM
BEN BROWN, CHAIR, ALASKA STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, agreed
with Ms. Kranendonk's remarks. He elaborated that the bill
represented over a year's efforts by all of the members of
the council and staff, and partners at Rasmussen Foundation
and other foundation partners. He believed the legislation
was carefully crafted.
Co-Chair Foster OPENED public testimony.
ALICE BIOFF, KAWERAK, INC., NOME (via teleconference),
spoke in support of the legislation. She read from a
prepared statement:
Dear Honorable Committee Chair and Committee members,
My name is Alice Bioff, resident of Nome, Alaska,
currently employed at Kawerak, Inc. and an Alaska
State Council on the Arts (ASCA) council member. Thank
you all for the opportunity to testify in support of
HB137. I am testifying today in my capacity as an ASCA
council member. I am a tribal member of the Native
Village of Koyuk, and grew up there and in Nome. My
family and I have lived in Nome for the last 17 years.
For much of that time, I have been employed by
Kawerak, Inc., the regional Native non-profit
consortium of tribes for the Bering Strait region, as
a Business Planning Specialist.
Through our work here at Kawerak, I am honored and
privileged to work with artist entrepreneurs within
our communities. We provide direct technical
assistance offering tools and resources to assist
artists continue their work so that they can sustain
themselves, their families and their communities. It
is through this work that I have seen firsthand how
important it is for these artists who live in
communities with very few resources and
infrastructure, to grow their businesses through
opportunities such as those that become available
through ASCA and others.
Artist Entrepreneurs are economic development drivers
in their communities and the Alaska State Council on
the Arts supports these communities through their work
and advocacy. With their partnerships, resources and
programs, we see a bright future and growth
opportunity to support all artists across the State.
Through the restructuring initiative, we see ASCA
services continued and strengthened to support the
artists through improved ability to react to funding
opportunities and better represent, support and
advance the artists by offering the tools and services
needed to strengthen an already existing and important
economy. This is critical to strengthening and
sustaining our rural communities in this fiscally
challenging time.
HB137 streamlines the process ASCA will use to present
opportunities to artists all over Alaska, including
those artists we have worked with for years here in
the Bering Strait region. From my perspective, this
will be a great benefit for all artists including
those in rural Alaska.
3:36:09 PM
ANDREA NOBLE-PELANT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA STATE
COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, EAGLE RIVER (via teleconference),
testified in support of the legislation. She shared that
she was a council member for 11 years. She offered that the
council's purpose was to support and advance Alaska's
creative industries and its cultural infrastructure. She
believed a thriving arts community created a ripple effect
around the state and connected the population. The council
was in existence for 51 years and was ready for
organizational change. She noted that Alaska's creative
industries was growing due to targeted public and private
investment in the state's cultural infrastructure over the
past 10 years, experiencing rapid growth in grants
programs, and public private partnerships. The council
worked on national and international levels on projects,
initiatives, and policies through arts organizations. In
addition, the council provided professional development
throughout the state. She commented that the bill enabled
the council's staff to manage projects in a timely manner
and increased its work across sectors such as
transportation, healthcare, economic development, and
tourism. She mentioned that the council's mission evolved
to "expand access to arts experiences;" art as a process
versus art as a product. The council's programs reached
military service members for treatment of PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder) and incarcerated individuals
learning how to create art for post-release success. The
council assisted teachers who wanted to live and teach in
rural communities and provided children and youth
opportunities to learn through arts and culture. She
related that HB 137 allowed the council to be responsive in
implementing projects that affected its performance and the
ability to seek and secure private funding. She emphasized
that the council worked with partners and all of the
revenues from the funders was funneled back into Alaskan
communities in the form of grants, programs, and resources.
3:40:08 PM
Ms. Noble-Pelant provided the list of partners including
the Rasmussen Foundation, the Alaska Arts and Culture
Foundation, Atwood Foundation, National Endowment for the
Arts, Margaret A Cargill Philanthropy, the SERI Foundation,
SeaAlaska Heritage Institute, Alaska Humanities Forum,
Western States Arts Federation, and the American for the
Arts.
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.
Representative Wilson asked about required matching funds.
She asked for evidence on whether matching funds had to be
GF. Mr. Brown answered in the affirmative and emphasized
that the provision was laid out in federal code. He termed
it as "black letter law." He relayed that the state of
Kanas eliminated their state match and ultimately lost
their entire federal grant. He reported that the council
discussed ways to increase its earned income that qualified
as a state match. He exemplified a license plate bill from
the previous session that included a provision for the arts
license plates. The council currently had a design contest
for Alaskans to design license plates and then sell them,
although he did not anticipate a large revenue stream from
the venture. However, it was an example of program receipts
that can offset the state matching funds. He maintained
that private match money will not work. Representative
Wilson had asked the question because she thought that some
additional federal dollars were available that the state
was not receiving. Mr. Brown replied that the partnership
agreement was for a three-year period and the amount was
determined by the National Endowment for the Arts. In
addition, the council sought merit-based competitive funds.
He specified that programs like Poetry Out Loud and
Creative Forces did not require matching funds. He assured
the committee that the council had done very well in
attaining funding of all types and that the council "would
never leave a federal dollar on the table."
3:44:47 PM
Representative Pruitt asked whether the council was able to
utilize private funds to receive more federal funds. Mr.
Brown responded that over half of the council's budget was
derived from private foundation money and the rest was
state appropriation and NEA match. Any private money was
used over and above the funding to support its mission.
Representative Kawasaki asked whether the council was at
the maximum federal match. Mr. Brown answered that the
council was at "the right amount." He elucidated that some
states appropriated more than necessary. Representative
Kawasaki asked for verification that the bill would not
jeopardize any of the National Endowment for the Arts
match. Mr. Brown replied that the funds were not in
jeopardy and assured the committee that he confirmed the
matter with the NEA.
Representative Kawasaki asked whether it was typical or
necessary for states to have a council or committee to
receive NEA funding. Mr. Brown answered in the affirmative.
He elaborated that the state had to have some sort of
council containing public members and within the larger
mandate, states did it differently. Alaska would be the
first state with a quasi-private corporation. He reported
that other states were watching Alaska with interest in
adopting the idea. He thought that the bill could set a
positive example for the rest of country.
HB 137 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Seaton addressed the schedule for the following
day.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB137 Supporting Document Brown.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB137 Letter of Support Kawerak.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB137 Sectional 3.3.17.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB137 Sponsor 3.3.17.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB137 Supporting Document Alaska Public Media.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 137 |
| HB115 Supporting Document - Draw Limit Matrix CS SB 26 (3.29.17 DOR).pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 115 SB 26 |
| HB 115 Fiscal Note Packet.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 115 |
| HB 115 DOC Response to House Finance HB 115 Fiscal Note Questions.pdf |
HFIN 3/30/2017 1:30:00 PM |
HB 115 |