05/02/2019 08:00 AM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS

        HB 142-NATIVE ORGANIZATIONS VPSO & TANF PROGRAMS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:03:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced  that the first order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE  BILL  NO.  142,  "An Act  relating  to  Alaska  Native                                                               
organizations;  relating to  the  village  public safety  officer                                                               
program;  and   relating  to  the  Alaska   temporary  assistance                                                               
program."                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:03:40 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE    JONATHAN     KREISS-TOMKINS,    Alaska    State                                                               
Legislature,  as the  prime  sponsor of  HB  142, introduced  the                                                               
bill.   He explained  HB 142 is  a technical fix.   He  said that                                                               
under current  law certain organizations are  eligible to partner                                                               
with  the State  of Alaska  in administering  the Village  Public                                                               
Safety  Officer   (VPSO)  and  Temporary  Assistance   for  Needy                                                               
Families  (TANF)  programs.   However,  there  is an  element  of                                                               
ambiguity about whether Central Council  of the Tlingit and Haida                                                               
Indian Tribes  of Alaska  (Tlingit & Haida)  is in  fact eligible                                                               
because Tlingit  & Haida  has a  somewhat anomalous  legal status                                                               
relative to  most of the  other regional organizations  in Alaska                                                               
that  administer  VPSO  and  TANF.   This  has  been  vetted  and                                                               
identified by  the Alaska Department  of Public Safety  (DPS), he                                                               
continued, (indisc. - audio difficulties).   [HB 142] quells that                                                               
ambiguity,  he stated.   (Indisc.  - audio  difficulties continue                                                               
until Representative Edgmon moves to report the bill.)                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:04:47 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOHN SCANLON, Staff,  Representative Kreiss-Tomkins, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature   testified  on   behalf   of   the  prime   sponsor,                                                               
Representative Kreiss-Tomkins.  [None  of Mr. Scanlon's testimony                                                               
was recorded due to audio difficulties.]                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:05:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON  moved to  report HB  142 out  of committee                                                               
with individual recommendations and  the accompanying zero fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  HB 142 was reported  from the                                                               
House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs.