04/19/2017 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 150                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to pay, allowances, and benefits for                                                                      
     members of the organized militia."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:41:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KENDRA   KLOSTER,   STAFF,    REPRESENTATIVE   CHRIS   TUCK,                                                                    
introduced the  legislation. She  explained that HB  150 was                                                                    
an ongoing  effort to modernize the  state's Alaska Military                                                                    
Code from 1955. She reminded  the committee that the process                                                                    
began last  year with the  Alaska Code of  Military Justice.                                                                    
She delineated  that HB  150 would  authorize the  same pay,                                                                    
allowance  and benefits  for the  organized militia  whether                                                                    
they are  called into state  active duty by the  Governor or                                                                    
Adjutant  General or  called to  service  by the  President.                                                                    
Presently, the  Alaska State Defense Force  soldiers serving                                                                    
during  emergencies   or  disasters   were  paid   as  state                                                                    
employees  according  to   tasks  performed  under  assigned                                                                    
duties.  She  furthered  that the  type  of  accounting  was                                                                    
cumbersome and  labor intensive. Soldiers were  uncertain of                                                                    
the amount of pay they  would receive. The bill aligned with                                                                    
the current  armed forces pay  schedule which paid  by grade                                                                    
and rank  of the  soldier instead  of duties  performed. She                                                                    
indicated that the change was cost neutral.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Kawasaki asked  about  whether the  soldiers                                                                    
were entitled to retirement benefits.   Ms. Kloster answered                                                                    
that  the  Alaska  State  Defense   Force  was  a  volunteer                                                                    
organization  and  would only  receive  pay  when in  active                                                                    
state  duty. She  elaborated that  the  force was  different                                                                    
than  the National  Guard members  and she  deferred further                                                                    
answers to  the Department of Military  and Veterans Affairs                                                                    
(DMVA).  Representative  Kawasaki   clarified  that  he  was                                                                    
asking  whether there  was an  impact  on Public  Employees'                                                                    
Retirement System (PERS) from  the bill. Ms. Kloster replied                                                                    
in  the  negative. She  reiterated  that  as volunteers  the                                                                    
force members only received pay  when activated and were not                                                                    
entitled to PERS.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Grenn   asked   for  examples   of   recent                                                                    
emergencies. Ms. Kloster referred  to pay tables in member's                                                                    
packets  [prepared   by  the  Department  of   Military  and                                                                    
Veterans  Affairs  (copy  on file).]  She  noted  the  table                                                                    
listed  the example  of  the  Sockeye fire  on  page 2.  She                                                                    
elaborated that  the table listed the  pay scale comparisons                                                                    
under the old system and the  new system. The new system was                                                                    
cost  neutral  due to  the  efficiencies  in the  accounting                                                                    
required.  Representative Grenn  asked  whether the  Sockeye                                                                    
fire was the most recent example.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:46:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Kloster replied  in the  affirmative. She  deferred the                                                                    
question to the Department  of Military and Veterans Affairs                                                                    
(DMVA) for further detail.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Pruitt referred  to  the  2015 Sockeye  fire                                                                    
example  on  the  pay  table  document.  He  was  trying  to                                                                    
determine why some  members of the force were  paid more and                                                                    
others  were  paid  less when  compared  to  their  previous                                                                    
service.  Ms. Kloster  deferred  the question  to DMVA.  She                                                                    
added  that  a force  member  would  be  paid based  on  the                                                                    
person's  current position  in  grade and  rank rather  than                                                                    
duty.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
BOB DOEHL,  DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF  MILITARY AND                                                                    
VETERANS  AFFAIRS (via  teleconference),  answered that  the                                                                    
tables  were looking  at  two different  pay  scales of  two                                                                    
different systems.  He elucidated  that the  military system                                                                    
used  a  straight  system of  rank.  Currently,  a  National                                                                    
Guardsman  and a  defense force  volunteer working  together                                                                    
would  be   paid  differently  from  different   pay  scales                                                                    
depending  on rank  and  duty. The  challenge  was when  the                                                                    
Alaska  State Defense  Force  was  activated the  department                                                                    
evaluated the duties on a  given day or hour consistent with                                                                    
the official position description  system, hourly rates, and                                                                    
the  pay  range. The  difference  was  how the  two  systems                                                                    
calculated doing the same job.  Every disaster had different                                                                    
requirements in terms of the  type of individuals activated.                                                                    
He concluded that he could  not find a consistent pattern to                                                                    
identify the system that paid higher.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:51:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Pruitt  asked whether the force  members were                                                                    
in favor of the new pay system.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
JOHN  JAMES, COLONEL,  DEPARTMENT OF  MILITARY AND  VETERANS                                                                    
AFFAIRS (via teleconference), replied in the affirmative.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster OPENED and CLOSED public testimony.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
HB  150  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.