Legislature(2021 - 2022)BARNES 124

01/28/2022 09:00 AM House LABOR & COMMERCE

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Audio Topic
03:22:48 PM Start
03:23:16 PM Overview: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
04:41:16 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
-- Delayed to 3:15 pm --
-- Please Note Time & Location Change --
+ Overview: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs TELECONFERENCED
Act
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
+= HB 159 CONSUMER DATA PRIVACY ACT TELECONFERENCED
Scheduled but Not Heard
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
          HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                         
                        January 28, 2022                                                                                        
                           3:22 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Zack Fields, Co-Chair                                                                                            
Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Co-Chair                                                                                          
Representative David Nelson                                                                                                     
Representative James Kaufman                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Calvin Schrage                                                                                                   
Representative Liz Snyder                                                                                                       
Representative Ken McCarty                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW: INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     - HEARD                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
NOLAN KLOUDA, Executive Director                                                                                                
Center for Economic Development                                                                                                 
UAA Business Enterprise Institute                                                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION  STATEMENT:   Gave a  PowerPoint presentation  entitled,                                                             
"Infrastructure   Investment  and   Jobs  Act;"   Co-presented  a                                                               
PowerPoint,  entitled  "Alaska's   Nonprofit  Sector:  Generating                                                               
Economic  Impact"  during  the  Overview  on  the  Infrastructure                                                               
Investment and Jobs Act.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MIKE WALSH, Vice President of Public Policy                                                                                     
The Foraker Group                                                                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION STATEMENT:  Co-presented a PowerPoint, entitled                                                                      
"Alaska's Nonprofit Sector: Generating Economic Impact" during                                                                  
the Overview on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:22:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS called  the House  Labor  and Commerce  Standing                                                             
Committee meeting to order at  3:22 p.m.  Representatives Fields,                                                               
Spohnholz,  Nelson,  and Kaufman  were  present  at the  call  to                                                               
order.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
^OVERVIEW: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act                                                                               
        OVERVIEW: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
3:23:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced  that the only order  of business would                                                               
be an overview of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:23:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NOLAN   KLOUDA,   Executive   Director,   Center   for   Economic                                                               
Development,   UAA   Business   Enterprise  Institute,   gave   a                                                               
PowerPoint presentation entitled,  "Infrastructure Investment and                                                               
Jobs  Act" [hard  copy included  in the  committee packet].   The                                                               
Infrastructure   Investment   and   Jobs   Act   (IIJA)   was   a                                                               
congressional  infrastructure bill  authorizing  $550 billion  in                                                               
new  spending on  transportation,  energy, water/wastewater,  and                                                               
broadband.  The  spending would be spread over five  years with a                                                               
mix  of  formula  funding,  direct   spending,  loan  funds,  and                                                               
competitive grants.  Formula funds  going to Alaska included $3.4                                                               
billion for federal highway aid,  $392 million for airports, $368                                                               
million  for  water  infrastructure,   $362  million  for  public                                                               
transportation, $225 for  bridge repair/replacement, $100 million                                                               
for  broadband, $52  million for  electric vehicle  charging, $19                                                               
million   for   wildfire   protection,  and   $11   million   for                                                               
cybersecurity.    The  Denali  Commission  would  be  funded  $75                                                               
million.  The  Alaska Marine Highway System  (AMHS) would receive                                                               
$1  billion  for  essential  ferry  services.    Other  important                                                               
features of  the bill included streamlined  permitting processes;                                                               
port   and   infrastructure   development;   nonprimary   airport                                                               
infrastructure grants; $3.5 going  to Indian Health Service (IHS)                                                               
sanitation   facilities;  and   Broadband   Equity,  Access   and                                                               
Deployment Program with $100 million  per state.  State broadband                                                               
subgrants  were   specifically  for   unserved/underserved  areas                                                               
defined  by  less  than  100/25 Mbps.    Additional  programs  of                                                               
interest  were the  Federal  Emergency  Management Agency  (FEMA)                                                               
Flood Mitigation  Assistance Program ($3.5 billion);  energy grid                                                               
reliability   grants   ($5    billion);   energy   infrastructure                                                               
assistance ($5  billion); grid improvements for  rural and remote                                                               
areas  ($1  billion);  weatherization  assistance  program  ($3.5                                                               
billion); carbon capture, utilization,  and storage ($8 billion);                                                               
low  emission  fuels  funding; supply  chains  for  clean  energy                                                               
funding; and  orphaned oil and  gas well cleanup.   The following                                                               
were  critical   issues  for  state   government:  organizational                                                               
capacity; capital  versus operating funds; matching  funds needed                                                               
for some  grants; and  coordination between  different functions.                                                               
Further considerations included  workforce shortages; cost/supply                                                               
of building materials; and long lead time on some projects.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:03:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIKE WALSH, Vice  President of Public Policy,  The Foraker Group,                                                               
co-presented a  PowerPoint, entitled "Alaska's  Nonprofit Sector:                                                               
Generating Economic Impact" [hard  copy included in the committee                                                               
packet].  The  Foraker Group was a nonprofit  organization with a                                                               
long  history  of  service  to  Tribal  organizations  and  local                                                               
government.   He  provided  an  overview of  the  agenda for  the                                                               
presentation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  KLOUDA  continued  the  presentation  by  sharing  that  the                                                               
economic   impact   of   Alaska   nonprofits   was   significant.                                                               
Nonprofits directly  employed 38,000  people in  the state.   The                                                               
largest   share  of   nonprofits  was   501(c)(3)  organizations,                                                               
dominated by  religious entities, education, and  human services.                                                               
Alaska  nonprofits were  a major  economic driver,  creating jobs                                                               
and income that rippled through  communities.  In summary, 58,000                                                               
jobs out of 300,000 total in  the state were tired to nonprofits,                                                               
with a direct payroll of $4  billion.  One in four non-government                                                               
jobs were  tied to nonprofits.   The gender pay gap  still needed                                                               
improvement.   The  gap between  men  and women  was smallest  at                                                               
nonprofits with  fewer than 10 employees;  however, average wages                                                               
grew  as  nonprofits  got  bigger  and  the  pay  gap  grew  with                                                               
increased  earnings.   Approximately half  of the  nonprofit jobs                                                               
were in  the healthcare sector.   In 2020, nonprofits  brought in                                                               
$7.8  billion   in  revenue.    During   the  COVID-19  Pandemic,                                                               
nonprofits  paid a  high price  but  lost fewer  jobs than  other                                                               
sectors.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WALSH concluded  the presentation  by discussing  next steps                                                               
and  highlighting  interactive  tools   on  The  Foraker  Group's                                                               
website.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:41:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no further business before the committee, the                                                                       
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was                                                                         
adjourned at 4:41 p.m.                                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
Klouda House L&C Infrastructure Bill Summary.pdf HL&C 1/28/2022 9:00:00 AM
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Foraker-Nonprofit-Economic-Impact-Report-2021.pdf HL&C 1/28/2022 9:00:00 AM
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Foraker economic report 2021-2022 house labor and commerce 1-28-2022.pdf HL&C 1/28/2022 9:00:00 AM
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act