04/30/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

            HB 397-ELIMINATE VACANT STATE POSITIONS                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:20:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO. 397,  "An  Act  relating to  eliminating  vacant                                                               
positions in the  classified and partially exempt  service of the                                                               
state; and providing for an effective date."                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:21:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW   opened  public   testimony  on   HB  397.     After                                                               
ascertaining  that there  was no  one who  wished to  testify, he                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:21:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW  announced  that  the   committee  would  be  hearing                                                               
proposed amendments to HB 397.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:21:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  moved to  adopt  Amendment  1 to  HB  397,                                                               
labeled  33-LS1551\A.2,  A.  Radford,   4/25/24,  which  read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 5, following "each":                                                                                          
          Insert "odd-numbered"                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 7:                                                                                                            
          Delete "364-day"                                                                                                      
          Insert "728-day"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 12:                                                                                                           
          Delete "364-day"                                                                                                      
          Insert "728-day"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 13:                                                                                                           
          Delete "364-day"                                                                                                      
          Insert "728-day"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 4:                                                                                                            
          Delete "2024"                                                                                                         
     Insert "2025"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that  Amendment 1 would extend the                                                               
amount of time  that a state position could  remain vacant before                                                               
it would be eliminated.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:23:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER   said  he  supported  lines   1-14  of                                                               
Amendment 1  and moved Conceptual  Amendment 1 to Amendment  1 to                                                               
delete lines 16-18 of Amendment 1.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:23:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
There being no  objection, Conceptual Amendment 1  to Amendment 1                                                               
was adopted.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:24:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:24 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:24:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  removed his  objection to Amendment  1, as                                                               
amended.   There  being  no further  objection,  Amendment 1,  as                                                               
amended, was adopted.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:24:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said that she would not offer Amendment 2.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:25:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  moved to  adopt  Amendment  3 to  HB  397,                                                               
labeled  33-LS1551\A.1,  A.  Radford,   4/25/24,  which  read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 1:                                                                                                            
          Delete "eliminating"                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 5:                                                                                                            
          Delete "Elimination of"                                                                                             
          Insert "Report on"                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 6:                                                                                                            
          Delete "eliminate a position"                                                                                         
          Insert "submit a report to the Legislative Budget                                                                     
     and Audit Committee identifying all positions"                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 7:                                                                                                            
          Delete "has"                                                                                                          
          Insert "have"                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, lines 2 - 4:                                                                                                       
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill section accordingly.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY explained  that  Amendment  3 would  remove                                                               
language eliminating state positions that  have been vacant for a                                                               
year and instead  require the Division of Personnel  to provide a                                                               
report each year listing positions that have been vacant.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:26:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER said  he is not in favor  of Amendment 3                                                               
and explained  that he  would be more  willing to  converse about                                                               
Amendment 4 [not yet offered].                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY explained  that  the reason  she thought  a                                                               
report could  be an  important first  step to  eliminating vacant                                                               
state positions  was because it would  alleviate costs associated                                                               
with the elimination of state positions.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:27:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT maintained his objection.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:27:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was taken.   Representative Story voted in favor                                                               
of Amendment  3 to  HB 397.   Representatives  Carpenter, Allard,                                                               
Wright,  and  Shaw voted  against  it.   Therefore,  Amendment  3                                                               
failed to be adopted by a vote of 1-4.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:28:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  moved to  adopt  Amendment  4 to  HB  397,                                                               
labeled  33-LS1551\A.4,  A.  Radford,   4/25/24,  which  read  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 2:                                                                                                            
          Delete "eliminating"                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 5:                                                                                                            
          Delete "positions."                                                                                                 
          Insert "positions; report. (a)"                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, following line 1:                                                                                                  
          Insert a new subsection to read:                                                                                      
     "(b)    The  director  of personnel  shall  prepare  an                                                                    
     annual  report  with  an  explanation  of  how  funding                                                                    
     provided  for each  position that  has been  vacant for                                                                    
     the 364-day  period immediately  preceding June  30 was                                                                    
     spent.  The  director  of personnel  shall  submit  the                                                                    
     report to the  senate secretary and the  chief clerk of                                                                    
     the   house   of   representatives   and   notify   the                                                                    
     legislature that the report is available."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  said  that   Amendment  4  is  similar  to                                                               
Amendment 3 but there would  be more specific instructions to the                                                               
director or personnel.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:28:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER commented  that  he is  not opposed  to                                                               
Amendment 4  as he understands  it and said that  the legislation                                                               
needs to detail  when the report to the Division  of Personnel is                                                               
due and change its due date to the end of each year.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:29:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER  moved to  adopt Conceptual  Amendment 1                                                               
to Amendment 4, to insert the  words "by December 31st each year"                                                               
after  "report" on  line  10, as  numbered on  Amendment  4.   He                                                               
further  clarified  the  roles  of   the  Office  of  the  Senate                                                               
Secretary and the  Office of the Chief Clerk in  the Alaska State                                                               
Legislature in relation to receipt  of the report.  [No objection                                                               
was stated  and the committee  treated Conceptual Amendment  1 to                                                               
Amendment 4 as adopted.]                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:30:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:30 p.m. to 3:31 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:31:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  removed his  objection to Amendment  4, as                                                               
amended.   There  being  no further  objection,  Amendment 4,  as                                                               
amended, was adopted.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:32:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT moved to report  HB 397, as amended, out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal  note.  There  being no objection, CSHB  397(STA) was                                                               
reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.