05/05/2004 09:04 AM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     HOUSE BILL NO. 489                                                                                                         
     "An Act relating to the administration of the Alaska                                                                       
     Vocational Technical Center; and providing for an effective                                                                
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This  was the first  hearing  for this  bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken  stated  this  bill, offered  by  the  House  Rules                                                            
Committee  by  request   of  the  Governor,  would  "authorize   the                                                            
Department  of Labor  and Workforce  Development  to administer  the                                                            
programs of  AVTEC, and to set rates  for student tuition,  room and                                                            
board."                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
GREG  OCLARAY,  Commissioner,  Department  of  Labor  and  Workforce                                                            
Development,  testified that  SB 192, which  transferred the  Alaska                                                            
Vocational  Technical Education Center  (AVTEC) from the  Department                                                            
of Education  and Early Development  to the Department of  Labor and                                                            
Workforce Development,  inadvertently  omitted a provision  granting                                                            
the  Department of  Labor  and Workforce  Development  authority  to                                                            
determine student  tuition and collect fees. This  bill corrects the                                                            
oversight by granting  the necessary authority to  the Department of                                                            
Labor and Workforce Development.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green  offered a motion to  report the bill from  Committee                                                            
with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Without objection HB 489  MOVED from Committee with zero fiscal note                                                            
#1 from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.