04/07/2015 05:00 PM House FISHERIES

             HCR 10-MARITIME WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:14:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  CONCURRENT   RESOLUTION  NO.  10  Supporting   the  Alaska                                                               
Maritime  Workforce Development  Industry Advisory  Committee and                                                               
further  efforts  to  carry out  the  Alaska  Maritime  Workforce                                                               
Development Plan.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:14:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MILLETT  moved to  adopt  CSHCR  10, labeled  29-                                                               
LS0709\H, Wayne, 4/2/15, as the working document.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES objected for discussion.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:14:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANITA SHOLL,  Staff, Representative  Louise Stutes,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, said that Version H  makes a title change to reflect                                                               
the addition  of the  Alaska Workforce  Investment Board  and the                                                               
Alaska  Vocational Technical  Education  Center in  Seward.   She                                                               
pointed out that the change  includes the supporting language for                                                               
the Alaska  Workforce Investment Board and  the Alaska Vocational                                                               
Technical Education Center in Seward  which has been added to the                                                               
body of the resolution.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES   removed  her   objection,  and   without  further                                                               
objection, Version H was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:15:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GREG PAVELLAS, Co-Chair, Industry  Advisory Committee (IAC), said                                                               
he in representing the Industry  Advisory Committee (IAC) and the                                                               
Alaska Maritime  Workforce Development Plan, and  paraphrased the                                                               
following statement:                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     This is  the first  comprehensive effort  to understand                                                                    
     and   address  the   workforce  development   needs  in                                                                    
     Alaska's maritime  industry.   As defined in  the plan,                                                                    
     the  maritime  industry  includes  seafood  harvesters,                                                                    
     seafood processers, fisheries  research, enhancement in                                                                    
     management,  marine transportation,  ship building  and                                                                    
     repair,  and marine  support  services.   Collectively,                                                                    
     this sector  in Alaska is the  largest private employer                                                                    
     with more  than 500 firms  statewide in a  workforce of                                                                    
     over 68,000  people.  Until now  these occupations have                                                                    
     not  been  formally  characterized   as  a  unique  and                                                                    
     related workforce.   The  plan is a  guide and  call to                                                                    
     action for  the private sector,  government, education,                                                                    
     and   workforce  development   entities   to  forge   a                                                                    
     partnership   dedicated   to    building   a   globally                                                                    
     competitive maritime workforce in Alaska.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:17:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. PAVELLAS continued:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The goals of the  Alaska Maritime Workforce Development                                                                    
     Plan are  to help  sustain and  enhance the  economy of                                                                    
     Alaska  and  its  communities   by:  (1)  developing  a                                                                    
     responsive   workforce   that  enables   the   maritime                                                                    
     industry to endure as a  substantial contributor to the                                                                    
     state; (2)  guiding Alaska's workforce to  discover and                                                                    
     prepare for the wide  range of employment opportunities                                                                    
     in  the  maritime  industry;  and  (3)  increasing  the                                                                    
     number   of  Alaskans   working  in   skilled  maritime                                                                    
     occupations  and  earning  a family  wage.    Employers                                                                    
     surveyed during the development  of the plan noted that                                                                    
     the  number of  Alaskans with  the necessary  skills to                                                                    
     fill  the available  maritime positions  is too  low to                                                                    
     meet  the  demand.    The  plan  offers  a  pathway  to                                                                    
     increase  the number  of Alaskans  working in  the high                                                                    
     demand, high  wage occupations  that exist  in Alaska's                                                                    
     maritime    industry.        To    ensure    successful                                                                    
     implementation of  the plan,  a collaboration  is being                                                                    
     formed  between business,  industry,  local, state  and                                                                    
     federal governments, and  philanthropic foundations, as                                                                    
     the  collaboration  is   being  modeled  on  successful                                                                    
     economic  and  workforce  development  best  practices.                                                                    
     Through   HCR   10   the  legislator   is   encouraging                                                                    
     persistence  and stating  to Alaskans  that by  working                                                                    
     smarter   with   existing  training   and   educational                                                                    
     resources  that  greater  benefits can  accrue  to  the                                                                    
     citizens of the maritime industries  of our state.  The                                                                    
     legislature  concurs with  the goal  to drive  outcomes                                                                    
     that  improve maritime  related  job opportunities  for                                                                    
     Alaskans  while strengthening  the economic  [benefits]                                                                    
     of Alaska's maritime industry.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
5:19:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN ANGASAN,  Commercial Fisherman, stated support  for HCR 10                                                               
and said it is important to  encourage and increase the amount of                                                               
local  workers entering  the Bristol  Bay fishing  industry.   He                                                               
expressed  there   is  an   alarming  statistic   within  seafood                                                               
processing that  there are 2,289  seafood processing jobs  in the                                                               
Bristol Bay Borough,  of which 209 are held by  locals, and 2,080                                                               
are held by  non-locals.  He said, "We are  part of the original,                                                               
they  used  to call  it  MSIT  movement  in the  beginning,"  and                                                               
appreciates that  the original training  centers will be  part of                                                               
this movement (indisc.)  is fisheries jobs training.   He thanked                                                               
the committee for making fisheries a priority in the state.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  closed public testimony  after ascertaining  no one                                                               
further wished to testify.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:22:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON  noted the bill  requires a report  to the                                                               
legislature and asked whether it will require a fiscal note.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. SHOLL responded that the bill carries a zero fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked  whether there is a  report this can                                                               
tag onto, because  if a report must be generated  there will be a                                                               
cost.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. SHOLL said she does not have  the answer but will get back to                                                               
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:23:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
5:23:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNA  LATHUM, Legislative  Liaison, Office  of the  Commissioner,                                                               
Department of Labor & Workforce  Development, said the department                                                               
submitted  a  zero  fiscal  note as  minimal  resources  will  be                                                               
required to submit the report.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON encouraged the  department, in the future,                                                               
when minimal work is required to provide a zero fiscal note.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
5:24:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MILLETT moved  to  report CSHCR  10, labeled  29-                                                               
LS0709\H,  Wayne,  4/2/15,  out   of  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations  and the  accompanying zero  fiscal note.   There                                                               
being no  objection, CSHCR 10(FSH)  moved from the  House Special                                                               
Committee on Fisheries.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:25:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 5:25 a.m. to 5:26 a.m.