Legislature(2019 - 2020)BARNES 124
05/07/2019 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HJR19 | |
| HB69 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HJR 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 69 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HJR 19-SUPPORT 2020 DECENNIAL CENSUS
8:03:18 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19, Urging the United States
Congress to fully fund the United States Census Bureau for the
2020 Census; urging the governor to prioritize an accurate count
for the 2020 Census; and urging local governments to establish
local complete count commissions. [Before the committee was
CSHJR 19(TRB).]
8:03:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TIFFANY ZULKOSKY, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, presented HJR 19. She stated that the 2020
Census is vital to Alaska. Required under Article I, Section II
of the Constitution of the United States, the goal of the Census
is to count every resident in the U.S. at their residence "as a
basis for sharing resources and determining political
representation." She continued as follows:
Dependent on federally established formulas tied to
Census data, Alaska receives $3.2 billion in federal
funding each year across 70 programs. In a time of
state and local budget constraints, maintaining the
amount of federal investment is crucial to Alaska's
economies, communities, and programs. Organizations
across public, private, and nonprofit sectors rely on
funding allocations determined by the Census
information, illustrating the importance of accurate
account data. ... [Each] uncounted individual results
in a loss of roughly $3,000 of federal funding for
Alaska per year, equivalent to a loss of $30,000 of
federal funding for Alaska over a 10-year period, for
every person who is not counted. This results in
reduced essential services, like health, housing, road
repairs, and education. It compounds harm to local
and state budget gaps, and it results in improper
enforcement in voting in civil rights laws. For these
reasons, it is imperative Census data is accurate and
we have done everything that we can to ensure
Alaskans, communities, and the state ... [are] ready
to be counted.
In partnership with the Alaska Census Working Group, a
public/private partnership of local organizations in
our state, the [House] Special Committee on Tribal
Affairs sponsored HJR 19 to highlight the importance
of the decennial Census. The resolution also urges
the federal delegation to fully fund the Census [and]
encourages the state to prioritize outreach, to ensure
the accuracy of data, and invite local governments to
engage in the count by establishing local complete
count commissions. With significant geographic,
language, and connectivity barriers, Alaska is
considered one of the most difficult states to count
in the country.
8:06:45 AM
The difficulty of counting Alaska is even greater in
the 2020 Census with the borough's decision to
eliminate three things: the notification mailing to
[United States Postal Service mailboxes] ("P.O.
Boxes"), translation support for materials into Native
languages, and transitioning to a mostly online
response system. With the Census Bureau launching its
count in my home district in Toksook Bay, on January
21, 2020, it is vital that Alaska's leadership, at all
levels of government and organizations across the
state, prioritize an accurate count before starting
conversations about how the data will be used.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY, in conclusion, related that HJR 19 had
been unanimously moved out of the House Special Committee on
Tribal Affairs.
8:08:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY added that her work on the issue has
increased her awareness of its importance.
8:09:09 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN asked the sponsor if she was aware of any
discussions that had been held in terms of the capital budget
and an appropriation to support local Census committees.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY offered her understanding that Governor
Mike Dunleavy put in resources for "the Census work following
the count," but she is not aware of any additional resources
designated "to help develop community readiness around the
Census."
CO-CHAIR HANNAN asked Representative Zulkosky how the
legislature could [help the state prepare for the Census] other
than passing a resolution.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY deferred to invited testifiers to answer
that question. She mentioned the confidentiality aspect of
Census data gathering and fines resulting from breaching that
confidentiality. She said the proposed joint resolution is
important, because it would educate Alaskans on how Census
information is used to secure resources that support
communities.
8:12:17 AM
ELIZABETH MEDICINE CROW, President/CEO, First Alaskans
Institute, by way of introduction, gave the names of her
grandparents and parents, as well as her Native affiliation.
She said the institute is a statewide, nonprofit organization
whose vision is "progress for the next 10,000 years." She
remarked upon the combined strengths of Native and non-Native
Alaskans and all entities, and she emphasized the importance of
counting all Alaskans in the Census. She said Alaska takes in
about $3.2 billion over the ten years between each Census, which
calculates to approximately $31,000 per person annually. She
said a household with two parents, a grandparent, and three
children, [which does not participate in the Census], would
result in a loss of $186,000 annually, which equals almost $2
million in a 10-year period. She said these figures are
significant when considering the amount of money in the state's
budget that may be "a lifesaving amount of money" for programs
and services. She referred to an article in The Juneau Empire,
in which the author wrote that every 1 percent - or 7,500 people
- who don't respond to the Census results in a loss to the state
of approximately $22 million annually. She said the nonresponse
rate of the 2010 Census was 36 percent, which equated to $798.93
million dollars per year for a total of nearly $8 billion lost
over the course of 10 years.
8:17:58 AM
MS. MEDICINE CROW said in her community of Kake, Alaska, a break
in the waterline resulted in half the community without water,
and federal funding would be necessary to get it fixed, and
those federal funds are allocated [as a result of] Census
information. She emphasized that accurate Census counts are
imperative for education funding and housing dollars. She
talked about the importance of listing the head of household as
Alaska Native in mixed race households, because that helps to
ensure that federal funding connected with tribal governments is
allocated. She said for Alaska Natives, "those are actually
political rights, not racial rights." She explained that she
came before the committee on behalf of First Alaskans Institute,
which ensures that "our community is at the table and able to
participate in decision-making that's impacting our community,"
to share "how these things really affect us on the ground and
how it also affects our neighbors all the way across the state
of Alaska."
8:21:20 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for clarification regarding "the
numbers" related to the Census in Alaska.
MS. MEDICINE CROW mentioned Eddie Hunsinger, with the State of
Alaska. She said the U.S. Census Borough has shared data about
the impact [of the Census] on the states. She relayed that the
George Washington University has published a series of data
points on the impact on Alaska specifically, and that is the
source of the aforementioned $3.2 billion figure. She
recollected that that number includes 55 federal programs whose
funding allocations are to Alaska annually. She noted that Mike
Walsh was available to testify and could add further
illumination regarding the statistics.
8:22:59 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN, in response to a question from Representative
Jackson regarding a fiscal note, confirmed there is no money
being sought through HJR 19.
8:23:40 AM
MS. MEDICINE CROW said the Census is busy setting up complete
count committees (CCCs) across Alaska, and anyone interested
could form a committee. She stated that "the Census has no
money"; therefore, HJR 19 urges Alaska's delegation to fight for
full funding in Washington, D.C., as well as urges the Alaska
State Legislature to "get behind that complete count committee
process." She said there is opportunity for the Census Borough,
the state, and tribes to partner.
8:24:59 AM
MIKE WALSH, Ph.D., Vice President, Public Policy, Foraker Group;
Staff Support, Alaska Census Working Group, said he and Laurie
Wolf testified before the House Special Committee on Tribal
Affairs two weeks ago regarding Census 2020. He reminded
committee members that the Foraker Group serves as the state
nonprofit association for Alaska and the nonprofit capacity-
building organization for nonprofits across the state. He said
the Foraker Group gives voice to nonpartisan public policy
issues that affect Alaska's nonprofit sector, which directly
employs approximately 44,000 people, who provide "services that
touch, virtually, every Alaskan, every day." He said nonprofits
organizations rely on Census data to do their work. He said it
is the Foraker Group's public policy and focus to ensure every
Alaskan is counted, which brings him before the committee to
speak in support of HJR 19. He stated, "We get one chance every
10 years to get this right, and HJR 19 will certainly help with
that."
DR. WALSH mentioned some of the people who had testified during
the aforementioned House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs
hearing on HJR 19, including Mr. Hunsinger, a state demographer,
and others affiliated with the Alaska Census Working Group.
They spoke on the importance of having a complete and accurate
Census 2020 in Alaska and how the $3.2 billion in federal funds
are allocated to dozens of federal programs based on Census
data. Also discussed at that meeting were specific enumeration
issues facing Alaska, especially those communities in rural
Alaska that are the most difficult to count. He stated, "We
were really pleased to be able to include that figure - about
$3.2 billion - in our 2018 report on the economic impact of the
nonprofit sector on Alaska's economy."
8:28:19 AM
DR. WALSH said no community in the state goes untouched by the
federal programs that operate with Census-driven funding. He
said that data is used to determine allocations for roads,
marine transportation, water, wastewater systems, housing
programs, education, substance abuse prevention and treatment,
among others. He said the working group is pleased that HJR 19
addresses the importance of participation in the 2020 Census in
all levels of government. He said the group believes that HJR
19 would support the growing efforts within Alaska to ensure
that complete and accurate count and appreciates the language
within the proposed joint resolution that encourages active
participation and coordination by the state. He said the group
also supports the language encouraging local governments
establishing CCCs. He echoed Ms. Medicine Crow's statement that
creating CCCs is an excellent way for tribes and local
governments to effectively coordinate and cooperate with the
U.S. Census Borough. Local CCCs can create trust in residents
and educate them as to why the Census matters. He said the
working group and the Foraker Group have found Alaska's
congressional delegation to be 100 percent supportive of the
efforts aimed at counting all Alaskans, including the "pursuit
of full and adequate funding."
8:30:23 AM
DR. WALSH addressed previously posed questions. He indicated
that Governor Dunleavy had removed money from his proposed
budget that had been included in former Governor Bill Walker's
budget, and he offered his understanding that the Senate Finance
Committee "put forward a $250,000 line item to support Census
activities on behalf of the state." In terms of what could be
done to support the work of the Census, he named several things,
including that legislators could, with each e-mail, Facebook
post, and newsletter, make the public aware of the upcoming
Census and the importance of it in terms of funding. He said
some legislators have said they will go door to door to spread
the word. Other ways to lend support, he suggested, include
notice in state correspondence, publications, and applications,
including the permanent fund dividend (PFD) application. Mr.
Walsh noted that the Alaska Census Working Group has been
ramping up its activities in terms of rural outreach to those
communities where it is most difficult to get accurate counts.
The campaign will include social media, web sites, public radio
advertising, and a PO Box outreach campaign.
8:33:15 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND, regarding the mentioned of the $250,000 line
item, asked which budget contained it and what the current
status is.
DR. WALSH offered his understanding that the funds were included
in the Senate Finance Committee's proposed operating budget. He
said he does not know the current status, but hoped it would
remain. In response to follow-up questions, he reiterated that
the funds had originally been in Governor Walker's budget, and
said there have been a couple of studies highlighting the
importance of state support of Census activities. He said
approximately $1.5 million would be adequate for Census funding
in Alaska; therefore, $250,000 is "woefully inadequate" but "any
number is important ... to ensure a fair and accurate account
through those outreach activities." He said the Alaska Census
Working Group has put forward a budget of approximately $690,000
that would target the outreach activity. He said Foraker Group,
along with its partner, the Cook Inlet Housing Authority, has
put forward well over $200,000 in in-kind support. He said that
"a national funder interested in a fair and accurate count" has
given $175,000. He remarked that other dollars are still
needed. He noted that the job of the Census Working Group is to
supplement - not supplant - the work of the state.
8:37:27 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN opened public testimony on HJR 19.
8:37:50 AM
MARY DAVID emphasized the importance of the Census to a region
where the cost of infrastructure is so high. She talked about
"the cost benefit of funding efforts on the Census for our
state." She relayed that a Bering Straits Region Complete Count
Committee has been formed and many volunteers are supporting the
Census effort. She said she sees the importance of forming
regional complete count committees and applauds the statewide
efforts; each region knows what will work best [in supporting
the Census]. She said in her region the Internet does not
always work well. She noted that homes in the region hold
multi-generations, so getting an accurate count through the
Census is important.
8:40:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON noted that the Census has taken place
every 10 years "forever," and she questioned whether it was just
[the 2010 Census] where Ms. David feels there was "a big
undercount."
MS. DAVID answered that there are about 10,000 residents in her
region, and that number is increasing; therefore, she believes
it is important for an accurate count to occur. In order for
that to happen, she said, it is important for individuals to
understand the benefits they can receive by partaking in the
Census. She talked about the importance of outreach beginning
long before the Census takes place. She ventured that [people]
may be reticent in giving information to a stranger without
knowing why the questions are being asked and how the
information will be used. She said the Bering Straits Region
Complete Count Committee is encouraging local people to apply
for Census jobs, because the people being asked questions will
feel more comfortable giving the information to someone from
their community.
8:42:51 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN closed public testimony on HJR 19.
8:43:02 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND echoed Ms. David's remark about the importance
of beginning outreach long before Census data collecting begins.
She urged that the committee not delay in passing out HJR 19.
She indicated that two of Alaska's congressional delegation have
expressed encouragement toward receiving resolutions. She said,
"If we wait until next year to push this out, it will have no
meaning."
8:44:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN said he supports HJR 19 and thinks it
makes sense to move it out of committee after just one hearing.
He stressed the importance of Census-related work, especially to
rural communities in Alaska.
8:44:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK asked whether the committee had reached out
to the U.S. Census Borough and received a response. He said he
is interested "to hear what they have to say about it." He
asked the bill sponsor if "this was requested by the
delegation."
[AN UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER] from the back of the room, in response
to Co-Chair Hannan, said she was not authorized to testify
before the committee but would be willing to come to individual
offices to speak with Representatives.
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK said he was not asking for the joint
resolution to be held; he just wants the U.S. Census Borough to
"know what we're doing and is in support."
CO-CHAIR HANNAN noted that representatives from the U.S. Census
Borough were present during the joint meeting of the House
Special Committee on Tribal Affairs and the House Community and
Regional Affairs Standing Committee two weeks ago; they spoke on
the hiring of local Census workers, among other things. She
said she does not have an answer regarding whether the joint
resolution is in response to a request from Alaska's delegation.
8:46:26 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND observed that the sponsor was not available to
answer Representative Revak's question, because she was
currently chairing the House Special Committee on Tribal
Affairs. She said [the Census] happens only every 10 years and
there is pressure to get it "done right." She said a resolution
simply tells the delegation that the issue is important to "us."
8:47:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK asked if the joint resolution is aimed at
informing the administration that the legislature wants to work
with the administration "to augment the Census."
8:47:26 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN pointed to the "BE IT RESOLVED" portions of HJR
19, which ask to work with the executive branch agencies and the
Alaska Census Working Group for the purpose of establishing
complete counts and to encourage every municipality [to
participate]. Copies of HJR 19 would be sent to the governor,
the Alaska Municipal League, and the congressional delegation.
She offered her understanding that the federal government is
funding the Census but not any outreach efforts prior to the
Census; this includes notifications and alerts to communities.
She said the state has not "picked that up as an effort." She
then noted that translation to Alaska Native languages is not
being done. She recollected that the federal government has in
the past supplied translation to some indigenous languages, but
would not be doing so this time around. Finally, she said the
Census would be largely conducted online, and because this is
primarily a new method, the complete count commissions are
important to getting the word out.
8:49:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK said he appreciates knowing the intent
behind the proposed joint resolution.
8:49:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON suggested the information Representative
Revak is asking for be made available for him to see. She
offered her understanding that the federal government "does
advertise," and there will be jobs available that pay up to $31
per hour. She said, "So, if we can ... focus people to check
that out - get a job - then they can communicate the languages
of their neighbors, as well. [I'm] just leveraging what we have
to make sure we get that to count."
8:51:02 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND shared that Governor Dunleavy has already
appointed 9-10 people to the 2020 Census Alaska Complete Count
Commission through Administrative Order 303. The state
demographer is one of those people appointed. She said, "I
think we need to find out where that funding is, but I don't
think that has anything to do with moving this particular
resolution out today and getting it through ... the legislature
before we adjourn."
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK emphasized that he thinks it is imperative
to ensure everyone is counted [in the Census], and he clarified
that he wanted to understand the intent of HJR 19. He remarked
that if all the documents were distributed to the former joint
committee hearing, he had not seen them.
8:52:41 AM
CO-CHAIR HANNAN suggested Representative Revak could listen to
the recording of the joint meeting. She recalled some of the
presenters from that meeting and suggested the handouts could be
collected for Representative Revak.
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK assured Co-Chair Hannan that he could
obtain the information.
8:53:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON noted that Representative Zulkosky's
staff had returned, thus was available to respond to questions.
8:53:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK restated his question.
8:53:58 AM
GRACE SINGH, Staff, Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Zulkosky, prime
sponsor of HJR 19, in response to Representative Revak's
concerns, noted that the U.S. Census Borough has been involved
in the Alaska Complete Census Working Group. She said, "We
didn't have them testify, because we would need to call the D.C.
office for that, but they are very involved in the working
group; they're invested in making sure that we do have a
complete count in Alaska." She continued, "On the federal
delegation, we made them aware of this resolution; they're
excited; they're also invested in ensuring that Alaska has a
complete count, ... especially [for] the federal funding
formulas."
8:55:07 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND moved to report CSHJR 19(TRB) out of committee
with individual recommendations [and the accompanying zero
fiscal notes]. There being no objection, CSHJR 19(TRB) was
reported out of the House Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB0069 version A.PDF |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB0069 Sponsor Statement 3.27.19.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB0069 Sectional Analysis 3.27.19.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB069 Fiscal Note 1 Broadcasting Commission.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB069 Fiscal Note 2 Public Broadcasting Radio.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB069 Fiscal Note 3 Public Broadcasting TV.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB069 Fiscal Note 4 Public Broadcasting Satellite Infra.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB0069 Additional Documents 3.27.19.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HJR019 ver S CS.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HJR 19 |
| HB069 Letters of Support.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |
| HB 069 Letters of Opposition - Consolidated 5.10.19.pdf |
HCRA 5/7/2019 8:00:00 AM |
HB 69 |