Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/17/2021 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB32 | |
| SB36 | |
| SB10 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 36 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 32 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 10-FREE/REDUCED TUITION FOR ESSENTIAL WORKER
10:05:50 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 10 "An Act establishing a grant
program to provide to essential workers the tuition and fees to
attend a state-supported postsecondary educational institution."
He stated his intent to hear the bill, take public testimony,
and hold the bill in committee for further review. He called on
Senator Begich and staff to introduce the bill.
10:06:10 AM
SENATOR TOM BEGICH, speaking as sponsor of SB 10, explained that
bill is a thank you to essential workers for the work they did
the past year. Whether they delivered groceries, took care of
young children, picked people up from the airport, cleaned
offices, or handled the mail, essential workers made the
ultimate sacrifice, sometimes at great risk to themselves and
their loved ones. A recent study published by the Occupational
Environmental Medicine Journal reported that over 20 percent of
grocery store employees tested positive for COVID-19. Of that 20
percent, more than 95 percent reported getting it from contact
through their jobs. That is precisely why the bill is before the
committee. The bill, besides being good policy, is a thank you
to those workers, those workers who put their lives on the line
for each person. During COVID everyone fell behind. As more is
learned about the road ahead, it is clear the country is in a
wildly uneven recovery. SB 10 is about giving those essential
workers a hand up after the dust settles.
SENATOR BEGICH reminded the members who heard the bill in the
Labor and Commerce hearing that the Department of Labor
displayed a graphic that showed that a year later, the state is
still 25 percent down in employing the lowest income labor
force, while the labor market for the upper end went up 1
percent a year later. The department data shows that higher
education attainment equates to higher weekly earnings. A recent
University of Alaska workforce report states that median income
earnings for those with just a high school diploma is about
$35,000 in Alaska while those with bachelor's degree earn on
average $57,000 a year. Education matters. The bill is a pathway
to education for those who choose it to take it. The same report
states that 96.3 percent of working graduates are Alaska
residents. Going to school in Alaska keeps people in Alaska. By
providing path for essential workers to earn a postsecondary
education in Alaska, the state will stop the attrition of
Alaska's future.
10:08:58 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said that as stated in Labor and Commerce, his
office has some changes to work on in committee substitute to
reflect the intent of bill. It will include all of the essential
workers identified in the handout in the committee packet called
Alaska's Essential Services and Critical Workforce
Infrastructure. That came from a lot of commentary to his
office. It includes those who worked in the front lines for the
nonprofit sector, like Bean's Caf? workers and postal workers.
This all came up in testimony. After a review of the legislation
with the executive director of the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, his office recognized that although the
bill meant to permit attendance at any state-supported
postsecondary institution for a student who has not yet received
an undergraduate degree, some phrasing must be fixed. It is
minor, but it clarifies that intent. He has had good discussion
about the program start and end dates, which now are tied to the
expiration of the federal emergency declaration. He plans to
provide an amendment that permits interested parties to apply
for consideration until the end of this year and then repeal the
entire program by 2025, giving people four years to actively
participate in it. The state of Michigan has enacted this
program. Michigan used CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security) Act funding to enact it. With the $1.1
billion coming to the state, he is certain that the Finance
Committees will be able to redirect some of that resource. His
fiscal note shows that it will not be over $10 million for the
entire period of the grants program.
10:10:59 AM
LOKI TOBIN, Staff, Senator Tom Begich, Alaska State Legislature,
Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional analysis for SB 10. She
noted that Senator Begich will offer an amendment to Section 1
relating to the list of occupations.
Section 1.
Establishes an Essential Worker Grant Program as new
uncodified law of the State of Alaska.
Directs the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education to
establish an undergraduate tuition grant program for
essential workers employed at the start of or during the
declared federal public health emergency. This section also
includes a comprehensive listing of occupations that
qualify as essential for the purpose of this grant program.
Provides stipulations for qualifying essential workers,
including employment status, postsecondary enrollment
status, residency requirement, high school or equivalency
completion requirement, grade point minimum, completion of
federal aid application, and post-secondary credit hour
limitations.
Includes grant program eligibility requirements, including
grade point minimum, program progression, and enrollment
status.
Directs the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education to
establish policies and procedures for application and
admission to the program, including establishing evaluation
process of program efficacy.
Section 2.
Establishes an Essential Worker Grant Program Report as new
uncodified law of the State of Alaska. Directs the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education to submit the report
of program efficacy to the Alaska State Legislature on or
before December 31st.
Section 3. Repeals Section 1 on the date of expiration or
determination of the declaration of a federal public health
emergency.
MS. TOBIN noted that as mentioned by the sponsor, an amendment to
Section is forthcoming.
Section 4. Sets a repeal date of January 1, 2025 for
Section 2 of this Act.
CHAIR HOLLAND called on invited testimony.
10:13:56 AM
TERI COTHREN, Associate Vice President for Workforce
Development, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, said she
would present Reskilling and Upskilling for Alaskans. With
legislation such as SB 10, the university can train more
Alaskans and support Alaska's economic recovery. She said she
will explain how training Alaska's workforce is a critical part
of the university's mission.
MS. COTHREN described Alaska's system of higher education on
slide 2.
MS. COTHREN presented slide 3, UA's Critical Workforce Mission:
• Alaska's most comprehensive provider of workforce
training
o UA offers more than 200 programs in workforce
development
o Non-credit industry recognized certifications,
endorsements, certificates
o Associate Degrees
o Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate Degrees
• Programs in high-demand industries needed for Alaska's
economic growth
MS. COTHREN presented slide 4, Value of Postsecondary Education.
The median earnings data is from analysis by the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development and make abundantly clear the
economic value of training and education. The data shows that
more education and training correlate strongly with lower
unemployment rates and this was highlighted during the pandemic:
• Median earnings jump from:
o $35,328 for high school graduates
o $44,619 for Alaskans with an associate degree
o $57,708 for those with a bachelor's degree
o $77,402 for holders of graduate or professional
degrees
• Lower unemployment rates
• Provide skills required for new and advancing careers
10:17:02 AM
MS. COTHREN displayed slide 5, UA Workforce Reports Industries
Highlighted. Through a recent project, the university
strengthened its partnership with Research and Analysis at the
Department of Labor to demonstrate graduate outcomes across key
Alaska industries that resulted in the development of nine
workforce reports.
MS. COTHREN displayed slide 6, UA Workforce Reports, which
showed an example of the data in one report, including average
wages of graduates and hiring trends of the industry being
featured.
10:18:25 AM
At ease
10:18:32 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting and suspended Ms. Cothren's
presentation because of audio technical difficulties.
10:19:11 AM
JOELLE HALL, President, Alaska AFL-CIO, Anchorage, Alaska,
stated that her organization represents 60,000 workers in a
variety of fields. Many, such as first responders, hospital and
state employees, and grocery store workers, have worked under
difficult conditions during the pandemic. Her organization
represents many frontline workers, but many do not benefit from
collective bargaining agreements, such as childcare workers,
delivery drivers, personal care attendants, to name a few. Much
was learned during the pandemic. She hopes that one thing sticks
out in people's collective hearts and memories. Without
childcare and grocery story workers, everyone is in deep
trouble. The pandemic resulted in huge job losses. As a
community, Alaska needs to do everything it can to get Alaskans
back to work. One way to make a big difference is job training.
Providing training and opportunities to a better way of life for
families is the cornerstone of the work that the labor movement
does. A market economy is enhanced when workers have easy access
to affordable training. This bill will reward many who have
given so much with a gift that helps them and their families. As
is noted in the sponsor statement, better trained workers also
help employers, so this bill is a win-win for workers and their
current and future employers. This is a good idea that will
helps so many who have given so much. AFL-CIO is in full support
of this bill. She had had conversations with Senator Begich
about apprenticeships. The apprenticeship systems that AFL-CIO
is involved with are already free to the student, so Alaska's
union apprenticeships are free of charge, but AFL-CIO would look
forward to expanding those training opportunities. In order to
do that, its supply-and-demand system is based on work. If there
are infrastructure bills or geobond bills, AFL-CIO stands ready
to expand up its training modules and training systems in the
construction industry to rapidly respond to the free market
demand for those workers. If the legislature invests in geobonds
or infrastructure, that allows an uptake of these workers into
things like the apprenticeship system, whether they are union or
nonunion, and putting more workers into the construction
workforce, which in Alaska is considered a graying workforce and
would allow Alaska to keep its workers here. She described SB 10
as a great bill.
10:22:16 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND called on Teri Cothren to continue her
presentation.
MS. COTHREN explained that slide 6 on workforce reports
highlights graduate outcomes.
MS. COTHREN presented a graph on slide 7, Summary of First-Year
Employment. The graph shows industries where first-year
graduates are employed. Health care is projected to grow at
twice the rate of the rest of the economy overall and total
54,000 jobs by 2028, so it is not a surprise that nearly 24
percent of graduates work in the health care industry. Graduates
are in educational services, mining and gas, as well as
transportation and construction industries.
MS. COTHREN displayed a graph on slide 8, Average Wages of UA
Graduates, and said that Alaska has some of the best employment
data in the country. [Audio connection was lost.]
10:25:02 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said that he had no idea how detailed the data is
until Ms. Cothren presented data to his office. That data has
driven his desire to see the bill move. When the state can get
folks into these jobs, they become fully functioning
participants in the state's system. That is what her
presentation is underscoring, how many of these Alaskans
improved their income level and contribution to the state and
become productive citizens. That is a critical component of the
presentation.
10:25:58 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she supports people furthering their
education to lift themselves up into a better position. She and
her husband did that years ago. She said her problem with the
bill is that people were unemployed in the state who were not in
the category of essential worker do not qualify because they
were able to continue working and earn a wage, but many had to
close small business and could not go to work and got hit hard.
SENATOR BEGICH responded that one of the things about the bill
is that it does try to provide opportunity for people who were
on the front lines and may have lost their jobs because of the
pandemic. That is the intent in the amendment, to cover those
workers she described. If people were unfortunate enough to lose
their jobs during that time period, they would potentially be
eligible for the grants program. That is part of the plan. They
would have qualified as an essential worker before losing their
job.
SENATOR HUGHES offered her understanding that some of the jobs
that were lost do not meet the definition for essential worker
so they would not qualify. She asked if she misunderstands that.
SENATOR BEGICH answered that he is not sure. He can look into
that and find an answer that satisfies both her and himself.
CHAIR HOLLAND shared that is also his concern. He thought
essential workers worked through the pandemic. His concern is
that those are people who didn't miss a paycheck, but there are
people who shut down businesses.
10:28:40 AM
At ease
10:28:53 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting and opened public testimony
on SB 10.
10:29:11 AM
PANU LUCIER, Director, Alaska's System for Early Education
Development (SEED), thread, Anchorage, Alaska, said that SEED is
Alaska's statewide professional development system in early
childhood. In Alaska and across the nation early childhood
teachers have remained in the lower income bracket. In Alaska
the median hourly wage for childcare workers is $13.21 Many
early childhood educators have families of their own and
struggle to make ends meet and do not have extra money for
training or higher education. Many work two jobs to make ends
meet. The COVID pandemic shed light on how essential childcare
is for working families. Alaska's early educators have been on
the frontlines as essential workers throughout the pandemic. SB
10 would provide much needed assistance.
10:30:52 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked Teri Cothren to continue her presentation.
MS. COTHREN said that to speak to the final two slides, starting
with slide 8, the state has rich employment data, thanks to the
research from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The graph on slide 8 of UA wage outcomes shows that more
education and training correlate strongly with more earning
potential. The average first-year wages of these graduates are
more than $50,000 and the fifth-year wages exceed the average
Alaska wage by nearly $10,000.
MS. COTHREN displayed the graph on slide 9, which shows that 96
percent of working graduates are Alaska residents. The
university supports SB 10 to help remove a potential barrier for
essential workers.
SENATOR BEGICH said that on page 2, line 1, of the bill does say
was permanently or temporarily laid off as one of the
conditions.
10:34:11 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND closed public testimony and held SB 10 in
committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 10 v. B Sectional Analysis 1.26.2021.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 v. B Sponsor Statement 1.26.2021.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 v. B Supporting Document Union calls on state to treat Alaska grocery workers as first responders ADN.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM SFIN 4/8/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 v. B Supporting Document Univ. of Alaska - Workforce Reports Summary.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 v. B Fiscal Note 3096.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 v. B Fiscal Note 2738.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 alaska_essential_services_and_critical_workers.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 36 Committee Substitute.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 36 |
| SB 10 University of Alaska Presentation.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 36 Explanation of Changes in version B.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 36 |
| Letter in support of SB10 2-2021.pdf |
SEDC 3/17/2021 9:00:00 AM SFIN 4/8/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |