Legislature(2021 - 2022)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/21/2021 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB20 | |
| SB71 | |
| SB88 | |
| SB10 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 88 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 71 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 20 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
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."
10:44:19 AM
SENATOR TOM BEGICH, SPONSOR, discussed the legislation and
introduced his support staff. The bill would provide for
essential workers up to 4 years of free tuition at state
institutions.
10:45:28 AM
Co-Chair Bishop MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1:
Page 3, Line 4:
Delete "$10,000,000"
Insert "2,500,000"
Co-Chair Stedman OBJECTED for discussion.
Co-Chair Bishop spoke to Amendment 1. He noted that the
amendment sought to fix an inconsistency between the intent
of the bill and the language in the legislation.
Co-Chair Stedman WITHDREW his OBJECTION. Amendment 1 was
ADOPTED.
Senator Wilson MOVED to WITHDRAWN Amendment 2. There being
NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
Senator Wilson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 3:
Co-Chair Bishop OBJECTED for discussion.
Senator Wilson spoke to Amendment 3. He relayed that the
amendment would add a section to the bill recommending that
at least 20 percent of the grants went to trade schools. He
said that there was a shortage of skilled labor in the
state and the amendment would insure the preparation for a
skilled workforce in the state.
Co-Chair Bishop asked for the Division of Legislative Legal
to speak to the amendment.
10:47:40 AM
Senator Wilson referenced a memo.
NOAH KLEIN, COUNSEL, LEGAL SERVICES, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
AGENCY (via teleconference), said that Article 1, section
7, of the Constitution of the State of Alaska prohibits the
expenditure of public funds for the direct benefit of
private educational institutions. He said that amendment 3
raised questions because it allowed for the potential of
fund to be spent to the direct benefit of a private school.
Senator Wilson noted that the Alaska Performance
Scholarship provided funds for many vocation and skilled
labor schooling. He said that previous Covid-19 funding had
gone to Alaska Bible College and Alaska Christian College.
He felt that the state had consistently funded private
programs and if there was a constitutional issue with the
amendment then the state should cease funding all of the
programs he mentioned.
Mr. Klein offered to get back to the committee on the
issue. He pointed out Alaska Supreme Court precedent
involved a postsecondary school, Sheldon Jackson College,
and provided a three-part test to determine whether public
funds were being provided to a private entity.
10:50:19 AM
Senator Begich asserted that CARES Act funding had included
a requirement to fund private schools. He was not opposed
to the principal of the amendment, but he was concerned
with the legal memo questioning the amendment's
constitutionality.
Senator Wilson asked whether there was someone online who
could speak to the issue.
10:51:18 AM
SANA EFIRD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA COMMISSION ON
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT (via teleconference), stated that under AS
14.43.830, the state had institutional authorization to
qualify certain postsecondary institutions based on
specific eligibility criteria to be eligible to receive
public funds.
10:52:16 AM
AT EASE
10:53:35 AM
RECONVENED
Senator Wielechowski wondered whether the amendment would
allow for funds to be expended to schools outside of the
state.
Senator Wilson stated the intent was for the provision to
apply to schools within the state of Alaska.
Co-Chair Bishop thought Amendment 3 needed more scrutiny.
Co-Chair Bishop MAINTAINED his OBJECTION.
Senator Wilson WITHDREW Amendment 3. There being NO
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
10:55:00 AM
Senator Wilson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 4.
Co-Chair Bishop OBJECTED for discussion.
Senator Wilson spoke to Amendment 4. He said that the
intent was to replace the state supported postsecondary
institution with a postsecondary institution approved by
the Commission on Postsecondary Education, which would
allow grants to be used for both state supported and
private institutions.
Senator Wielechowski asked for an opinion from a
legislative attorney. He thought the amendment had the same
problem as the previous amendment.
Co-Chair Bishop agreed.
10:56:22 AM
Mr. Klein thought the same constitutional question arose
from Amendment 4 as had for the previous amendment.
Senator Wilson believed that there were mechanisms in place
in statute allowed for public dollars to be spent on
private schools. He stressed that if the practice was not
constitutional then the statutes should be changed.
Co-Chair Bishop WITHDREW his OBJECTION.
Senator Wielechowski OBJECTED.
Senator Begich shared that he did not think the amendment
met the intent of the bill.
10:58:35 AM
Co-Chair Bishop asked how much, if any, money did the state
approve for money going out-of-state for educational
training.
Ms. Efird stated that money that was appropriated as grants
under the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the Alaska
Education Grant did not go to students out of state. In
statute, the funds were to provide scholarships for high
school graduated, who are Alaska residents, for
institutions within the State of Alaska.
Co-Chair Bishop queried the wording needed to make the
amendment more constitutionally palatable.
Ms. Efird thought the amendment might need work to add that
she was happy to work with the amendment sponsor to
determine how the amendment could be best crafted. She
reiterated that currently performance scholarship money and
education grants did not go to out-of-state institutions.
11:00:27 AM
Senator von Imhof thought perhaps if the amendment sponsor
could refine the language to add a reference for Alaska-
based schools only. She shared that she would feel
comfortable waiting for a day to act on the bill. She asked
the sponsor of the bill about the language surrounding
"essential workers".
Senator Begich stated that the bill was not intended to
limit "essential workers" in the state to only Alaska
residents. He added that he had received a loan in the past
from the APEC to attend an out-of-state college. He
clarified that the state approved student loans for
students going to institutions outside of the state.
11:02:53 AM
Senator Olson asked whether the bill would provide for a
student attending a private facility or institution outside
of the state. He noted that there was not a medical school
or law school in the state.
Senator Begich explained that the bill had been narrowly
designed to take advantage of the current moment and to
apply it to Alaskan institutions to avoid the anticipated
constitutional challenges. The bill was to ensure that
essential workers in the state would have the opportunity
to pursue a four-year education within the limits of what
is available within the state.
11:04:04 AM
11:04:05 AM
AT EASE
11:04:57 AM
RECONVENED
Senator Wilson MOVED to WITHDRAW Amendment 4.
Senator Begich clarified that Page 2, line 7, specified
that the recipient must be a resident of the state for at
least 12 months.
SB 10 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Bishop discussed housekeeping.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 88 Sectional Analysis version A 2-23-21.pdf |
SFIN 4/21/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 88 |
| SB 88 Sponsor Statement 2-17-21.pdf |
SFIN 4/21/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 88 |
| SB 10 Amendments 4.21.2021.pdf |
SFIN 4/21/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 10 Amendment 4 Wilson.pdf |
SFIN 4/21/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 10 |
| SB 88 4.21.21 Senate Finance presentation.pdf |
SFIN 4/21/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 88 |