02/15/2024 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 56                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Alaska performance scholarship                                                                     
     program."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:39:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson relayed  that the  committee  had heard  the                                                                    
bill on  January 30, 2024,  and had taken  public testimony.                                                                    
There  had  been no  amendments  submitted.  He invited  the                                                                    
sponsor to comment.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:39:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FORREST  DUNBAR,  SPONSOR, relayed  that  the  bill                                                                    
would do  three primary  things, including changing  some of                                                                    
the  qualifications   to  receive  the   Alaska  Performance                                                                    
Scholarship (APS)  including expanding  for more  career and                                                                    
technical  education.  The  bill   would  move  forward  the                                                                    
notification deadline in  order to let students  know of the                                                                    
award earlier.  The bill would  increase the  scholarship to                                                                    
account for  inflation. He recounted hearing  testimony that                                                                    
indicated  that   43  percent  of  UA   students  were  food                                                                    
insecure.  He  thought  the bill  would  help  promote  food                                                                    
security for some students.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:41:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMES  HOLZENBERG,  STAFF  FOR  SENATOR  DUNBAR,  introduced                                                                    
himself and  noted that he  was not  a recipient of  APS. He                                                                    
had peers that had received  the scholarship, and he thought                                                                    
the award  had affected  his peers  ability  to stay  in the                                                                    
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:42:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SANA  EFIRD,   EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR,  ALASKA   COMMISSION  ON                                                                    
POSTSECONDARY  EDUCATION,  introduced  herself  and  relayed                                                                    
that she was available to  answer any questions posed by the                                                                    
committee. She  recounted that the  commission had  passed a                                                                    
resolution in support of the bill the previous year.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson  asked if  the  bill  was tailored  to  help                                                                    
students  that   were  disinclined   to  go  on   to  higher                                                                    
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Efird  affirmed that  the intention of  the bill  was to                                                                    
encourage students to  go on to higher  education. She noted                                                                    
that  the  original  purpose  of  the  APS  program  was  to                                                                    
encourage and  promote Alaska students into  a postsecondary                                                                    
pathway from high  school. She asserted that  ACPE felt very                                                                    
strongly  that  the   changes  in  the  bill   would  be  an                                                                    
improvement  in the  program and  would remove  some of  the                                                                    
barriers.  She cited  the ultimate  goal of  having students                                                                    
retained in the state and living productive lives.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl MOVED to report  CSSB 56(EDC) out of Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CSSB 56(EDC)  was REPORTED out  of committee with  three "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendations  and  with  one   no  recommendation                                                                     
recommendation, and  with four new fiscal  impact notes from                                                                    
the Department of Education and Early Development.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:45:03 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:47:10 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED