05/05/2025 03:30 PM Senate EDUCATION

             SB 181-EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION DISCLOSURE                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:45:12 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN  announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL  NO. 181                                                               
"An Act  relating to  disclosure of  information obtained  by the                                                               
Department  of Labor  and Workforce  Development  to other  state                                                               
agencies."                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:45:33 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GARY  STEVENS speaking as  sponsor of SB 181  stated that                                                               
SB  181  is  a  data   sharing  bill  recommended  by  the  Joint                                                               
Legislative Taskforce  that evaluated Alaska's  seafood industry.                                                               
He  noted  that  Senator  Kiehl, Senator  Bjorkman,  and  himself                                                               
served on the  taskforce. He explained that  the bill facilitates                                                               
collaboration   between  the   University  of   Alaska  and   the                                                               
Department  of   Labor  and  Workforce  Development   to  provide                                                               
economists, scientists,  and policymakers with  long-term, cross-                                                               
sector program  outcome data. He  emphasized that the  bill helps                                                               
assess   return  on   investment  in   education  and   workforce                                                               
development  programs,  supporting  more targeted  and  efficient                                                               
resource allocation.                                                                                                            
3:46:04 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR CRONK arrived at the meeting.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:47:31 PM                                                                                                                    
TIM   LAMKIN,  Staff,   Senator   Gary   Stevens,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau,  Alaska,  stated  that SB  181  is  one  of                                                               
several  recommendations  resulting  from the  Joint  Legislative                                                               
Taskforce.  He  noted  that  experts   who  participated  in  the                                                               
taskforce  hearings  and  support  the  passage  of  SB  181  are                                                               
available to provide testimony.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:48:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN announced invited testimony on SB 181.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:48:26 PM                                                                                                                    
BRETT WATSON,  Assistant Professor, Applied and  Natural Resource                                                               
Economics,  Institute of  Social  and  Economic Research  (ISER),                                                               
Anchorage, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 181:                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.                                                                            
     For the Record,  I am Dr Brett Watson,  an economist at                                                                    
     the  University  of  Alaska  Anchorage's  Institute  of                                                                    
     Social and Economic ResearchISER.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     I'm  testifying  in  support of  SB  181,  which  would                                                                    
     streamline  data  access  for  researchers  working  on                                                                    
     Alaska-specific policy issues.                                                                                             
     As   you  know,   Alaska's   communities  are   unique                                                                   
     geographically,  economically,  and socially.  But  the                                                                  
     data  we rely  on  to understand  these communities  is                                                                    
     often either  too broad or  not timely  enough. Federal                                                                    
     sources  like the  US  Census or  the  Bureau of  Labor                                                                    
     Statistics struggle to give  us reliable information in                                                                    
     our rural  communities because  their sample  sizes are                                                                    
     just too small or their coverage too broad.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The   Alaska   Department   of  Labor   and   Workforce                                                                    
     Development, on the other hand,  maintains data that is                                                                    
     more   specific,  more   accurate,  and   more  timely.                                                                    
     Researchers at  ISER have used  this data in  the past                                                                     
     but the  process is cumbersome.  We have to  send staff                                                                    
     to Juneau, negotiate custom  agreements, and go through                                                                    
     multiple  layers of  legal  and procurement  approvals.                                                                    
     This takes  time, money, and  effort on  both sidesand                                                                     
     it slows  down our ability  to respond to the  needs of                                                                    
     the state.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     SB 181 would fix that.                                                                                                   
     It allows  the University  and the Department  of Labor                                                                    
     to  collaborate  more   efficiently,  removing  hurdles                                                                    
     while still  protecting data confidentiality.  ISER has                                                                    
     a  long   track  record  of  handling   sensitive  data                                                                    
     securely.   All   our   researchers   follow   rigorous                                                                    
     Institutional  Review   Board  (IRB)   protocols.  With                                                                    
     improved   access,  we   could  more   rapidly  conduct                                                                    
     research that supports better decision-making.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     I've included as  part of my written  submission a memo                                                                    
     more fully  outlining how research  collaboration might                                                                    
     work,  and  an  example  of how  we  leveraged  a  past                                                                    
     collaboration  to  understand the  economic  multiplier                                                                    
     effects of fishing in Alaska's  coastal communities   I                                                                    
     hope these will provide  further evidence for the value                                                                    
     of action on this legislation.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     SB 181 gives  us a smart, cost-effective  way to unlock                                                                  
     the value  of existing data, improve  research quality,                                                                  
     and support good policymaking.                                                                                           
     I urge  you to support  the bill,  and I thank  you for                                                                    
     your time.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:52:05 PM                                                                                                                    
DAN  ROBINSON, Research  Chief,  Alaska Department  of Labor  and                                                               
Workforce  Development, Juneau,  Alaska, testified  by invitation                                                               
on SB 181, stating the data  referenced in SB 181 originates from                                                               
the Department  of Labor and Workforce  Development through state                                                               
unemployment  insurance laws,  with nearly  all Alaska  employers                                                               
submitting  quarterly reports  detailing  worker Social  Security                                                               
numbers, employment,  and wages.  He explained that  although the                                                               
data  is primarily  used to  operate  the unemployment  insurance                                                               
system, it is  also highly valuable for research,  and his group                                                                
the  Research and  Analysis Sectioncleans   and matches  the data                                                               
for statutorily required projects  such as the annual nonresident                                                               
worker report. He  noted that Alaska's data  is particularly rich                                                               
due to the  Permanent Fund Dividend and other  factors, and while                                                               
other states offer microdata access  more broadly to researchers,                                                               
Alaska's  statutes  are  unusually  restrictive.  He  added  that                                                               
despite these limits, the data  is already used for purposes like                                                               
verifying  public  assistance  and enforcing  child  support.  He                                                               
concluded that  SB 181 would allow  qualified researchers greater                                                               
access to support meaningful studies.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:55:08 PM                                                                                                                    
PALOMA HARBOUR, Director, Division of Employment and Training                                                                   
Services, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Juneau,                                                                
Alaska, paraphrased the fiscal note summary for SB 181:                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     This legislation  would allow  the Department  of Labor                                                                    
     and Workforce Development  (DOLWD) to share information                                                                    
     with  the   University  of  Alaska  (UA)   for  program                                                                    
     evaluation  and improvement,  educational outreach,  or                                                                    
     public   policy  research.   It   requires  a   written                                                                    
     agreement between  UA and DOLWD  to ensure the  data is                                                                    
     handled   in   compliance   with  state   and   federal                                                                    
     requirements.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     UA will  need to  cover any  costs associated  with the                                                                    
     sharing  of   data  because  the  federal   grant  that                                                                    
     supports the program under which  this data is gathered                                                                    
     cannot be  used for costs associated  with disclosures.                                                                    
     Until DOLWD  has entered into  an agreement with  UA on                                                                    
     the  type of  data to  be shared  and the  frequency of                                                                    
     that sharing,  DOLWD cannot say  exactly how  much this                                                                    
     will  cost.  Based  on similar  agreements  with  other                                                                    
     state agencies, this could cost from $1,300 to $46,500                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The  department  has   sufficient  interagency  receipt                                                                    
     authority in its  budget to cover the cost  of this new                                                                    
     agreement if it falls within that range.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:56:59 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. LAMKIN thanked the committee for hearing SB 181.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:57:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN opened public testimony on SB 181; finding none, she                                                                
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:57:26 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN held SB 181 in committee.