03/19/2024 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 207                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act creating the military and veteran family help                                                                      
     desk in the Department of Military and Veterans'                                                                           
     Affairs; and providing for an effective date."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:53:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson relayed that it  was the first hearing for SB
.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:53:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR SCOTT  KAWASAKI, SPONSOR, relayed that  SB 207 would                                                                    
create a  help desk for military  service members, veterans,                                                                    
and families to learn more  about the services Alaska had to                                                                    
offer.  He  explained  that   transitioning  to  Alaska  had                                                                    
challenges such  as housing and  education. He  relayed that                                                                    
the  bill  would  save military  families  time  and  reduce                                                                    
stress by  streamlining service delivery. If  passed, Alaska                                                                    
would be  the third  state to  offer this  service following                                                                    
Washington  and  Virginia. He  spoke  to  the importance  of                                                                    
easing the  transition of military  personnel to  Alaska and                                                                    
increase  retention rates.  He commented  that the  military                                                                    
industry was a vital part of our state's economy.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson  wondered how  many other  states had  a help                                                                    
desk such as proposed in the bill.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Kawasaki relayed  that when  the bill  was drafted,                                                                    
there were  two states that  had recently passed  a military                                                                    
help desk bill.  Both states also had large  active duty and                                                                    
veteran  populations. He  thought  Alaska  exceeded the  two                                                                    
states in proportion of the  population. He thought a number                                                                    
of other states  were going in the same  direction. He noted                                                                    
that the United States Department  of Defense was in support                                                                    
of the concept.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson commented  on the  complexity of  travel and                                                                    
child  education,   and  thought   a  help  desk   would  be                                                                    
beneficial.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:56:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RILEY VON BORSTEL, STAFF, SENATOR  SCOTT KAWASAKI, read from                                                                    
a prepared statement:                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     A key  group that would  benefit from this bill  is the                                                                    
     spouses  of military  members.  Over  fifty percent  of                                                                    
     military spouses  participate in  the labor  market and                                                                    
     about a  third of military spouses  work in occupations                                                                    
     that  require licenses.  Occupational licensing  varies                                                                    
     state-by-state,  and this  legislation  would create  a                                                                    
     one-stop shop  to provide military  spouses information                                                                    
     in  advance  on how  that  licensing  works in  Alaska.                                                                    
     Additionally,  the   desk  would   provide  information                                                                    
     regarding  enrollment  at  the  University  of  Alaska,                                                                    
     childcare, education, shopping,  and day-to-day life as                                                                    
     an Alaskan.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     In addition  to the aid that  this legislation provides                                                                    
     to military spouses and dependents,  the bill also aims                                                                    
     to make it easier for  our veterans and former military                                                                    
     members to return to Alaska should they choose to do                                                                       
     so.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     This bill  has a fiscal  note of $94,500.  Virginia and                                                                    
     Washington,  both  of  which have  higher  populations,                                                                    
     have  already  shown  this   valuable  service  can  be                                                                    
     delivered with a single employee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Wilson  asked  if  the   department  could  fund  a                                                                    
position in the budget without the need for legislation.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Kawasaki  relayed  that   there  was  a  department                                                                    
representative present to answer questions.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Wilson  thought if  it  had  worked well  in  other                                                                    
states, the  legislature could  just follow  suit as  a best                                                                    
practice.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Kawasaki  knew  that the  help  desk  position  had                                                                    
required  legislation  in  the  state  of  Washington.    He                                                                    
mentioned that he served on  the Military Task Force for the                                                                    
National  Conference   of  State  Legislatures   (NCSL)  had                                                                    
introduced a similar bill.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson  noted that there  was a  representative from                                                                    
the Department  of Military  and Veterans  Affairs available                                                                    
to answer questions.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:59:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANGELA   LEFLAMME,   LEGISLATIVE  LIAISON,   DEPARTMENT   OF                                                                    
MILITARY   AND   VETERANS   AFFAIRS,  explained   that   the                                                                    
legislation expanded  the scope  of what the  department was                                                                    
currently doing. She explained  that the Office of Veterans                                                                     
Affairs  was very  small and  had only  five employees.  She                                                                    
noted  that  taking  on  the  additional  responsibility  as                                                                    
proposed  would  be most  efficient  to  have an  additional                                                                    
person to complete the expanded scope of work.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Wilson understood  the financial  implications, but                                                                    
wondered if  there needed to  be a statute rather  than just                                                                    
funding the department for the position.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  LeFlamme could  not speak  to  the intent  of the  bill                                                                    
sponsor, but  knew that the  proposed position  expanded the                                                                    
scope of what  DMVA was currently tasked to  do. She thought                                                                    
the  bill solidified  the responsibility  of the  department                                                                    
with regard  to the position  and what deliverables  were in                                                                    
the legislation versus just helping when someone called.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson posed the question to the sponsors staff.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Ms. von Borstel  offered that just in  many other instances,                                                                    
statutes could  enforce accountability.  In the case  of the                                                                    
bill,  the statute  would enforce  financial accountability.                                                                    
She  thought by  having the  position in  statute, it  would                                                                    
show that  the specific amount  of money would  be dedicated                                                                    
to the position within the department.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  von Borstel  spoke  to a  Sectional  Analysis (copy  on                                                                    
file):                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1                                                                                                                  
     • Amends AS  44.35 to add Section  .025; subsection (a)                                                                    
     creates  the help  desk,  subsection  (b) outlines  the                                                                    
     duties of the help desk,  and subsection (c) provides a                                                                    
     definition of "family member"  regarding who may access                                                                    
     this service.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2                                                                                                                  
     • Provides an immediate effective date for changes                                                                         
     proposed in this legislation.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:03:07 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
TAMMIE PERRAULT,  NORTHWEST REGIONAL  LIAISON, DEFENSE-STATE                                                                    
LIAISON   OFFICE,   U.S.    DEPARTMENT   OF   DEFENSE   (via                                                                    
teleconference), spoke in  favor of the bill.  She cited the                                                                    
over  20,000  active-duty   military  members  and  families                                                                    
stationed in the  state. She relayed that  the DOD supported                                                                    
the legislation, which had been  successful in other states.                                                                    
She thought  the small, proposed  investment could  make the                                                                    
difference  between a  military family  member feeling  like                                                                    
Alaska  was a  duty station  versus  feeling like  it was  a                                                                    
home.  She reminded  that with  the  states  large  military                                                                    
population, it made a difference throughout the state.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:05:35 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LISA  SLABA,  MILITARY  SPOUSE AND  PROJECT  MANAGER,  YOUNG                                                                    
PROFESSIONALS   COUNCIL  (via   teleconference),  spoke   in                                                                    
support of  the bill.  She relayed that  she was  a military                                                                    
spouse currently stationed at Eielson  Air Force Base in the                                                                    
Interior. She had been living  in the state for almost three                                                                    
years. She described struggles that  came with relocating to                                                                    
the  state,   including  finding  information   on  schools,                                                                    
resources,  health care,  employment, and  all of  the needs                                                                    
involved in moving  to a new place. She  noted that military                                                                    
moved on  average every  two years, and  that 21  percent of                                                                    
military spouses  were unemployed. She thought  the proposed                                                                    
position  would   allow  for  military  spouses   to  become                                                                    
involved in conversations about moving to a new state.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  von  Borstel  commented that  the  proposed  help  desk                                                                    
position  would be  a great  amenity  to military  personnel                                                                    
living in the state.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SB  207  was  heard  and   HELD  in  Committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson discussed the agenda for the following day.