02/28/2002 03:40 PM Senate STA

                                                                                                                              
         SB 297-MENTAL HEALTH TRUST LAND UNIT EMPLOYEES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
TIM LAMPKIN, Staff to Senator Gary Wilken, read the following                                                                   
sponsor statement into the record:                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
        Senate Bill  297 was introduced at the  request of                                                                      
        the  Mental  Health  Trust  Authority.  It  places                                                                      
        employees  of the  Mental  Health Trust  Authority                                                                      
        lands unit into exempt service.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
        The Mental  Health Trust  Land Unit is located  in                                                                      
        the  Department  of Natural  Resources.  Its  sole                                                                      
        purpose  is to manage  Alaska Mental Health  Trust                                                                      
        land on  behalf of the Alaska Mental  Health Trust                                                                      
        Authority.   Its   operating  costs   are   funded                                                                      
        entirely  by income  generated from  the cash  and                                                                      
        land assets of the Trust, not by general funds.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
        The  unit  maintains  a core  operating  staff  of                                                                      
        nine. This legislation will  provide the MHTA with                                                                      
        the  means of  retaining  trained  staff that  are                                                                      
        being  solicited  by,  and  relocating  to,  other                                                                      
        agencies  offering  better  compensation  packages                                                                      
        not  afforded by  the current  "partially  exempt"                                                                      
        status    of    MHTA   lands    unit    employees.                                                                      
        Additionally,  it  will align  the  unit with  the                                                                      
        management   framework  of  the  trust   authority                                                                      
        staff, which was converted  to fully exempt status                                                                      
        for similar reasons last year.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
        Please support this legislation  and thereby allow                                                                      
        the  AMHTA   to  more  efficiently   manage  their                                                                      
        personnel  structure, to  reward performance,  and                                                                      
        establish  a long-term  fix for  their efforts  to                                                                      
        recruit, train, and retain key staff.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMPKIN asked that representatives from the MHTA to                                                                         
answer questions via teleconference but they were not                                                                           
online.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
There was no further testimony.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT said he had spoken with Jeff Jesse                                                                          
from the MHTA earlier in the week.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He noted the zero fiscal note. There was no prepared                                                                            
committee substitute and no amendments were offered.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He asked for the will of the committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PHILLIPS made a motion to move SB 297 and                                                                               
attached fiscal note from committee with individual                                                                             
recommendations.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, SB 297 moved from committee.