02/23/1994 09:15 AM Senate FIN

                                                                               
  SB 329:   An Act  establishing a  grant program relating  to                 
            veterans' services.                                                
                                                                               
            Senator  Jacko, sponsor  of  SB 329  testified  in                 
            support of  the bill.  Jeff  Morrison, Legislative                 
            Liaison, Department of Military & Veteran Affairs,                 
            spoke to his concerns regarding  page 2, lines 5-7                 
            that at  least 25  percent of  the money  received                 
            under  the   grant   be  used   for  expenses   in                 
            communities with  a population  of less  than 400.                 
            Senator  Kelly  brought  some  questions  to   the                 
            committee as to  what percent of veterans  were in                 
            rural  areas  and  what qualified  a  person  as a                 
            "veteran."  SB  329 was REPORTED OUT  of committee                 
            with individual recommendations  and a zero fiscal                 
            note from  the  Department of  Military &  Veteran                 
            Affairs.                                                           
                                                                               
  SENATE BILL NO. 329:                                                         
                                                                               
       An   Act  establishing  a  grant  program  relating  to                 
       veterans' services.                                                     
                                                                               
  Co-chair  Pearce  announced  that  SB  329  was  before  the                 
  committee.  She asked Senator Jacko to speak to the bill.                    
                                                                               
  SENATOR  JACKO,  sponsor  of  SB 329,  said  that  the  bill                 
  basically affirmed that the welfare  of Alaska residents was                 
  important  to  the  state  of   Alaska,  it  permitted  more                 
  efficient operations of the  Veteran services programs,  and                 
  improved  legislative  oversight of  program accomplishments                 
  and emphasized the need for veterans in a remote areas.   He                 
  encouraged the  department to simplify  existing regulations                 
  and streamline  grantee selections  to reduce  overhead even                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  more than it had already.   He noted that SB 329 had  a zero                 
  fiscal  note.  This bill called  for a report on a quarterly                 
  basis.   He said  that for years,  the rural areas  had been                 
  ignored  in  the area  of veteran  services.   He  urged the                 
  department  to find creative ways to fill  the void.  A list                 
  of  names  and phone  numbers was  not  enough.   Because of                 
  funding reductions, almost three-quarters of Alaska veterans                 
  would go  unserved, particularly  in rural  areas and  small                 
  towns.   This was  offensive to  him  and he  wanted a  more                 
  equitable distribution of the much needed services.                          
                                                                               
  In answer  to  Senator Kelly,  Senator Jacko  said the  VPSO                 
  program was codified  in statute  and before it  was a  line                 
  item.  This bill did not effect VPSO's, only veterans.                       
                                                                               
  JEFF MORRISON, Legislative Liaison, Department of Military &                 
  Veteran Affairs,  said his  department had  no problem  with                 
  establishing this  in statute.   Currently, regulations were                 
  in place that  created a grant program for administering the                 
  Veteran  Service  Officer Grant  Program.   This  would give                 
  statutory recognition  to it.   The  department had  concern                 
  with language on  page 2, lines  5-7, that would require  25                 
  percent of the money be spent on  areas with a population of                 
  less  than 400.   He  said there  were overriding  practical                 
  concerns  about  putting  this  in   statute.    First,  the                 
  department and  the veteran  service organization  were very                 
  supportive  of  the  concept of  outreach  to  rural Alaska.                 
  Money  targeted for that area  had doubled but the practical                 
  aspect was that, in  order to maximize the travel  funds and                 
  make  the  money  most  efficient,  the   veteran's  service                 
  officers would travel to Bethel and Nome and by a variety of                 
  means, get the word out to surrounding communities including                 
  scanners on TV, word of  mouth, advertisement through senior                 
  centers, and other  efforts to let  veterans know that  they                 
  would be at a certain place  at a certain time.  They  would                 
  meet  with anyone, receive phone calls on the advertised 800                 
  number  and do anything they  could to reach the communities                 
  short  of  traveling   to  them.     Traveling  to   smaller                 
  communities was very expensive and  could incur costs if  up                 
  to  $200 a veteran.   Working out  of a  hub community would                 
  drop it  to $25 a  veteran.  It  would be very  difficult to                 
  keep track of  what percent  was used to  reach the  smaller                 
  communities.    A reporting  system  was being  developed to                 
  track  recipients by general  area using veteran's telephone                 
  number.    He  was  concerned  that this  requirement  would                 
  require  time  that would  be  better used  in  contacts and                 
  services to the veterans.                                                    
                                                                               
  In answer to  Senator Kelly, Mr.  Morrison did not know  how                 
  many of the veterans  lived in areas with a  population less                 
  than 400.  He thought this might be part of the problem.  He                 
  believed that a veteran  needed to have 20 years  of service                 
  to receive benefits.                                                         
                                                                               
                                                                               
  Senator Jacko MOVED for  passage of SB 329 out  of committee                 
  with individual recommendations.  No objection  being heard,                 
  it   was  REPORTED   OUT   of   committee  with   individual                 
  recommendations, and a  zero fiscal note for  the Department                 
  of Military  & Veteran Affairs.  Co-chairs Pearce and Frank,                 
  and  Senator Jacko  signed "do  pass."   Senators Kelly  and                 
  Rieger signed "no recommendation."