02/10/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

        SCR 21-UNIFORM RLS:EDUC./HSS STANDING COMMITTEES                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:02:46 AM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR  MEYER announced  the first  order of  business was  the                                                               
consideration of SCR 21.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:03:10 AM                                                                                                                    
EDRA MORLEDGE, staff to Senator  Meyer, Alaska State Legislature,                                                               
Juneau,  said  Senate  Concurrent  Resolution No.  21  makes  the                                                               
Senate and House standing education  committees permanent in both                                                               
bodies.  She said  the committees  become permanent  by repealing                                                               
two sections of Uniform Rule 20 that served as a sunset clause.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
She  said  the 2008  Legislature  changed  the Uniform  Rules  to                                                               
create  stand-alone committees  in  both  bodies via  Legislative                                                               
Resolve Number  35. She said  prior to 2008, education  was under                                                               
the purview of  the merged Health, Education  and Social Services                                                               
Committees  in both  bodies. She  said at  the time,  due to  the                                                               
unknown  logistics of  maintaining  a new  standing committee,  a                                                               
five year  sunset provision was  added. She said without  SCR 21,                                                               
jurisdiction  over  education would  revert  back  to the  merged                                                               
committees in  both houses on January  15, 2013. She said  it was                                                               
determined that  it was in  the best interest of  diligent policy                                                               
making  to  continue  the  Standing  Education  Committees  on  a                                                               
permanent basis. She  said there was a zero  fiscal note attached                                                               
from the Legislative Affairs Agency.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:04:47 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS commented  that he was surprised  that Alaska did                                                               
not have  a standing committee  due to  the amount of  issues. He                                                               
said  Alaska  was probably  the  only  state without  a  standing                                                               
education committee.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MEYER agreed with Senator Stevens.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:06:02 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DAVIS commented  that her  goal since  1991 was  to make                                                               
education a permanent committee.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:07:07 AM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR THOMAS  moved to report  SCR 21 from the  committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and an attached zero fiscal note(s).                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:07:20 AM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR MEYER  said without  objections, SCR  21 moved  from the                                                               
Senate Education Standing Committee.