Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
03/08/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB86 | |
| HB85 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 86 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 85 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 85-PROFESSIONAL LICENSING; TEMP PERMITS
3:55:51 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 85, "An Act relating to professional licensing;
relating to temporary licenses for some professions; and
providing for an effective date."
3:56:31 PM
SYLVAN ROB, Director, Division Of Corporations, Business, and
Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community, &
Economic Development, gave a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy
included in committee packet] to introduced HB 85. On slides 2
and 3, she gave a brief overview of what universal temporary
licensure (UTL) is and what is needed to qualify for it. The
bill would allow the Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development to issue temporary licenses to individuals
with a license from another United States or Canada jurisdiction
that has similar requirements to those in the State of Alaska.
It would also allow the department to issue a temporary license
to an individual from a jurisdiction that does not require
licensure for a certain occupation, if that person demonstrates
that they are able to meet Alaska's licensure requirements, or
if they have military service or training in that area of
expertise. An individual still would need any relevant
background checks and could not have received any disciplinary
action related to their license.
4:00:35 PM
MS. ROBB continued to slide 4 and stated that temporary licenses
would be valid for 180 days, with a possible 180 extension at
the discretion of the department. Temporary licenses would not
be available for professions requiring Alaska-specific
knowledge, such as marine pilots, big game guides, and
occupations relating to engineering and architecture.
MS. ROBB continued to slide 5 and stated that temporary
licensure would help people in the state of Alaska get to work
faster and help reduce the workforce shortage. There has been a
64 percent increase in the number of professional licenses
needed in the last 10 years. She said that the Division of
Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing has faced a
workforce shortage that has increased the challenges regarding
issuing licenses in a timely manner, although the number of
vacancies in the division is decreasing. She stated that
temporary licenses would be issued automatically to those who
meet the basic qualifications as the division processes their
licensure application in order to prevent a scenario in which
two applications are received by each person.
4:05:53 PM
MS. ROBB continued to slides 6 through 8 and gave an overview of
how UTL will help and the difference between UTL and interstate
licensure compacts. She stated that the Alaska State Medical
Board and Alaska Board of Nursing already have made temporary
licensure a part of the licensure process in Alaska. She said
that the primary difference between UTL and compacts is that the
former requires an individual to meet the requirements that
Alaska currently has, whereas the latter would streamline
Alaska's requirements with all other states that are a part of
the compact. There are currently 18 states that have enacted
temporary licensure legislation.
4:10:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked why there are many different
licensing boards instead of having the division process all
licenses.
MS. ROBB answered that the licensing boards help provide
expertise to the division for that profession. The temporary
licenses allow an individual to continue working while the
permanent license is reviewed by the respective board of their
profession. In response to a follow-up question, she said that
the biggest time-saving element in the bill is that the division
would no longer receive two different applications from every
person.
4:15:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS commented that he prefers UTL to licensure
compacts because he believes it encourages people to come to
Alaska but not to leave.
[HB 85 was held over.]