Legislature(2019 - 2020)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
05/07/2019 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB11 | |
| SB106 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 106 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 11 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 11-MILITARY SPOUSE COURTESY LICENSE
1:31:04 PM
CHAIR REINBOLD announced that the first order of business would
be SENATE BILL NO. 11, "An Act relating to temporary courtesy
licenses for certain nonresident professionals; and relating to
the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic
Development."
1:31:59 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for SB 11, work order 31-LS0262\M, Fisher,
5/3/19, Version M, as the working document of the committee.
CHAIR REINBOLD objected for discussion purposes.
1:32:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SHARON JACKSON, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
thanked Senator Kawasaki for incorporating HB 113 into this
bill. Current statutes allow state and private employers to give
hiring preferences to veterans and the Alaska National Guard.
This bill would extend these benefits to spouses and dependent
of military families and to spouses and dependents of service
members that died in the line of duty. Military spouses and
their families sacrifice almost as much as the service members,
she said. She reported that nine out of 10 spouses are women.
Census data indicates that many spouses have a college education
in education or health care professions. Underemployment and
unemployment are some of the major hardships that military
spouses experience. SB 11 would help military families and
incentivize Alaska's economy.
1:35:02 PM
MERCEDES COLBERT, Staff, Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, presented the sectional analysis for SB 11
on behalf of the sponsor after she recapped the bill history.
The committee heard presentations by the U.S. Department of
Defense and the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and
Economic Development (DCCED). SB 11 would help ensure the
transition to the work force was expedited for military spouses
to allow them to join Alaska's workforce.
MS. COLBERT said that Senator Kawasaki introduced the bill to
require the department to report on the progress of drafting and
implementing regulations for the temporary courtesy occupational
licenses for eligible military spouses. In 2017, even though
some boards had implemented the program some department staff
was not aware of the program. Ultimately, the goal is help
facilitate professional licensure for military spouses in
Alaska, she said.
1:37:04 PM
MS. COLBERT reviewed the sectional analysis for SB 11, Version
M.
Senate Bill 11
Summary of Changes Version A to Version M
Section 1. AS 08.01.063(a) This amends the original
statute establishing the temporary courtesy licenses
for spouses of an active duty member of the armed
forces of the United States. This directs the
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development to make these licenses available, changing
the "may" to "shall." Section 2. AS 08.01.063 (f)
MS. COLBERT referred to page 1, line 10, of SB 11, Version M,
which changes the language from "may" to "shall." The Department
of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED) stated
support for this change. She said this provision would not apply
to licenses for occupations that specifically require Alaska
residency, such as marine pilots.
1:38:34 PM
MS. COLBERT reviewed Section 2.
Section 2 reflects the original SB 11, Version A. the
only change here is in (f), directing the department
to submit the report to the Legislature on March 1 to
all legislators, removing the reference to the Joint
Armed Services Committee. The remainder of the bill
adds new language for employment preferences:
MS. COLBERT referenced page 23, page 3, lines 5-8 of Version M.
The sponsor wanted to require the department to report
compliance to the legislature by March 1 of each year. She said
the language previously required biennial reporting.
She said that explains the two changes to SB 11, Version M.
1:39:53 PM
CHAIR REINBOLD remarked on provisions that appealed to her. She
referred to page 3, line 2, to paragraph (4):
(4) the department's efforts to inform each board
authorized to issue a temporary courtesy license under
this section and the military community in the state
about the license.
She directed attention to page 3, line 14, [subsection (g)], to
language that encourages the boards to designate a single point
of contact for public information, which she thought was
helpful.
1:39:58 PM
SENATOR BISHOP joined the meeting.
1:40:38 PM
ERICK CORDERO GIORGANA, Staff, Representative Sharon Jackson,
Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, said that SB 11, Version M
[incorporates HB 113] by adding Section 3 through Section 10.
These provisions make changes to three main areas of statutes.
Sections 3-4 would modify the statutes related to the Human
Rights Commission by not prohibiting private entities from
giving hiring preferences to veterans and to extend those hiring
preferences to spouses of service members and their dependents:
Section 3. AS 18.80.200(c) This section does not
prohibit a private employer from having hiring
preferences for persons described in Section 4 of this
bill.
Section 4. AS 23.88.010 This section repeals and
reenacts the current statute by adding definitions
removed from Section 5 for clarity. This section does
not prohibit a private employer from having hiring
preferences to active-military, veterans and families.
This section adds language to include spouses and
dependent children of deceased service members to the
list.
1:41:47 PM
MR. GIORGANA reviewed Sections 5-6:
Section 5. AS 39.25.150(19) This section amends the
State Personnel Act to ref reference definitions as
stated in Section 6 for consistency.
Section 6. AS 39.25.159(a) This section amends the
employment preference for veterans or former prisoners
of war by adding new language to include families of
an active duty service member, veteran, or former
prisoner of war. This section clarifies the type of
preference given the hiring process and whether the
applicant is disabled or not. Subsection (B) is
removed for consistency.
MR. GIORGANA explained that Section 6 would add a definition for
spouse and dependent, which includes stepchildren, natural, and
biological children. The bill would apply to spouses and
dependents of military members, whether these members currently
serve, had died, or were presumed dead.
1:42:33 PM
MR. GIORGANA reviewed Sections 7-10.
Section 7. AS 39.25.159(d) This section clarifies that
a person may receive an employment preference under
only one of the categories described in sections 5 and
6. A person may use the preference without limitation
when being considered for a position for which persons
who are not currently state employees are being
considered. If the recruitment for a position is
limited to state employees, preference under (a) or
(c) of this section may not be counted. This section
adds language to include spouses or dependent children
for consistency with other sections. S
Section 8. AS 39.25.159 (e) This section clarifies
that this bill does not involve interpreting
amendments of a collective bargaining agreement and
makes a reference to subsection (a) of Section 6.
MR. GIORGANA explained that Sections 7 and 8 would amend the
state's personnel act. Currently, the state applies hiring
preferences in two ways to veterans or members of the Alaska
National Guard. First, veterans would obtain five preferential
points when applying for a job. Second, if the state position
does not use a numerical tool, the veterans would gain an
opportunity to be interviewed for the position. The hiring
preferences do not ensure that the veterans will be hired, but
it will assist them, he said. As Representative Jackson
previously mentioned, military families face many challenges.
The families often move, and spouses have gaps in their resumes,
so it can be difficult for them to find jobs. This bill would
assist spouses and dependents and also allow the state to fill
employment gaps.
[Sections 9-10 were the final sections outlined in the sectional
analysis, but were not discussed]:
Section 9. AS 39.25.159(f) This section defines a
dependent child.
Section 10. AS 39.25.159(c) This section removes
language that has been included in Section 6 of this
bill.
1:44:28 PM
CHAIR REINBOLD asked whether the point system was used in other
jurisdictions.
MR. GIORGANA answered that most states have a point system for
active service members. Alaska will join the 24 states that have
that system for spouses. The federal government also has
preferences. The Department of Defense issued a letter to all
governors to encourage states to take action.
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON agreed. Veterans would receive five
preference points for serving, veterans with a disability would
receive 10 preference points, military spouses would receive
five points or 10 preference points for spouses of gold star
families, which means these veterans died in the line of duty.
She said the federal level offers some preference points for
military spouses, but the DOD has recognized the issue and
encourages states to take action.
1:47:01 PM
SENATOR BISHOP remarked that he supports Section 8, [which
clarifies that this bill does not involve interpreting
amendments of a collective bargaining agreement].
1:47:19 PM
CHAIR REINBOLD removed her objection. The proposed committee
substitute for SB 11, Version M was before the committee.
1:47:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON offered her belief that this bill would
help to integrate the lives of military and civilians. She
remarked that she previously [served in the military] and was
also a military spouse. She said spouses can feel isolated in
Alaska.
[SB 11 was held in committee.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| CS SB 11 (L&C) VER. M.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 11 |
| SB 11 Summary of Changes VER. A to VER. M.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 11 |
| SB 11 Backup Document NCSL veterans' state hiring preference 5.7.19.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 11 |
| SB 11 The Blue Star and Gold Star Families Act 5.7.19.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 11 |
| SB 11 Reference Document Office of the US President Military Spouses 5.7.19..pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 11 |
| SB 106 VER. M.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 106 |
| SB 106 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 106 |
| SB 106 Sectional Analysis .pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 106 |
| SB 106 Support Document - Anchorage Daily News 5.7.19.pdf |
SL&C 5/7/2019 1:30:00 PM |
SB 106 |