Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124

02/22/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

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Audio Topic
03:17:34 PM Start
03:18:05 PM Real Estate Commission
03:29:26 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Consideration of Governor’s Appointees: Alaska TELECONFERENCED
Workers' Compensation Board - Steven Heidemann
and Marc Stemp; Real Estate Commission- Devon
Thomas Durand
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
          HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                         
                       February 22, 2023                                                                                        
                           3:17 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Jesse Sumner, Chair                                                                                              
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Vice Chair                                                                                     
Representative Mike Prax                                                                                                        
Representative Ashley Carrick                                                                                                   
Representative Zack Fields                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Dan Saddler                                                                                                      
Representative Stanley Wright                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Alaska Workers' Compensation Board                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Steven Heidemann - Anchorage                                                                                               
     Marc Stemp - Anchorage                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     - CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Real Estate Commission                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Devon Thomas Durand - Wasilla                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     - CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN HEIDEMANN, Appointee                                                                                                     
Alaska Workers' Compensation Board                                                                                              
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION STATEMENT:  Testified as appointee to the Alaska                                                                     
Workers' Compensation Board.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARC STEMP, Appointee                                                                                                           
Alaska Workers' Compensation Board                                                                                              
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION  STATEMENT:    Testified  as  appointee  to  the  Alaska                                                             
Workers' Compensation Board.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEVON DURAND, Appointee                                                                                                         
Real Estate Commission                                                                                                          
Wasilla, Alaska                                                                                                                 
POSITION STATEMENT:   Testified as  appointee to the  Real Estate                                                             
Commission.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:17:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR JESSE SUMNER  called the House Labor  and Commerce Standing                                                             
Committee  meeting  to  order  at   3:17  p.m.    Representatives                                                               
Ruffridge, Carrick, Prax, and Sumner  were present at the call to                                                               
order.   Representative  Fields  arrived as  the  meeting was  in                                                               
progress.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                                       
                    CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                
^Alaska Workers' Compensation Board                                                                                             
               Alaska Workers' Compensation Board                                                                           
^Real Estate Commission                                                                                                         
                     Real Estate Commission                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              
3:18:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER announced  that the only order of  business would be                                                               
the  confirmation hearings  on the  governor's appointees  to the                                                               
Alaska   Workers'  Compensation   Board  and   the  Real   Estate                                                               
Commission.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:18:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEVEN HEIDEMANN, Appointee, Alaska Workers' Compensation Board,                                                                
stated that  his interest  in the position  stemmed from  being a                                                               
blue  collar  worker that  wants  to  see other  workers  treated                                                               
fairly in the workers' compensation system.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:19:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked Mr. Heidemann where he works.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HEIDEMANN answered  that  he works  for  Alaska Airlines  at                                                               
Prudhoe Bay in a two weeks on, two weeks off schedule.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:20:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE  asked  Mr. Heidemann  how  he  learned                                                               
about  the opening  for the  Alaska Workers'  Compensation Board,                                                               
and why he wanted to serve on the board.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HEIDEMANN answered  that  his  brother-in-law had  suggested                                                               
that he apply for the board  while he was recovering from surgery                                                               
the previous year.  In response  to a follow-up question, he said                                                               
that  he  has  both  good   and  bad  experiences  with  workers'                                                               
compensation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:23:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARC  STEMP,  Appointee,   Alaska  Workers'  Compensation  Board,                                                               
stated  that he  had previously  served on  the board  during the                                                               
1990s  and on  the  Workers' Compensation  Appeals Commission  in                                                               
2005.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:25:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEVON DURAND, Appointee, Real Estate  Commission, stated that she                                                               
has  served on  the  commission  since 2021  and  is  now up  for                                                               
reappointment.    She said  that  she  has served  in  leadership                                                               
positions with the Alaska Association  of Realtors and the Valley                                                               
Board of  Realtors.   She is  the only  member of  the commission                                                               
that is  licensed as a  real estate  instructor.  She  added that                                                               
she  participated  in  creating  education  guidelines  for  real                                                               
estate license  renewal.  She  has been responsible  for auditing                                                               
education requirements for license  renewal and reviewing realtor                                                               
complaints.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:28:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE   stated  that  the  House   Labor  and                                                               
Commerce Standing  Committee has  reviewed the  qualifications of                                                               
the  governor's  appointees  and recommends  that  the  following                                                               
names be forwarded  to a joint session  for consideration: Steven                                                               
Heidemann and Marc Stemp, Alaska  Workers' Compensation Board and                                                               
Devon Durand, Real  Estate Commission.  He said  that signing the                                                               
report  regarding appointments  to boards  and commissions  in no                                                               
way reflects  an individual member's  approval or  disapproval of                                                               
the  appointee, and  the nomination  is merely  forwarded to  the                                                               
full legislature for confirmation or rejection.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:29:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no further business before the committee, the House                                                                 
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at                                                                  
3:29 p.m.                                                                                                                       

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
1.31.23 Marc Stemp WCB application_Redacted.pdf HL&C 2/22/2023 3:15:00 PM
1.31.23 Steven Paul Heidemann WCB App_Redacted.pdf HL&C 2/22/2023 3:15:00 PM
1.31.23 Devon Thomas Real Estate Resume_Redacted.pdf HL&C 2/22/2023 3:15:00 PM