01/31/2001 03:20 PM House L&C

                     ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                 
            HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                       
                         January 31, 2001                                                                                       
                             3:20 p.m.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
OVERVIEW: ALASKA STATE HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION                                                                    
          ALASKA PROCESS INDUSTRY CAREERS CONSORTIUM                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
01-9, SIDE A                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LISA MURKOWSKI, Chair, convened the  House Labor and                                                            
Commerce Standing Committee meeting at 3:20 p.m.                                                                                
                                                                                                                              
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Committee members  present were Representatives  Murkowski,  Halcro,                                                            
Meyer, Kott, Rokeberg, Crawford, and Hayes.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
LARAINE DERR,  President and CEO, Alaska State Hospital  and Nursing                                                            
Home Association  (ASHNHA), presented statistical  information about                                                            
the workforce in the healthcare  industry.  She reported that ten of                                                            
the top  growing jobs for  the future are  in the healthcare  field.                                                            
She noted  a real shortage  of healthcare  workers in the state  and                                                            
reported  a very high turnover  rate in nursing.   She acknowledged                                                             
that much  of the shortage  is due  to a dramatic  increase  in life                                                            
expectancy.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. DERR stated that ASHNHA  and a number of other organizations are                                                            
committed  to  "growing  their  own"  nurses,  technicians,   oilrig                                                            
workers,  and pipeline  personnel in  order to  combat the  existing                                                            
workforce shortage in the state.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
FRED  VILLA,   Board  Member,   Alaska   Process  Industry   Careers                                                            
Consortium   (APICC),  presented   his  perspective   on   workforce                                                            
development  in  the  processing  industry.   He  noted  that  APICC                                                            
includes  industries  from  mining, oil,  gas  production,  seafood,                                                            
power,  and  food  processing.    He  stated   that  APICC  supports                                                            
investments made to the  processing professions and the career paths                                                            
of such  occupations.  He  encouraged the  state to place a  greater                                                            
emphasis  on  employability  rather  than  academic  standards,  and                                                            
reported that  good work habits are more valuable  to employers than                                                            
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                              
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There were no announcements.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                              
CHAIR MURKOWSKI  called an  at-ease at 3:40  p.m. to transition  for                                                            
the hearing of HB 27.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
[The meeting addressing HB 27 is on tape 01-10 which convened at                                                                
3:49 p.m.]                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:   The meeting  was  recorded and  handwritten  log notes  were                                                            
taken.   A copy  of the tape(s)  and  log notes may  be obtained  by                                                            
contacting  the  House Records  Office  at  State Capitol,  Room  3,                                                            
Juneau, Alaska   99801 (mailing address), (907) 465-2214,  and after                                                            
adjournment of the second  session of the Twenty-Second Alaska State                                                            
Legislature  this  information  may be  obtained by  contacting  the                                                            
Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.