Legislature(2019 - 2020)Anch LIO Lg Conf Rm
05/01/2020 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Covid-19 Pandemic Economic Response by Dcced | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
Anchorage, Alaska
May 1, 2020
3:18 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Chair
Representative Zack Fields (via teleconference)
Representative Sara Hannan (via teleconference)
Representative Andi Story (via teleconference)
Representative Mel Gillis (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Louise Stutes
Representative Sara Rasmussen
OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Dan Ortiz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 PANDEMIC ECONOMIC RESPONSE BY DCCED
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JULIE ANDERSON, Commissioner
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation,
entitled "COVID-19: DCCED's Response Actions."
JIM ANDERSON, Deputy Director
Division of Economic Development
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation.
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Asked questions during the presentation.
ALAN WEITZNER, Chief Investment Officer
Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation.
LORI WING-HEIER, Director
Division of Insurance
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 pandemic economic response by DCCED.
SARA CHAMBERS, Director
Division of Corporations, Businesses and Professional Licensing
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on COVID-
19 pandemic economic response by DCCED.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:18:32 PM
CHAIR IVY SPOHNHOLZ called the House Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:18 p.m. Representatives Fields
(via teleconference), Hannan (via teleconference), Story (via
teleconference), and Spohnholz were present at the call to
order. Representative Gillis (via teleconference) arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Response By DCCED
PRESENTATION(S): COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Response By DCCED
3:21:38 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on the economic response to COVID-19 by
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
(DCCED), beginning with Commissioner Anderson.
3:23:13 PM
JULIE ANDERSON, Commissioner, DCCED, provided a PowerPoint
presentation, entitled "COVID-19: DCCED's Response Actions." As
background information, she reminded the committee that the
governor declared the public health disaster emergency
declaration for COVID-19 on March 11, 2020 and initiated a
unified command structure between the Department of Health and
Social Services (DHSS), Department of Military & Veterans'
Affairs (DMVA), and the Department of Public Safety (DPS). The
governor fully engaged state departments to utilize all
capabilities to ensure a swift and effective COVID-19 response.
She reported that the Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development (DCCED) began fully participating with
unified command and providing assistance where needed. She
reported that when the pandemic first became a real concern for
the state, the Commissioners Office, DCCED, compiled and
submitted the disaster declaration request to the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of the governor.
3:26:04 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
3:26:39 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON, continuing her presentation, said the SBA
approved the request, opening the Economic Injury Disaster Loan
program (EIDL) to Alaskan businesses. She noted that the
department has worked alongside the SBA since the disaster
declaration to stay on top of loan opportunities and current
statistics for existing programs, such as the Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP) and the EIDL. She continued to state
that the Commissioners Office has been working to communicate
the different funding options available to local business and
tracking how different communities and industries are doing
throughout the pandemic. Additionally, they have been in
consistent communication with mayors, city and borough managers,
businesses, industries, and other state departments. She added
that her team is working with various agencies and other states
to develop helpful programs for resident small businesses. The
Commissioners Office is also working with state and federal
partners on coordination for Economic Mitigation and Recovery
programs, as well as funds. She noted that her assistant
commissioner, Amy Demboski, was assigned to work directly with
unified command on issues regarding health mandates, including
aiding in the developing the framework process for critical
infrastructure business quarantine protocol plans. She said Ms.
Demboski has been diligent in ensuring that the departments
divisions have a direct line to unified command. She further
noted that the DCCED Public Information Officer (PIO) is part of
the unified command PIO team, which ensures that all departments
are in alignment on messaging. The PIOs focus, she said, has
been to promote alternative ways to support businesses through
this pandemic while complying with health mandates. She relayed
that the Commissioners Office is compiling hundreds of
[questions] via phone and email relating to business, health
mandates, and travel restrictions in an ongoing effort to
respond to the public, business, and industry representatives
seven days a week. She emphasized that her team is taking their
role of serving the public seriously and making every effort to
be responsive and timely in all inquiries coming into the
office.
3:30:05 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON prefaced slide 3, titled DCCED & SBA, by
noting that the first round of COVID-19 appropriated funding for
the U.S. SBAs PPP and EIDL has run out; however, the PPP began
accepting new applications this week for an additional round of
,
funding. She reported that as of April 162020, 4,842 Alaskan
businesses received funds from the PPP and 1,609 businesses
received EIDL advances. She said the department has been
communicating with lending institutions and small businesses to
ensure that people are utilizing these tools to get funds into
Alaskans hands as quickly as possible.
3:32:06 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON continued to slide 4, titled DCCEDs ERRB
Website, and explained that the Alaska Development Team created
the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Resources for Business (ERRB)
portal. The website assembles information about resources at
the state and federal level to help Alaskan businesses deal with
the effects of the pandemic and is updated as new tools become
available. The ERRB portal includes information on the
different programs available through the U.S. SBA; the Division
of Economic Development-Investments (DED-INV), DCCED; and the
Alaskan Business Development and Export Authority.
Additionally, it includes latest news, contact information for
economic development organizations around the state, and links
to additional resources. She stated that the intent was to make
the portal a one-stop shop for individuals and businesses in
Alaska by providing them with information on how to access the
tools to help them with their economic recovery.
3:33:12 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON turned attention to slide 5, titled
Division of Economic Development-Investments. She conveyed
that the DED-INV administers and services ten revolving loan
funds for DCCED, which allowed the department to offer immediate
relief funding for businesses when the pandemic hit. Three of
the ten loan funds are specifically designed to work with small
and micro businesses and can be made for working capital: The
Small Business Economic Development Loan Fund (SBED), the Rural
Development Initiative Fund, and the Alaska Microloan Fund. She
relayed that the DED-INV has been working with the U.S. Economic
Development Administration (EDA) to obtain $5 million in grants
to recapitalize the SBED. She noted that Alaska Industrial
Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) has agreed to provide a
$1 million match for this grant. She continued to explain that
the DED-INV also administers the Commercial Fishing Loan
Program, which is designed to assist fisheries and commercial
fishing operations across the state. The divisions staff has
been fielding a large number of inquiries from Alaskans and has
been providing information about the DED-INVs programs, as well
as the PPP, the SBA loan programs, general economic development
council programs, and the AIDEA program.
3:34:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN questioned whether DED-INV will give
current loan holders any forbearance on payments owed and what
kind of communications should be expected from the department.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON deferred to Jim Anderson
3:35:59 PM
JIM ANDERSON, Deputy Director, Division of Economic Development,
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development,
encouraged Representative Hannans constituents to contact him
directly to work on a loan restructure that can get them through
this time. He noted that the Division of Economic Development
is currently working with hundreds of Alaskans who have the same
concerns.
3:36:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN sought to clarify whether her constituents
should contact Mr. Anderson to discuss a loan extension or
forbearance on their loans. She asked if that is correct.
MR. ANDERSON confirmed that. He explained that each situation
is different, adding that the goal is to restructure the loan to
offer the best chance of success. He said the division is
finding that if a business is seasonal, the loan can be
restructured to where payment is not due until after another
full season of business is completed. He added that any cost or
fees associated with restructuring loans has been waved and
encouraged loan holders to contact the division.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked how people can contact the Division
of Economic Development.
MR. ANDERSON shared the following phone number: 1-800-478-5626.
He instructed callers to ask for a loan officer.
3:38:34 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked for the current number of loans and loan
officers.
MR. ANDERSON said they are administering 2,000 loans and have
seven loan officers on staff. He noted that they are in the
process of hiring three new officers.
3:39:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked for the typical wait time that
callers should expect.
MR. ANDERSON reported that the wait time is a matter of minutes
before they get a return call. He said people have been
experiencing 15 minutes at the most. He further noted that if
an applicant submits all the required information, the request
will generally be processed in 14-21 days or sooner, depending
on how responsive he or she is.
3:41:13 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked if the Division of Economic Development
administers the Commercial Fishing Loan Program.
MR. ANDERSON answered yes.
3:41:33 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ, Alaska State Legislature, asked if
DCCED would be involved in distributing the $100 million that is
slated for Alaska's fishing industry relief.
MR. ANDERSON deferred to Commissioner Anderson.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said the method of distribution for the
economic stimulus for Alaskan fisheries is currently under
discussion. She offered her belief that an initial idea was to
administer the funding through the Northwest marine fisheries
commission; however, the department is advocating for the state
to distribute the funds. She offered to follow up with a more
up-to-date answer to the requested information.
3:43:19 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON resumed her presentation on slide 6,
titled AIDEAs AK SAFE Program, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
On March 27th, the AIDEA Board created the Sustaining
Alaska's Future Economy Guaranty Program (AK SAFE):
? In collaboration with Alaska's banks and financial
institutions, AIDEA will provide a loan guarantee of
up to $1M per borrower.
? The objective of the program is to enable Alaska's
banks and financial institutions to immediately
provide additional capital to Alaska businesses
through their existing relationships as they continue
to manage terms.
The proceeds of any loans guaranteed under this
program may be used for any working capital purposes.
? All Alaskan-based businesses impacted by the COVID-
19 disaster with an existing secured loan agreement
are eligible.
Businesses will be able to apply for AK SAFE
guaranty by first speaking with their lending
institution.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON added that in addition to AK SAFE, the
AIDEA board established the Emergency Loan Guarantee Program,
which provides emergency loans to qualified businesses and
nonprofit organizations. The program is intended to complement
federal emergency loan programs, such as the PPP and EIDL. She
further explained that the AIDEA board also adopted temporary
emergency regulations to enable [indisc.] provide direct relief
to Alaskan businesses suffering the economic effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
3:45:24 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ pointed out that there is $290 million in small
business relief coming from the federal government courtesy of
the CARES Act. She recounted the sentiment that loans are not
an ideal solution to some of the financial problems that many
small businesses are facing, because they wont be able to pay
back those loans with uncertain revenue for some time into the
future. She asked if DCCED is considering grants for small
businesses.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON explained that when the department began
designing programs to meet the needs of individuals and
businesses that could not access the SBA loan programs, they
were operating under former federal guidelines. However, she
said that under current federal guidance the department is
looking at incorporating a forgiveness clause into the emergency
loan program to allow for a significant amount of the loans
could be forgiven ultimately operating like a grant. She
acknowledged that they understand the needs of businesses in
Alaska, especially in rural Alaska where people are having an
extremely difficult time. Ultimately, she said, their goal is
to implement a program that can provide a combination of both
loans and grants.
3:47:31 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked when the loan provisions would be updated
to include a forgiveness clause. She recommended getting it
established expeditiously and distributing the information
widely so people in the small business community understand
their options.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON agreed. She deferred to Alan Weitzner.
3:48:01 PM
ALAN WEITZNER, Chief Investment Officer, Alaska Industrial
Development and Export Authority, explained that AIDEA is
working with Commissioner Anderson to issue a request for
proposals from Alaskas financial institutions on ways of
implementing a direct lending program. He noted that they are
currently trying to determine the specific terms. He reported
that they anticipate implementing a program with the
aforementioned changes and announcing it to Alaskan businesses
within the next two weeks.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ applauded that and asked which organizations
AIDEA has been working with to gather input on the development
of that process.
MR. WEITZNER stated that AIDEA has been specifically
communicating with national institutions as a primary vehicle to
understand the current demand, needs, and requirements. He said
they have also been speaking directly with over 100 Alaskan
businesses to understand their specific requirements through the
AK SAFE program. He pointed out that the results of the new
program have come from identifying issues that are not being
addressed for Alaskas businesses specifically, the
seasonality of those businesses.
3:50:07 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked if they have been working with local
economic development organizations.
MR. WEITZNER said they have been working with DCCED and Jim
Anderson with the small business and economic development loan
program; however, they have not been in direct contact with the
community economic development councils.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON noted that her team, through the Alaska
development team, is in contact with the economic development
organizations. Additionally, they worked closely with the small
business development center, as well as many other organizations
throughout the state. She reiterated that people in Alaska are
in dire need. She offered her belief that the program will go a
long way in helping Alaskans. She added that the program will
have a ural set-asideto ensure that disadvantaged people in
rural Alaska can access [indisc.] the funding without being in
competition with people who have sophisticated telecommunication
systems. She said their goal is for the funds to reach all of
Alaska and all sectors.
3:52:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS surmised that the department is channeling
$750,000 in grants through Alaska Regional Development
Organizations (ARDORs). He said it seems illogical that the
department is effectively standing up another forgivable loan
program, which is similar to the PPP. He offered his belief
that the difference between the two is the lag time associated
with designing a new program and a degree of uncertainty about
the competitiveness of the rates that the program will be able
to offer. He questioned the advantage of focusing on a loan
program with questionable forgiveness when the department has
clear legislative authority to issue grants.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON maintained that they are working under new
federal guidance to design the emergency loan program to meet
those needs. She said its difficult to responsibly direct the
funds to viable entities that will use the funds as they were
intended to offset COVID-19 expenses. She stated that by
utilizing a program that was already under development and
adding provisions to effectively forgive the loan based on
specific criteria, it will essentially be a granting avenue
that the department can use to quickly distribute funds to all
areas of the state in a responsible manner. She offered her
belief that the recently appropriated $750,000 is an excellent
idea. She added that it will be helpful to work with ARDORs
within the community to help people prepare for the loans.
3:56:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS noted that $750,000 is tiny sum of money.
He reiterated that setting up a new program that is structurally
similar to a federal program does not make sense. He opined
that it will not be faster than using existing legislative
authority that was designed to {indisc.] the CARES Act funding.
He reported hearing from many small businesses that have had a
hard time working with their financial institutions to tap the
PPP. He suspected that they would have a similar problem
accessing state funds. Furthermore, he reported that Northrim
Bank is the only bank that is helping people who dont have
existing loans. He suggested that this gets back to the
inherent limitations of loans. He said, forgivable loans are
great, but they arent a panacea.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said she shares the same concerns. She
noted that Mr. Weitzner is addressing them by sending a request
for proposals to all financial institutions within the state of
Alaska both banks and credit unions. She explained that they
are in the process of reviewing the proposals now, with a
specific focus on a quick and timely application process so
Alaskans can swiftly access the funds. She said they will have
more information to provide on that program next week.
3:59:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS observed that of the $300 million allotted
to DCCED in the RPL, between $150-250 million is allocated to
AIDEA for the emergency loan guarantee program. He inquired as
to how the rest of the funds would be used.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON offered her understanding that $750,000
would go from DCCED to ARDORs and the remaining funds would be
allocated to different programs within AIDEA and DED-INV. She
added that they intend on utilizing the most effective vehicle
to distribute the funds quickly and at the lowest possible cost.
She said their goal is to beat what the SBA had in their cost
structure.
4:01:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked if AIDEA has contemplated a specific
segment of Alaskas business economy the cannabis industry -
that cannot utilize Alaskas financial institutions because of
banking laws.
MR. WEITZNER said the RFP asked respondents to disclose their
ability to address the cannabis industry for loan support. He
explained that they will have a more informed answer once all
the responses have been evaluated. He offered his belief that
this issue may need to be tackled through another program that
directly addresses the cannabis industry.
4:03:44 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ questioned whether the RFP process for the AK
SAFE program will allow for multiple lenders to participate in
the program.
MR. WEITZNER stated that ultimately, the goal is to have one or
more financial institutions involved; however, it comes down to
providing funding to Alaskas businesses and nonprofit
organizations at the lowest cost. He said the top priority is
to ensure that the specific program operator would provide full
access to the entire state. Another condition, he said, is to
identify subsectors for specific rural community involvement to
grant them equal access.
4:05:42 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked for the plan to distribute the ARDORs
fund.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said she does not know.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ echoed Representative Fields' sentiments about
the $750,000 allocation. She said that amount of money will not
go very far. She urged the involvement of business experts in
each community. She further clarified that the governor makes
budget requests while the legislature is responsible for
appropriations.
4:06:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked for the number of loan requests that
could not be fulfilled.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said that data is not available. She
noted that the Division of Insurance, DCCED, can help people get
access to working capital.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked why loan applications are being
denied.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said she does not know. She offered to
follow up on the requested information.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY questioned whether the list of people who
were successful in receiving loans could be produced. She asked
if that is confidential.
4:12:16 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said she cannot access data from the SBA
programs; however, she could follow up with information form the
loan programs administered by her department.
4:12:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked if the department could follow up
with a list of people who are awarded the AIDEA grants.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ in response to Representative Story, said it
sounds like the commissioner will have to speak with the
Department of Law about the legality of sharing names. She
pointed out that there could be issues of confidentiality
associated with publicly sharing business loans. She added that
it would be interesting to know how many loans were allocated,
the total value of those loans, and in what communities they
were distributed.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON said those statistics would be provided as
part of the RFP process.
4:14:10 PM
LORI WING-HEIER, Director, Division of Insurance, Department of
Commerce, Community & Economic Development, resumed the
presentation on slide 7, titled Division of Insurance. She
stated that the Division of Insurance proactively provided
guidance to insurers and reduced auto and other insurance costs
for consumers by instituting measures, such as waving cost-
sharing for respiratory illness diagnostic testing; liberalizing
telehealth benefits to allow for unprecedented flexibilities;
prohibiting cancellation of insurance contracts due to
nonpayment until June 1, 2020; suspending deadlines for claim
filings or appeals by insurers; and directing property and
casualty insurers to adjust premiums due to reduced exposure or
risk profiles during the pandemic. Furthermore, the division
worked with insurers to keep employees on employee benefits
plans regardless of the hours that they work in the wake of
layoffs. The Division of Insurance also waived preauthorization
and retrospective audits for health care providers to allow them
to concentrate on treating patients. Additionally, she
explained that CMS awarded the division more money than they
anticipated for the reinsurance program. She said the extra
money was put into both the 2020 and 2021 program to ensure that
members would not bear the cost of a large number of COVID-19
claims the following year. She further noted that the
divisions website provides information on what each carrier is
doing in respect to COVID-19, as well as frequently asked
questions and information on specific insurance coverage that
could be useful during this pandemic. She expressed her hope
that people would return to work and that these measures wont
be necessary in the future.
4:19:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON sought clarification on how to
interpret the Treasury Secretarys guidance regarding medical
expenses. He questioned whether the state could use money from
the CARES Act funding to pay the medical bill of a patient who
lost his or her insurance due to layoffs.
MS. WING-HEIER offered her understanding that CMS and the Trump
administration said that costs for the uninsured would be
covered; however, its not clear whether the claims would be
paid for by the CARES Act or another funding mechanism.
4:21:04 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ sought further clarification on the differing
rates for telehealth.
MS. WING-HEIER pointed out that primary care physicians who, due
to COVID-19, have been forced to use telehealth to practice from
home, still have overheard and staffing costs. She explained
that the Division of Insurance considered paying them a higher
rate than normal telehealth providers. She said their goal was
to stabilize their balance sheet and allow them to come back
with their full staff, equipment, and clinics going forward.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ noted that Alaskan health care providers that
have been reticent of using telehealth in the past have
transitioned into that mechanism of care delivery under the
current circumstances. She expressed her appreciation for the
flexibility that has allowed those providers to bill at higher
rates, as they still have to pay for nurses and administrative
personnel. She asked if there has been any discussion with the
Trump administration or Alaskas congressional delegation about
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans in the
state of Alaska that do not cover telehealth.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON acknowledged that members of trusts have
called the division to ask why their benefits are not as broad
as either the insured market or Alaska Care. Nonetheless, she
said she has not discussed that matter with either the Trump
administration or the congressional delegation. She
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ recounted communications from Alaskans who have
had trouble getting coverage for their telehealth visits. She
encouraged addressing that issue with the Trump administration
and the states congressional delegation.
4:25:00 PM
SARA CHAMBERS, Director, Division of Corporations, Businesses
and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development, resumed the presentation on slide 8,
titled Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional
Licensing. She proceeded to address the actions taken by the
Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing
(CBPL), including suspending fees for new and renewing business
licenses; allowing payment plans for professional licenses;
launching more online applications for health care
professionals; collecting COVID-19 health mandate violation
complaints for Unified Command; and establishing the CBPL COVID-
19 webpage, which incudes guidance produced by the division and
its boards. The CBPL also issued three emergency orders, one of
which extends the renewal deadline for certified nurse aids to
July 2020. The two additional emergency orders established a
payment extension for all consent agreements that were in good
standing and extended the life of nursing home administrator
provisional licenses.
4:30:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN sought clarification the type of health
mandate violation complaints that the division is addressing.
She also asked for the volume of complaints that have been
received.
MS. CHAMBERS stated that the CBPL offered to be a collection
point for all public complaints. She explained that the
divisions professional investigators handle any confidential
information and that they are screening for information that
falls within Title 8 [Business and Professions], which would be
within the divisions jurisdiction. She explained that every
complaint is entered into a spreadsheet, which is then triaged
by the Department of Law. She reported that in the last few
weeks they have received over one thousand complaints.
4:32:10 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ said she expects the number of complaints to
dramatically increase as businesses reopen in the coming weeks.
She asked what the Department of Law plans to do in terms of
enforcing the health mandates.
MS. CHAMBERS replied that would be an excellent question for the
Department of Law to explain how they are prioritizing public
health and safety issues from those that are nonessential. She
explained that the divisions primary focus is educating their
licensees about the laws, as mandates are being updated in
correspondence with CDC guidelines.
4:34:29 PM
MS. CHAMBERS directed attention to slide 9, titled CBPL
Professional Licensing Boards, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
The health care boards' chairs meet weekly to
discuss COVID-19 matters and the Health Mandates.
The Board of Pharmacy extended the renewal deadline
from June to September; and adopted emergency
regulations expanding the tasks of a pharmacy tech,
decreasing unnecessary administrative requirements,
streamlining application and renewal requirements,
expanding shared pharmacy services functions, allowing
for temporary relocations, and allowing for the
distribution of sufficient medication to avoid
patients making multiple trips to the pharmacy.
The Board of Nursing adopted emergency regulations
allowing successful LPNs, RNs, or APRNs to apply for a
courtesy license; and waived fees for temporary
permits and emergency courtesy licenses.
The State Medical Board created new regulations on
emergency courtesy licenses to waive the collaborative
plan agreement requirements for physician assistants.
Many boards are altering continuing education
requirements for this year.
MS. CHAMBERS concluded by stating that the actions of the CBPL
are efforts to ensure that Alaskan professionals can maintain
their licenses and continue working through the pandemic, as
well as to ensure that health care services are available across
the state.
4:41:13 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON continued to slide 10, titled Division of
Community and Regional Affairs, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Actions by the DCRA Division:
? Created the COVID-19 Resources for Communities
website.
Actively participating in weekly teleconferences
with the Alaska Regional Development Organizations
(ARDORs) regarding the economic impact across the
state.
? Division staff have spoken directly with many
Alaskan communities and local governments about COVID-
19 management, emergency regulations, and concerns
about availability of supplies.
? Division is working with communities to ensure they
are ready to receive the CARES act funds.
? Working with FEMA on their established COVID-19
Interagency Federal Partners Task Force.
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON noted that the DCRAs local government
specialist team has provided the DHSS resource request process
for COVID-19 response to many rural communities and also asked
the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for information about
where they can request supplies for quarantine facilities in
their areas.
4:44:09 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON continued to slide 11, titled Division of
Banking and Securities. She stated that the Division of
Banking and Securities, DCCED, acted quickly to ensure that
banks and credit unions could roll out the PPP and EIDL funds to
Alaskan businesses as efficiently as possible. She relayed that
reporting deadlines were extended and the requirement to obtain
a branch license was waived for mortgage loan originators
working from home. Additionally, key information for mortgage
loan originators, extensions, on deadlines, and more was made
available on the divisions website. She turned attention to
slide 12, titled Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, which
read as follows:
Actions taken by the ABC and MCB
? The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) has
allowed curbside and home delivery of alcoholic
beverages in certain circumstances.
? The Marijuana Control Board (MCB) has allowed for
curbside delivery of marijuana products.
? The ABC passed a motion to allow distillers to
produce ethanol alcohol for use in hand sanitizers.
? The ABC and MCB have extended TAPS/Alcohol Server
Cards and Marijuana Handler Permits.
4:47:02 PM
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON continued to slide 13, titled Looking
Forward. She said in these uncertain times, predicting what
the future weeks and months will bring and what actions are
necessary for DCCED is difficult. She added that her team is
prepared to launch into action in whatever direction is
necessary to best support Alaskan businesses and the economy.
Currently, she said, the departments future plans include
continuing to work closely with state and federal partners in
many areas, such as the coordination for economic mitigation and
recovery programs and funds and the development and
implementation of programs to help residents, small businesses,
and industries. The department will also continue to
communicate with Alaskas communities and community leaders,
mayors, city and borough managers, other state departments, and
unified command. Furthermore, DCCED will continue to search for
additional funding assistance programs that could be made
available to Alaskan businesses.
4:50:54 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ encouraged the department to consider grants as
well as expediting loans to small businesses. She said small
businesses across Alaska need to be held as close to
economically harmless as possible given the generous provisions
of the federal CARES Act. She offered her belief that keeping
small businesses in business despite COVID-19 would keep the
economy strong. She reiterated that in this devastating time,
Alaska should be smart, efficient, and wise with its resources
and preserving the states economic diversity. She noted that
DCCEDs licensees and small business owners are essentially
frontline workers in preventing the spread of COVID-19. She
said supporting and advising them as they work to safely reopen
Alaskas economy is important. She suggested providing training
and additional resources to businesses and licensees about
health mandates and methods to be part of the solution, possible
in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services
(DHSS), to harness the power of Alaskans.
4:54:43 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at
[4:54] p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DCCED COVID-19 presentation before HL&C 04.29.2020.pdf |
HL&C 5/1/2020 3:15:00 PM |
DCCED COVID19 Response |