Legislature(2001 - 2002)
01/23/2001 08:05 AM House STA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
January 23, 2001
8:05 a.m.
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs
TAPES
[The recording begins approximately 35 minutes into Tape 01-5,
Side B.]
TAPE 01-5, Side B [House STA tapes]
TAPE 01-6, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COGHILL, Chair, convened the joint meeting
between the House State Affairs Standing Committee and the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs at 8:05 a.m.
PRESENT
Committee members present were Representatives Coghill, James,
Hayes, Fate, Stevens, and Wilson.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
MAJOR GENERAL PHILLIP E. OATES, Adjutant General/Commissioner,
Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs introduced himself.
He explained that he had been commissioned as an infantry
officer in the U.S. Army from Infantry Officer Candidate School
in February 1970 and graduated from the U.S. Army War College in
1991. He concluded his active Army career as the Chief of
Staff for the Alaskan Command at Elmendorf Air Force Base. He
was appointed as the Adjutant General on February 1, 1999.
He said that the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs is
divided into several divisions that include the Office of
Veterans' Affairs, the Public Affairs Office, Alaska Army
National Guard, Alaska Air National Guard, Alaska Division of
Emergency Services, Alaska State Defense Force, Alaska Naval
Militia, Alaska Military Youth Academy, and the Division of
Administrative Services.
GENERAL OATES talked about the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG),
the different squadrons within the unit, and the important roles
they play in Pacific Air Forces of the U.S. Armed Forces. The
explained that the missions of the ANG are to (a) participate in
local, state and national programs that add value to America;
(b) protect life and property, and preserve peace, order and
public safety, and (c) support U.S. national security
objectives. He said there are 641 full-time members and 1,261
part-time members of the ANG. General Oates pointed out in the
Committee members' packets the fall issue of the "National Guard
Review," which featured an interview with General Oates about
Alaska's strategic significance in national security, and the
needs of ANG to fulfill those responsibilities.
GENERAL OATES then discussed then discussed the Air Force Space
Command proposal to transfer the Space Surveillance & Ballistic
Missile Warning System at Clear Air Force Base to the Alaska
National Guard. He said this transferred would require no
additional state funding and would bring 90 federally funded Air
Guard positions to Interior Alaska. He said the proposal is
under review by the Air Force and the 4-year transition is
expected to begin later this year.
GENERAL OATES mentioned that the Department had recently created
a staff position to monitor federal development on the National
Defense System that could result in Alaska being the sight of
the National Defense Ballistic Missile System. He said that he
had recently hired a former legislative staff member, Chris
Nelson for the position. He said Alaska could play a
significant role as the sight for the system because Alaska is
the only location that could provide protection to all fifty
states from incoming missile attacks.
GENERAL OATES introduced Dave Liebersach, Director of the
Division of Emergency Services and asked him to give an overview
of the division.
DAVE LIEBERSBACH said he became director of the division in
February of 1999. Prior to this assignment, he had been the
Chief of Staff for the Division since October of 1996. He
explained that the Alaska Division of Emergency Services is
responsible for coordinating all phases of emergency management
in the State of Alaska. This can range from disaster
coordination for victims of floods, forest fires, and the
Western Alaska fisheries disasters. He said the most recent
activities of the division were the Y2K monitoring of the State
during the recent turn of the calendar from 1999 to 2000. He
said while the transition was pretty uneventful, the Division
was ready for any emergencies that might have occurred.
MR. LIEBERSBACH also mentioned that the old Emergency Broadcast
System (EBS) method of alerting the public of disasters was
replaced in January of 1998 by an EBS that consists of a network
of broadcast stations, across the Nation and across the State
equipped to allow the automatic transmission and broadcasting of
emergency messages. Alerts pass from station to station and on
to the air automatically, without human intervention. The State
Division of Emergency Services activates the alerts and the
system is designed to alert only the affected areas that could
be affected, so as not to alarm locations not affected.
TIM JONES, Director of the Alaska Military Youth Academy,
explained that in 1993, Congress passed legislation that
established 10 pilot programs to give a second chance to 16-18
year-old "at risk" youth who were not going to secondary school
and had not completed secondary school. A pilot program was
funded for Alaska and in January of 1994 43 young men and women
started the program. As of September of 2000, 900 Alaskan youth
have graduated from the Academy. In December of 1997, the
academy received its secondary school accreditation from the
Northwest Association of Schools & Colleges and in January of
1998, the Academy became a Microsoft Authorized Academic
Training Program site.
MR. JONES said the mission of the Academy is to help young
Alaskans who are headed for a grim and perhaps criminal future
get the second chance to gain self-confidence and become solid
citizens contributing positively to their state and local
communities.
MR. JONES said the criteria for an applicant is that he or she
is 16 to 18 years old, is out of school and has not earned a
high school diploma or completion certificate, is not involved
in any legal entanglements, is committed to being drug, alcohol
and tobacco free will enrolled, and can physically and mentally
handle a military-style training program similar to boot camp.
The military youth academy is located on Fort Richardson the
Army training facilities are used including obstacle courses.
MR. JONES said the program is a tremendous asset to Alaska. He
said that 55 percent of the program graduates are now paying
their way in society by holding down permanent jobs. He said
that of those people in Alaskan prisons today, 85 percent have
no high school diploma. About 25 percent of those youth
accepted at the Academy have been involved with the juvenile
system. He believes the state can save millions of dollars in
incarceration costs by educating youth that could have become
future inmates in the Alaskan prison system.
MR. JONES said that the federal government fully funded the
program during its pilot stage but now the Academy is looking
for funding to keep the program going. He said there is a non-
profit corporation being formed to raise money for the Academy,
which needs about $4 million a year for operating expenses.
GENERAL OATES summarized by thanking the committee for their
time and by discussing the project that his department and the
Department of Administration is working on in the establishment
of a Veterans' wing of the Pioneers' Home. He said that they
are working with the Veterans' Administration in acquiring
funding to utilize the empty beds in the Pioneers' Home
facilities for Alaskan Veterans'. He asked the Committee's help
in supporting legislation that will be introduced by the
Governor tomorrow which changes the name of the Alaska Pioneers'
Home to the Alaska Pioneers' and Veterans' Home and changes the
Alaska Pioneers' Home Advisory Board to the Alaska Pioneers' and
Veterans' Home Advisory Board. It also revises statutes to
accommodate the establishment of a veterans' preference for
filling unoccupied beds in the Pioneers' Home's facilities.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
CHAIR COGHILL adjourned the joint meeting between the House
State Affairs Standing Committee and the House Special Committee
on Military and Veterans' Affairs at 9:45 a.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.
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