Legislature(2017 - 2018)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/15/2017 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearings: Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees and University of Alaska Board of Regents | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 15, 2017
9:31 a.m.
9:31:07 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair MacKinnon called the Senate Finance Committee
meeting to order at 9:31 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair
Senator Anna MacKinnon, Co-Chair
Senator Click Bishop, Vice-Chair
Senator Mike Dunleavy
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Donny Olson
Senator Natasha von Imhof
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Christopher Cooke, Appointee; Karen Perdue, Appointee;
SUMMARY
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:
ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST AUTHORITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA BOARD OF REGENTS
^CONFIRMATION HEARINGS: ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST
AUTHORITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES and UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA BOARD
OF REGENTS
9:31:42 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon noted that Wendy Lawrence had resigned
from the State Assessment Review Board, and was removed
from the agenda.
CHRISTOPHER COOKE, APPOINTEE, discussed his qualifications
for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA) Board
of Trustees. He referred to a letter he had sent to
individual legislators, briefly outlining his interest and
qualifications in the AMHTA board (copy on file). He felt
that his almost 50 years of experience in Alaska was an
important part of his qualifications. He referred to
working and living in rural Alaska as an attorney for
Alaska Legal Services, and as a private practitioner. He
was a Superior Court judge for ten years.
Mr. Cooke continued to discuss his qualifications, relaying
that after his retirement he became interested in the
board. He thought membership on the board would be a way to
contribute to the state that he and his family called home.
He knew that the state had serious and long-standing
problems in the mental health area, and acknowledged that
there was a wide variety of issues and concerns. He hoped
he could help address some of the issues through the work
of the trust.
9:34:54 AM
Mr. Cooke continued, explaining that he had been in Bethel
the previous week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
Alaska Legal Services. He recalled that he had encountered
a program that was funded by the trust authority, and spoke
with a colleague about the concept of "holistic defense."
He explained the concept whereby a civil attorney was
placed with the Public Defender Agency to work with clients
on civil issues. He discussed the myriad of issues that
could be experienced by public defender clients. He
discussed the fact that civil attorneys could make a
difference in people's lives through assisting individuals
to improve their lives. He mused that the work of the trust
authority was very worthwhile, and he thought he could
contribute. He thought his judicial and legal experience
would be an asset to the board.
9:37:01 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman expressed appreciation that Mr. Cooke's
grandchildren had the surname of Hoffman. He asked Mr. Cook
what he could offer the people of Western Alaska while
serving on the board of trustees. He mentioned that the
area of the state had many social problems and that Mr.
Cooke would potentially be the board member with the most
experience in the area.
Mr. Cooke discussed the constituency in Co-Chair Hoffman's
district and envisioned a need for information and access.
He noted that many agencies were located in urban centers,
which presented a challenge for outreach in rural Alaska.
He thought there were communication barriers and a lack of
understanding of language, terminology, and state
structure. He hoped to encourage programs that would
provide more access to rural Alaskans who qualified as
beneficiaries of the trust.
Mr. Cook continued to speak to Co-Chair Hoffman's question.
He mentioned individuals with disabilities, people dealing
with Alzheimer's and dementia, people with chronic
substance abuse problems, those suffering from traumatic
brain injury, and other categories of beneficiaries. He
thought it was more difficult for rural Alaskans to learn
about services that could alleviate some of the issues he
described.
9:39:52 AM
Senator von Imhof thought Mr. Cooke clearly had familiarity
with mental health issues and programs that were available.
She wondered if he had a perspective on the recent
direction of the board to invest more in real estate.
Mr. Cook stated that he was somewhat aware of the issue,
and recognized that the subject was complex. He pondered
that the trust land base had a purpose to provide revenue
and support for programs to advance the comprehensive
mental health plan of Alaska to serve the beneficiaries. He
acknowledged that there were issues and controversies
pertaining to how the mental health trust land was being
used and managed. He thought that the issues were being
addressed in a number of ways; by review, through the
legislative budget and audit process, and with some
clarifying legislation that might be proposed. He did not
have enough information to suggest a remedy or advocate for
a specific change. He thought that the matter would involve
significant legal issues, and hoped that his background and
experience would contribute to the dialog.
9:42:14 AM
Vice-Chair Bishop FORWARDED the appointment of Christopher
Cooke to a Joint Session for consideration in accordance
with Alaska Statute. He relayed that it did not reflect an
intent by any member Senate Finance Committee to vote for
or against the confirmation of the individual during any
further sessions.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
9:42:58 AM
AT EASE
9:44:54 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair MacKinnon noted that Appointee Mary Kay Hughes was
unable to be in committee.
9:45:39 AM
KAREN PERDUE, APPOINTEE, discussed her qualifications for
the University of Alaska (UA) Board of Regents. She resided
in Fairbanks and was a lifelong Alaskan. She acknowledged
that the late United States Senator Ted Stevens had been
her mentor. She worked for the senator early in her career,
after which she worked for Terry Miller. She began her role
in state government in the 1980s and served four governors,
culminating in working for 8 years as commissioner of
Department of Health and Social Services. She emphasized
that when she was commissioner, the price of oil was $9 per
barrel, and she had learned the importance of motivating
and working with individuals who were committed to a
mission while working through financial difficulty. She
thought it was important to appreciate those who committed
their lives to a mission of an agency.
Ms. Perdue continued discussing her qualifications, noting
that she returned to Fairbanks in 2001, when she served for
ten years as Associate Vice President of UA under former
President Mark Hamilton. She worked primarily responding to
industry needs in the healthcare field. She worked with
faculty to develop the current nursing model, which was a
highly accredited and successful program. She worked with
every campus on academic planning and learned of the
importance of a university in economic development. She
appreciated the role of students that stayed in state for
higher education, and were skilled consumers.
9:48:49 AM
Ms. Perdue highlighted that she was a member of the Denali
Commission as well as the board of Alaska Housing Finance
Corporation (AHFC). She thought it was relevant that she
was CEO of a board of hospital administrators. She asserted
that she had learned the difference between management and
governance from both sides.
Ms. Perdue reminded that the UA Board of Regents was one of
the few boards named in the state constitution, and thought
that the framers of the state intended the board to be a
powerful oversight of a one-state university. She followed
that the constitution allowed for the board to provide
guidance, and to hire a president. She considered that the
board had an obligation to work in tandem with the
president to administer the system.
Ms. Perdue remarked that UA was facing huge financial
pressure and declining enrollment. She knew the regents and
the president would be making many tough decisions. She
emphasized the importance of managing the situation so that
students believed there would be a quality institution in
the future, that provided quality education and world-class
research. She thought if UA lost the confidence of
students, it would lose enrollment and it would contribute
to a deficit situation. She concluded that she wanted to
meaningfully participate in making sure UA made the
transition to survive for another 100 years.
9:51:00 AM
Co-Chair Hoffman asked how Ms. Perdue saw the role of rural
campuses in the University system currently and in the
future.
Ms. Perdue discussed the concept that students who were
place-committed were an asset. She explained that it was
possible to think of ways of delivering education to
students who would take on roles in the community (teacher,
nurse, etc.). She thought that UA had proven that it could
deliver complex information in a variety of innovative
ways; such as distance delivery, intensive cohorts, and
evening classes. She thought the examples allowed students
to pursue education while maintaining their lifestyle.
9:52:30 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon asked Ms. Perdue to comment on strategic
pathways. She referred to testimony in meetings concerning
the budget.
Ms. Perdue explained that strategic pathways began a year
and a half previously, as a framework for the president and
Board of Regents to take on many areas of study. Some of
were administrative and some were academic. She received
feedback in the regents meeting was that the academic areas
had varied success, but the administrative areas of
strategic pathways had been quite successful. She explained
that the administrative area included enrollment and IT
services. She recalled that the strategic pathways process
had evolved to include more stakeholders, including faculty
and students. She thought the strategic pathways process
had tried to address some of the process issues that had
been raised.
9:53:56 AM
Vice-Chair Bishop FORWARDED the appointment of Karen Perdue
and Mary Kay Hughes to a Joint Session for consideration in
accordance with Alaska Statute. He relayed that this did
not reflect an intent by any member Senate Finance
Committee to vote for or against the confirmation of the
individuals during any further sessions.
There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
9:54:33 AM
AT EASE
9:56:12 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair MacKinnon acknowledged that Larry Norene, Trustee,
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority had been in the room.
She wanted to recognize his service to the people of
Alaska.
Co-Chair MacKinnon pointed out the Senator Micciche had
raised a significant amount of funds for the Food Bank of
Alaska.
Senator Micciche stated that he served as auctioneer at a
fundraising event for the food bank. He noted that Co-Chair
Hoffman's spouse baked an item for auction.
Co-Chair MacKinnon discussed the afternoon schedule. She
relayed that the 1:00pm meeting would be postponed until
1:30pm.
ADJOURNMENT
9:58:25 AM
The meeting was adjourned at 9:58 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Mental Health Trust.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |
| State Assessment Review Board 43.56.040.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |
| University of Alaska Board of Regents 14.40.120.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |
| UA Regents - Perdue.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |
| Hughes Letter to Sen. MacKinnon 2017.03.11.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |
| SFC 2017 Confirmation Information Packet 1.pdf |
SFIN 3/15/2017 9:00:00 AM |
Confirmations 2017 |