Legislature(2023 - 2024)SENATE FINANCE 532

02/15/2024 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
-- Please Note Time Change --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled: TELECONFERENCED
+= SB 56 AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY TELECONFERENCED
Moved SB 56 (EDC) Out of Committee
+= SB 141 NAMING RAYMOND & ESTHER CONQUEST BRIDGE TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 141(TRA) Out of Committee
+= SB 24 PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 24(FIN) Out of Committee
                 SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE                                                                                       
                     February 15, 2024                                                                                          
                         1:38 p.m.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:38:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson called the Senate Finance Committee meeting                                                                      
to order at 1:38 p.m.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair                                                                                                 
Senator Donny Olson, Co-Chair                                                                                                   
Senator Click Bishop                                                                                                            
Senator Jesse Kiehl                                                                                                             
Senator Kelly Merrick [via teleconference]                                                                                      
Senator David Wilson                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
ALSO PRESENT                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Forrest Dunbar,  Sponsor;  James Holzenberg,  Staff                                                                    
for Senator  Dunbar; Sana Efird, Executive  Director, Alaska                                                                    
Commission on Postsecondary Education;  Sam Greely, Staff to                                                                    
Senator Hoffman; Ken Alper, Staff  to Senator Olson; Senator                                                                    
Elvi  Gray-Jackson, Sponsor;  Besse Odom,  Staff to  Senator                                                                    
Gray-Jackson.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SB 24     PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
          CSSB 24(FIN)  was REPORTED  out of  committee with                                                                    
          four  "do  pass"   recommendations  and  with  one                                                                    
          forthcoming   fiscal   impact    note   from   the                                                                    
          Department of Education and Early Development.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SB 56     AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
          CSSB 56(EDC)  was REPORTED  out of  committee with                                                                    
          three "do  pass" recommendations and with  one  no                                                                    
          recommendation  recommendation, and  with four new                                                                    
          fiscal impact notes from the Department of                                                                            
          Education and Early Development.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SB 141    NAMING RAYMOND & ESTHER CONQUEST BRIDGE                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
          CSSB 141(TRA)  was REPORTED out of  committee with                                                                    
          four  "do  pass"  recommendations,  and  with  one                                                                    
          previously  published   fiscal  impact   note:  FN                                                                    
          1(DOT).                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson discussed the agenda.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 56                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Alaska performance scholarship                                                                     
     program."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:39:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson relayed  that the  committee  had heard  the                                                                    
bill on  January 30, 2024,  and had taken  public testimony.                                                                    
There  had  been no  amendments  submitted.  He invited  the                                                                    
sponsor to comment.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:39:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FORREST  DUNBAR,  SPONSOR, relayed  that  the  bill                                                                    
would do  three primary  things, including changing  some of                                                                    
the  qualifications   to  receive  the   Alaska  Performance                                                                    
Scholarship (APS)  including expanding  for more  career and                                                                    
technical  education.  The  bill   would  move  forward  the                                                                    
notification deadline in  order to let students  know of the                                                                    
award earlier.  The bill would  increase the  scholarship to                                                                    
account for  inflation. He recounted hearing  testimony that                                                                    
indicated  that   43  percent  of  UA   students  were  food                                                                    
insecure.  He  thought  the bill  would  help  promote  food                                                                    
security for some students.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:41:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMES  HOLZENBERG,  STAFF  FOR  SENATOR  DUNBAR,  introduced                                                                    
himself and  noted that he  was not  a recipient of  APS. He                                                                    
had peers that had received  the scholarship, and he thought                                                                    
the award  had affected  his peers  ability  to stay  in the                                                                    
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:42:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SANA  EFIRD,   EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR,  ALASKA   COMMISSION  ON                                                                    
POSTSECONDARY  EDUCATION,  introduced  herself  and  relayed                                                                    
that she was available to  answer any questions posed by the                                                                    
committee. She  recounted that the  commission had  passed a                                                                    
resolution in support of the bill the previous year.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson  asked if  the  bill  was tailored  to  help                                                                    
students  that   were  disinclined   to  go  on   to  higher                                                                    
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Efird  affirmed that  the intention of  the bill  was to                                                                    
encourage students to  go on to higher  education. She noted                                                                    
that  the  original  purpose  of  the  APS  program  was  to                                                                    
encourage and  promote Alaska students into  a postsecondary                                                                    
pathway from high  school. She asserted that  ACPE felt very                                                                    
strongly  that  the   changes  in  the  bill   would  be  an                                                                    
improvement  in the  program and  would remove  some of  the                                                                    
barriers.  She cited  the ultimate  goal of  having students                                                                    
retained in the state and living productive lives.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl MOVED to report  CSSB 56(EDC) out of Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CSSB 56(EDC)  was REPORTED out  of committee with  three "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendations  and  with  one   no  recommendation                                                                     
recommendation, and  with four new fiscal  impact notes from                                                                    
the Department of Education and Early Development.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:45:03 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:47:10 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 141                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act naming the Raymond and Esther Conquest                                                                             
     Bridge."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:47:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson  recounted that the committee  first heard SB
141  on  February 7,  at  which  time  it had  taken  public                                                                    
testimony. No amendments had been submitted.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:47:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SAM GREELY, STAFF TO SENATOR  HOFFMAN, thanked the committee                                                                    
for hearing the bill.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hoffman  MOVED  to report  CSSB  141(TRA)  out  of                                                                    
Committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying  fiscal note.  There  being no  There being  NO                                                                    
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CSSB 141(TRA)  was REPORTED out  of committee with  four "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendations, and  with  one previously  published                                                                    
fiscal impact note: FN 1(DOT).                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:48:35 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:49:55 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATE BILL NO. 24                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to mental health education; and                                                                           
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:49:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson relayed that the  committee first heard SB 24                                                                    
on February 7,  and had taken public testimony.  There was a                                                                    
Committee Substitute (CS) to consider.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl  MOVED to ADOPT proposed  committee substitute                                                                    
for SB 24, Work Draft 33-LS0232\S (Marx/Bergerud, 2/14/24).                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:50:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEN ALPER, STAFF  TO SENATOR OLSON, commented  that the only                                                                    
change  in the  CS  was  to the  effective  date, which  was                                                                    
modified from July  1, 2023, to July 1, 2024.  He noted that                                                                    
there  was  a  forthcoming  change to  the  fiscal  note  to                                                                    
reflect  the modified  effective date,  and also  to clarify                                                                    
that  the  funding  source  for   the  costs  in  curriculum                                                                    
development would be general  fund-mental health rather than                                                                    
unrestricted general funds. He  anticipated that the updated                                                                    
fiscal note would be available in approximately one hour.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson  WITHDREW  his  objection.  There  being  NO                                                                    
further OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:51:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, SPONSOR,  expressed thanks to the                                                                    
committee. She was pleased at  receiving a letter of support                                                                    
from             the            Anchorage             School                                                                    
District board  members and superintendent. She  mentioned a                                                                    
group  of students  from Sitka,  who  had offered  testimony                                                                    
related to mental health in the Senate Education Committee.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson mentioned  the Golovin  School District  and                                                                    
agreed  that  there  needed to  be  additional  support  for                                                                    
mental health.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:53:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BESSE  ODOM, STAFF  TO SENATOR  GRAY-JACKSON,  did not  have                                                                    
additional comments to offer.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson asked if Ms. Odom was in favor of the bill.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Odom emphasized her support for the bill.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Kiehl MOVED to report  CSSB 24(FIN) out of Committee                                                                    
with individual  recommendations and the  forthcoming fiscal                                                                    
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CSSB 24(FIN)  was REPORTED  out of  committee with  four "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendations  and   with  one  forthcoming  fiscal                                                                    
impact  note  from the  Department  of  Education and  Early                                                                    
Development.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:54:46 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:56:09 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson discussed the agenda for the next meeting.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
1:56:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The meeting was adjourned at 1:56 p.m.                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
SB 24 - Letter of Support ASD.pdf SFIN 2/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
SB 24
SB 24 - Letter of Support Gwyneth Eggleston.pdf SFIN 2/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
SB 24
SB 24 EED SSA 011524.pdf SFIN 2/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
SB 24
SB 24 CS in SFin summary of changes 2-15-24.pdf SFIN 2/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
SB 24
SB 24 work draft version varsion S.pdf SFIN 2/15/2024 1:30:00 PM
SB 24