HB 55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS  3:33:23 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 55, "An Act relating to allocations of funding for the Alaska Workforce Investment Board; and providing for an effective date." [Before the committee was CSHB 55(EDC).] 3:33:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE move to adopt the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 55, Version 33-LS0360\D, A. Radford, 4/1/24, as the working document. There being no objection, Version D was before the committee. 3:34:17 PM REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK, prime sponsor, deferred to her staff. 3:34:26 PM STUART RELAY, Staff, Representative Ashley Carrick, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Carrick, prime sponsor, gave an explanation of changes in Version D [hard copy included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Page 1, lines 4-9: delete all material. Page 2, line 12 page 3, line 15: delete all material. Page 3 line 20: delete all material. MR. RILEY noted that Version D would bring the CS back to the original version of the bill the only difference being a two- year extension instead of a six-year extension. 3:35:27 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER questioned whether it was the bill sponsor's intent to come back in two years and try to reinstitute the provisions in the prior CS, Version R. REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK said her main goal is to ensure the reauthorization of TVEP. The more limited extension would put time pressure on implementing changes and reconsiderations to TVEP over the course of the next intervening years before the legislation were to come back before the committee. 3:36:51 PM CHAIR SUMNER opened public testimony on HB 55. 3:37:12 PM DON ETHERIDGE, Lobbyist, Alaska AFL-CIO; Lobbyist, Alaska Works Partnership, Inc., said it would only be fair to extend TVEP for two years and gather all participants in the same room to discuss potential changes. He emphasized the importance of the program and said, "it's a great idea." 3:38:00 PM KRIS CURTIS, Legislative Auditor, Legislative Audit Division, Legislative Agencies and Offices, testified during the hearing on HB 55 and reviewed the legislative audit, beginning on page 3. She discussed report conclusions on page 10. The audit provides 2 recommendations beginning on page 23: Firstly, it recommends that the legislature consider repealing the direct award to the 10 training providers, which would allow TVEP funds to be paid via grant process; secondly, it recommends that the Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DLWD) work with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to resolve the underpayments to the seven training providers. 3:48:00 PM CHAIR SUMNER closed public testimony on HB 55 and announced that the bill would be held over.