HB 317 - STATE EMPLOYEE HIRE AND PROMOTION                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI  announced the next order of  business as House                                                              
Bill  No.  317,  "An  Act  relating   to  recruitment,  selection,                                                              
appointment, and  promotion of state  employees and the  duties of                                                              
the  Department  of  Administration  concerning  those  and  other                                                              
related functions; and providing for an effective date."                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0334                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JEANNETTE  JAMES   made  a  motion  to  adopt  the                                                              
proposed  committee  substitute   (CS)  for  HB  317,  version  1-                                                              
GH2050\D,  Cramer, 2/29/00,  as  a  work draft.    There being  no                                                              
objection, Version D was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0370                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DAVID L. STEWART,  Personnel Manager, Central Office,  Division of                                                              
Personnel,   Department  of   Administration,   came  before   the                                                              
committee  to  testify.   Recruitment  and  selection is  a  basic                                                              
function of  personnel, and  to do so  quickly and effectively  is                                                              
ideal.    In the  past,  recruiting  and  selecting labor  was  an                                                              
intensive process  that produced  lists of applicants.   Moreover,                                                              
windows of eligibility  and lengthy waits between  the application                                                              
and  eligibility periods  seriously  hampered  a hiring  manager's                                                              
ability to  respond to  workforce demands.   Workplace  Alaska has                                                              
changed  that,  and  both  hiring  managers  and  applicants  have                                                              
responded positively to this system.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STEWART  further  stated that  this  legislation  before  the                                                              
committee  is intended  to  refresh  the language  of  the law  to                                                              
reflect the use of Workplace Alaska.   He noted that references to                                                              
examination are being replaced with  assessment in order to better                                                              
reflect  actual  practices.   Moreover,  in response  to  concerns                                                              
expressed  by representatives  of veterans,  references to  a flat                                                              
number of assessment points are being  changed to a percentage for                                                              
veterans'  hiring preferences.    This legislation  also  contains                                                              
housekeeping measures.   One is  the replacement of  references to                                                              
handicapped individuals with individuals  of disabilities in order                                                              
to modernize  the language.   This  legislation also repeals  four                                                              
sections of the law - AS 39.25.153(b),  39.25.153(c), 39.25.153(d)                                                              
and  39.25.155  [Section   14,  of  Version  D].     However,  the                                                              
Department of  Law has expressed that  they do not want  to repeal                                                              
AS 39.25.155,  which deals  with rural  application processes  and                                                              
appointments.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PHILLIPS  made  a  motion to  adopt  a  conceptual                                                              
amendment to delete AS 39.25.155  from page 9, line 20, of Version                                                              
D.  There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI asked Ms. Carroll  to comment on the section of                                                              
the proposed CS  that deals with veterans, as  a representative of                                                              
the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0830                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CAROL CARROLL,  Director, Central Office, Administrative  Services                                                              
Division, Department  of Military & Veterans Affairs,  came before                                                              
the committee to testify.  The department  does not have a problem                                                              
with the  proposed CS  as long as  veterans' points are  accounted                                                              
for, which they are at this time.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 0863                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JAMES  made a motion  to move CSHB 317,  version 1-                                                              
GH2050\D,  Cramer,  2/29/00, as  amended,  out of  committee  with                                                              
individual recommendations  and attached zero fiscal  note.  There                                                              
being no objection, CSHB 317(MLV)  so moved from the House Special                                                              
Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.